Co-Manager Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs at work

Fulfilled is a brand new venue offering a completely unique treat, dubbed by owner Susumu Tsuchihashi as “Ima.” The Beverly Hills-based shopfront is an exquisite little jewel-box of a café, where they offer a traditional Japanese delicacy known as imagawa-yaki but with a twist!!

This pocket-like Japanese dessert is often found at festivals and other places that one might, say, in the States, find funnel cakes. Traditionally, imagawa-yaki are made from a pancake-like batter that is cooked in a special pan (similar to a waffle iron but minus the honeycomb pattern), and filled with sweet Azuki bean paste.

History:
As far back as the late 1700s, Imagawa-yaki began to be sold near the Kanda Imagawabashi bridge, hence the name [the “yaki” suffix means fried].

Anyway, the batter is prepared and cooked on a cast aluminum grill with the paste filling sandwiched and then cooked within. But here in LA, the bold and inventive Susumu Tsuchihashi has developed the treat to include a nice variety of different fillings and flavours from all over the globe.

The traditional ‘Ima,’ called Sweet Geisha and filled with azuki bean, goes for $1.75, while all the other, more complicated flavours sell for $2.75.

MENU

The Honey Yakuza contains goat’s cheese, mission fig, honey, walnut and cracked pepper. I wanted to like this one but felt it definitely needed more balance to its ingredients; the walnut overpowered all the other flavour components.

Others on the menu with cute and catchy names include sweet ones such as Harajuku Monkey (banana and Nutella) — this one was my favourite — and Karoke Kitty (Strawberry, cream cheese and Ghirandelli white chocolate) or savory ones such as Sumo Italiano (Prosciutto di Parma, aged parmesan and fresh basil) and Spicy Samurai (chicken apple sausage, pepper jack cheese, green chili and fresh cilantro).

Verdict:
I’m glad I sampled these pancake-like treats, but to be perfectly honest I found them to be fairly stodgy and a bit on the heavy side…

I first heard about Fulfilled over at EaterLA, so check out their recent postings: one & two.

Chandelier

Fulfilled
9045 S. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, between Canon and Beverly Drives
(310) 860 0776
Open daily 10.30am – 7pm
Free two hour parking is available across the street, with entrances on Canon and Beverly Drives.

Two fantastic places on Tujunga Blvd, in Studio City — namely my local Italian-style sandwich joint, Press Panini, and the sensational Gelato Bar — are both running a promotion!

photo by MaxMillion

On Tuesday, November 4th, at Gelato Bar they are giving away a free coffee (they serve killer espresso over there) to anyone who voted and brandishes their “I VOTED sticker.”

Just across the road and up a few doors at Press Panini they are giving away a panini-slider to anyone who voted and flashes their “I VOTED sticker.”

How cool is that?

You can choose from their six mini panini flavours:

Salami (with provolone and swiss cheeses);
Pastrami (swiss, kraut and pepperoncini);
Cuban (bacon, turkey, ham and swiss);
Turkey Pesto (with brie and artichoke pesto);
Caprese (mozzarella, tomato and basil);
Bacon and Egg (with swiss cheese).

Below — Grilled Tofu panini sandwich –photo by Foodeater from To Live and Eat in L.A.

Anyway, Press Panini offers a rather extensive menu – about thirty choices – of a variety of hot, pressed sandwiches, priced at $8.31, with a ‘kids’ size available for selected flavors for $5.08. With some of the choices you can opt to have your sandwich cold.

They also serve these incredibly tasty soups ($3.69 for a cup; $5.54 for a 16oz bowl) – I love the Lentil and Bean – and several big salads ($9.23). They do a meal deal of a sandwich (all are on their long, white panini bread roll) plus a side of soup, salad or chips and a regular sized drink for $12.93.

Sliders are normally priced at $2.99.

I love their classic Caprese, which is a tasty and simple combination of fresh mozzarella, sliced tomato and fresh, whole basil leaves, all dressed with a piquant balsamic dressing.

My guy likes the classic Prosciutto with provolone cheese, tomato and romaine lettuce and dijon mustard as well as that same balsamic dressing.

Another great one is the ‘Olive All-Over’ with brie and parmigiana cheese, sliced kalamata and black olives, portobello mushroom, fresh spinach leaves and olive tapenade.

So, if you are feeling peckish after your trip to the voting booth, head on over to Press Panini for your reward.

Remember to return here to post a comment and let us all know who you voted for how great your slider was!

In other news, they now take Credit cards.

Press Panini
4389 Tujunga Ave, just S of Moorpark, Studio City.
(818) 487 2564
Open 9.30am–7pm.
Local delivery available.

