i’ve become obsessed with the idea of slow food and so i will put it to the test: i just bought my first heritage chicken at WF, aka “whole paycheque.” let’s see if i can make it taste good using a simple butter, lemon, herb, garlic saveur recipe…first, when i opened the bag, it smelled so *good*. seriously. it had a smell. and it was good. sweet. i’ve never opened up any other chicken and had it smell that good. (chicken is now done…) i measured the leg temp at 175, but after i cut the thigh off, it wasn’t quite cooked through…grrrrr. the breast was amazing, though, and i really can’t stand breast meat. it absorbed all the lemon and tarragon flavors, while the thigh had a bit more of the garlic. the leg meat was different (tougher, stringier, more flavorful but almost gamey) – is this what happens when you eat chickens that actually use their legs? the wings were very tasty, too. i ate both of them.

so, now, the next step is to do this w/ a standard fryer and see how it compares. so far, the free range is finger-lickin’ good, especially at $3.50/lb. free-range is supposed to be better for the body, better for the bird, and better for the land. but in my little pocket of society, it sure isn’t better for the pocketbook. now, having said that, i can’t eat it everyday, but i can certainly spend a little extra from time to time. it’s no different from searching out that unique flavor or ethnic dish.

fri 9 oct found us at the ucla vs usc women’s vball game w/ dogsitter and the mexican (affectionately known as KL and RM). i won’t blog about the ucla hot dog and popcorn but i will go on about some of the best fried chicken in the world. of course, koreans make it at a place called kyochon (and they have a prius with the kyochon logo splashed up both sides…cool. i want one.) the service was lousy this evening and we were all starving, but the flavor delivered. esp. since the last time i had this (which was also my first time and my only time) it was impressive but it was also take out picked up by JP and had lost something in her car.

we went for the signature wings in the sweet hot sauce and the “whole chicken” in the traditional garlic sauce and the rice crisped chicken strips (i didn’t know they had anything but wings). and, of course, 2 boxes of pickled daikon (you know, the stuff i’ll eat even when it’s rotten and insist to m and LCR that “it’s great!!!” yay for my iron stomach).

wings!

i barely had time to photo op the whole chicken before it was devoured

chicken strips!

*free* chocolate ice cream - nothing is ever *free*

kyochon | 3833 W. 6th St. Los Angeles, CA 90020 | 213.739.9292

and here we are again, steadily plowing our way through la restaurants via jgold’s 99 list. akasha rests in a cute little area of redesigned and gentrified culver city just a few steps from main st (where, of course, there is a farmers market on tuesday nights). on a previous stroll by this unassuming restaurant, we liked the menu and m again asked me out on a date (how sweet!…(is she being thoughtful or does she hate my cooking?)). this time, on 8 oct, we did the dinela menu because many of jgold’s recommended items could be found as part of the prix fixe. we were not disappointed. in fact, we repeatedly exclaimed how tasty it was (much to our surprise because eating out usually ends in disappointment…we can either make it better at home or the execution is poor, poor, poor). we liked appetizer and entree best, but even the pumpkin cheesecake and apple crisp were satisfactory.

akasha focuses on local, sustainable food and their execution was perfect. my pepper seared scallops had corn puree, grilled corn, frisee, niman bacon. m’s niman ranch lamb sliders had sheepʼs feta, wild arugula, tomato chutney. arugula is in my top five fave veggies (my tmobile fave five, so to speak). and it’s become a staple on modern burgers, with the most infamous version being the korean burger nazi’s version at father’s office. i had the barramundi (australian seabass – that must mean it’s not endangered) with romanesco zucchini & parmigiano-reggiano risotto, tomato, pine nuts, golden raisin, olive & caper relish. so simple yet, the flavors were so complex and different flavors came out at different times. mmmmm. m went with the beer braised shortribs (lots of shortribs being consumed these days…i love shortribs but recently they are either superb or horrendous) with crème fraiche potatoes, sautéed escarole, organic carrot fritte.

pics below taken without custom wb so everything looks yellow. lights were neither tungsten or fluorescent and i just wasn’t in the mood to tinker w/ my camera.

lamb sliders

scallops

barramundi

shortribs - i love the yam curls

pumpkin cheesecake

apple crisp

akasha | 9543 Culver Blvd 90232 | 310.845.1700

m asked me out on a date on 6 oct. we tried to catch room and board before it closed but no success so we sauntered over to beacon: an asian cafe – a place we’ve always wanted to try but just never got around to it. dinela was going on around this time, but we were not tempted by this prix fixe offering.

Avocado Salad: Tokyo Negi, Cilantro, Sesame Seeds
Miso Braised Shortribs: Kabocha Squash, Carrots, Cauliflower and Pearl Onions
Grilled Hangar Steak: Wasabi Relish, Olive Oil-Scallion Smashed Potatoes
Kushiyaki: Chicken Skewers, Shiso, Ume Paste
Beacon Bento Box for 2: tropical Fruit Jellies, Lemon Meringue-Raspberry Tartlettes Chocolate Mandarin Orange Truffles, Ginger Cookies, Coconut Macaroons

the start and finish were excellent: the avocado salad had mustard greens and radish sprouts (a favorite!) and the bento box was cute (as a web designer, i love the notion and organization of a bento box…and i love small portions of food…so cute) and satisfying. correction: it was ok. the meat was swimming in sauce and when that happens i always say: “someone is trying to compensate for something.” we probably will not go back to beacon, but it was good QT and we had fun taking pictures in the dark:

avocado salad

kushiyaki

hangar steak

braised shortribs

bento box

beacon: an asian cafe | 3280 helms ave 90034 | 310.838.7500

the reason we strolled along hollywood boulevard was because we suckered LCR into going out for crazy jonathan gold food with us again. this time, mexican, and in his ‘hood so he didn’t have to travel far. our gustatory exploration led us to loteria grill, a soaring modern space with skylights, a tequila wall, and five different agua frescas on the counter. i must admit, i was hesitant to go here at first. last year, we had loteria grill tacos at the “farmers market” at the grove, and i was less than impressed. m kept gently suggesting, she read the jgold description, and i happily acquiesced when i found out it was walkable from the theatre. (i can’t explain it, but don’t you ever get hesitant about something and then suddenly the hesitation goes away?…sometimes with prodding, sometimes not.) in a splendid example of eco-friendliness, loteria grill was also a walkable destination for LCR. and something happened that almost never happens: we arrived early and actually had to wait for someone else.

despite my disappointment with my previous loteria grill experience, i ordered the probaditas sampler (All 12 of our Tacos served on Mini Hand-made Tortillas). i wouldn't order it again, but it did give me a wide sampling of the different flavors offered. and the hand-made tortillas are good, but you can, obviously, get these without ordering tacos.

m ordered the fideo (sopa seca de fideos - Mexican Fideos Pasta) which was essentially a dry soup of noodles in sauce. (barcelona also has a fideo paella...i wonder if it is any relation?)

i wanted the nopalitos salad (Fresh Cactus paddle with tomato, Chile Serrano, Onion and Cilantro in a light lime Vinaigrette). had nopales in cancun and i'm addicted

which left LCR with huitlacoche: corn fungus

the problem with blogging too late is that i forget things. like what the corn fungus tasted like. i remember liking it, but can’t describe it. m says it reminds her of sea urchin. it’s probably nothing like sea urchin (not orange and doesn’t taste like sea water), but you catch her drift, yes? as you can see from the above photos we also partook in excellent guacamole. everything at loteria is “finished with Salsas, Guacamole, Chopped Onion, Cilantro, Queso Fresco or Crema Mexicana.” mmmmm, my kinda place.

i would be remiss if i didn't mention the chipotle chip dip. just as good as the harissa @ AOC. per m: i could eat it with a spoon. i think i did.

the second entree was enchiladas (De Pipian - In our Red Pumpkin - Seed and Peanut Sauce). came with excellent seasoned rice!

our third entree (which looks like a big burrito (not pictured-sorry…ran out of battery!)) was basically a big burrito. the homemade tortilla contained: Carnitas en salsa Morita – In a Spicy Chile Morita Sauce Served with slices of Fresh Avocado and Finely Chopped Onion and Cilantro.

last but not least, i had a beet + tuna (not the fish...) agua fresca

we finished up our meal with: Mexican-style ice cream studded with the sweet, curdled-milk cheese known as chongos

highly satisfied diners...we will come back again

loteria grill | 6627 hollywood blvd 90028 | 323.465.2500

animal, vegetable, miracle has changed the way i look at food in so many ways and reaffirmed my healthy/political view of food and food production in general. i have quite a few things i want to write about, but first, i want to take a trip down memory lane and recall all the urban gardens m and i have had.

our first foray into growing veggies and herbs took place in chicago on a deck overlooking the eisenhower expressway. i must admit, i was a hesitant urban gardener. m was the one all gung-ho about growing tomatoes in late summer sun and having fresh herbs and hot chile peppers at her disposal. we bought a number of small and large plastic terra cotta colored planters and some round ones with tomato stands. we bought seeds of bell peppers and chile peppers and basil. i think we also bought tomatoes from seed and started them in small pots inside. we bought and grew lettuce that quickly became covered in small bugs despite our best organic pest spray efforts. m just couldn’t stomach the thought of eating it and potentially digesting a few small bugs that didn’t die in a vinegar rinse. i can’t remember if i ate it or not…i eat just about anything.

the chile peppers were a huge success. the tomatoes were also a huge success. so simple to grow and yet so tasty. unfortunately, i don’t have any pictures as my documentation of these days was virtually zero. (i was saving up for these current days when i start any project armed with no less than 2 cameras and one videocamera.)

our first la apt didn’t have an outdoor space. correction: it had an outdoor space that was turned into an indoor space. the result is the same: couldn’t grow anything but a small pot of basil so planters went into storage and basil was successful for a few weeks but neglect eventually killed the poor herb.

san francisco was the perfect climate for growing foods outside and our 25 foot long deck accommodated our urban garden nicely. we started with a bonsai tree we ordered from overstock.com. weird, i know, but it thrived for many moons before frying on our deck in la in 2007. next, we filled all of the aforementioned planters with romaine, arugula, chard, cilantro, sugar snap peas, spinach, and a number of herbs. safer spray kept most of the bugs away. as i recall, the romaine and spinach and peas were particularly tasty. i didn’t really know how to prepare the chard, but it certainly was pretty. and the herbs were indestructible – especially the thyme. i loved growing peas because they grew up along the chopstick in the planter and literally took over the railing on the deck spewing pods all over the place. we ate every single pod and licked our fingertips afterward. lastly, we followed that up with a peach tree which is known in feng shui circles as being good for personal health. see pics of our sf urban garden below:

disclaimer: our garden flourished due to a lot of love and advice from a miss NM who still, much to our chagrin, remains in sf despite all of our pleas and attempts to get her to move to la. she helped us pick out the peach tree in sonoma and helped us plant it and prune it and keep it pest-free. she also recommended growing certain veggies together…but now, of course, i can’t remember what that sage advice was. she also gave me an aloe plant that refuses to stay restrained by the tiny studio apartment of a pot that contains it. she also gave me an orchid, my first, (for my birthday) that i kept blooming twice a year for almost 3 years. it liked la ok but it *loved* sf.

our first (and so far only) bonsai

lettuces

i love peas!!!

arugula, spinach and romaine - tasty spoils of our labor

basil grown from seed + ready for the outside world

the first peach - the tree only grows 1 each year

despite our rice cooker’s claim that it can’t make sticky rice, we attempt it anyway. tonight was attempt #2 resulting in excellent rice (i have no idea how sweet rice is supposed to be made or how it is supposed to look/taste so our result seems perfect). the formula so far: 3 hours of soaking (don’t forget to rinse it first!) and then 2.25 “cups” of water. maybe i’ll try 2.125 next time because it was still a little gooey when the cooker stopped. after it warmed for almost 5 hours in the rice cooker, it became less globby as the rice kernels separated from each other and it dehydrated a bit. like i said, i have no idea if this 9 hour rice is the proper consistency, but sure is tasty. we topped it with honey and cinnamon. (sorry, no pictures. i just finished it.)

in other news, we just finished our last true bottle of chinese longan honey. this new bottle is “honey flavored syrup” and tastes more sweet with less longan. sadness. i miss the bees already.

page 92 of my edition of animal, vegetable, miracle explains how the slow food organization attempts to save delicious foods in danger of extinction by, ironically, consuming them. kingsolver’s description of their 2003 campaign to save heritage turkeys makes me want to buy a fresh heritage turkey for our next dinner party. slow food ran a membership drive by allowing the public to join for whatever donation s/he wanted to make. m and i became members of the slow food la chapter today for $37.50 (because we are cheap, but $36.50 more thoughtful than really cheap).

this time m bought cockles from costco and we used a weird uncured bacon from whole foods (never again). this version was tasty but not as tasty as the first. sometimes the first is always the best. i also thought the potato chunks were too large this time, but that’s just my opinion – it doesn’t really change the flavor of the chowder. the bacon and the cockles definitely affect the flavor. i liked the cockles. they were cute and small and easy to clean and shuck. we just bought too many of them. this second chowder was definitely…how can i put this?…richer? seafoodier? clammier? i’d buy cockles again, but probably not 7 lbs of them. below is my first stab at incorporating video. i love the gurgling sounds the cockles make…i just can’t think about throwing them into boiling hot water. makes me want to become a vegetarian.

(ok, so embedding the video is gonna need some work…here’s the link instead):
gurgling cockles

disclaimer: i am not a movie maker. i most certainly won’t become rich and famous shooting video on my little canon p+s.