Gelato Bar
4342 1/2 Tujunga Avenue, Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 487 1717
Open — monday – thursday: 7:30 am – 10 pm
friday and saturday: 7:30 am – 11:00 pm
sunday: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm

It’s worth mentioning that Mei Lin’s you tiao is different that that of Yi Mei’s and Four Seas’; they have more of a Shanghai-style you tiao where it’s more dense and flaky than airy and crunchy. I like both types, so it’s nice to have the choice.

The owners who were working behind the counter were accommodating and patient with my questions about which items were vegan and which were not. They didn’t even flinch when I asked if the buns could be made vegan. I didn’t get a chance to try out their fan tuan (rice rolls) at Mei Lin, but of the breakfast foods I did try, I prefer the ones at Yi Mei and Four Seas more. What I will come back for though, are the shui jian baos.

Mei Lin Tou Chiang
1257 E Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 284-1868
They’re in the same plaza as Lee’s Sandwiches, but all the way down, almost to the Valley market in the back.

For previous Chinese Breakfast Showdowns:

• Part 1: Yi Mei vs. Four Sea
• Part 2: Yi Mei vs. Yung Ho

One of the favorites at Las Fuentes is the Burrito Pollo Con Rajas ($6.15) topped with their salsa de rajas and cheese (for an extra $1). The inside is filled with large strips of chicken breast, chile peppers, beans, and onions. There is also avocado in the burrito, but it is scarcely there. I certainly couldn’t taste any, but I did see a little in one bite. Fortunately, my friends and I ordered a basket of chips ($0.95) with guacamole ($1.10). I merely added the guacamole to my burrito to compensate for the lack of avocado. The burrito itself is a huge meal, and half of the portion was more than enough for me. One thing I liked a lot about this burrito is chicken itself. The meat was very tender and moist. The only thing I did not like about my burrito was that I happened to bite into a piece of bone (which I’m guessing was the keel bone because it was a very thin and flat). The burrito is supposed to be spicy, but the only heat I felt at dinner was from the lack of air conditioning in the restaurant.

We also ordered a soft taco ($2.50), a tamale ($2.45), and tostadas ($6.75). The tamale and taco were not very impressive or unique. The tostadas, on the other hand, stood out if for no other reason than they were, as one friend exclaimed “monster” sized. The shell does not seem to much larger than ones at other restaurants, but everything inside the shell is filled to the very top. In addition, I like the fact that you can choose between a flour or corn shell. Most restaurants I’ve been to don’t give you a choice. One of my friends said she usually gets a tostada when she dines at Las Fuentes. If you don’t eat the whole shell, it seems like it’s a fairly light meal. A different friend, however, disagreed. He felt that the tostada was extremely heavy, but I think that was because the shredded beef in the tostada did not sit well with him.

Other items we tried were the horchata (small $1.69, medium $2.09, large $2.45) and the flan ($2.15). The horchata (sweet rice milk) is made from scratch. I can’t tell the difference between homemade versus store-bought horchata. I did like the strong presence of cinnamon in this batch of horchata. Usually when I order horchata, I have to add some in myself. Las Fuentes offers refills on their soft drinks for $0.30, but unfortunately, there is no refill on the horchata. The flan was a pleasant way to finish the meal, but it wasn’t anything special. In addition, the caramel was very watery. In fact, my friends and I made a run for Red Mango immediately after leaving Las Fuentes. Nevertheless, the food was overall good and everything we ordered was under $7.

There are a few negatives about Las Fuentes, though the faults do not lie with the restaurant. As the restaurant has been around for almost 26 years, it has quite a following. People really pack into the restaurant. There is a parking lot, but it gets filled rather quickly, and with cars coming and going, you might be better off parking on the street. The line to order moves fast, so don’t be discouraged if you see a lot of people. Tables get snatched up in the blink of an eye, and regulars are aggressive in pouncing on one as soon as one is available. If you try Las Fuentes, you definitely want to go with at least one additional person so that someone can take the order and pick up the food while the other goes to find a table. This is also a little uncomfortable for diners, as hungry customers are circling their tables like vultures. No one likes to be hovered over while eating. The staff is extremely nice, friendly, and helpful, which truly contrasts the sour attitudes of many customers who probably got irritated by the heatwave and the hunt for available tables. If you are not a very patient person, you might want to try Las Fuentes during off-peak hours.

Las Fuentes
18415 Vanowen Street
Reseda, CA 91335
(818) 708-3344
Sun-Wed: 8am-10pm, Thurs-Sat: 8am-11pm

Since I’ve been back to L.A., I have made a few visits back to Langer’s, including yesterday for lunch. As usual, I’m not disappointed. No matter what I order to eat, I always start off with a cream soda ($2.50). I’m really not a soda drinker, but you can’t tell that from the way I down one glass after another of the cream soda. Yes, Langer’s give free refills. Every time I order this, before I hit the last sip, my server would ask if I want a refill. How could I say no to that? I’ve asked servers at Langer’s on a number of occasions to divulge their secret ingredient (what kind of cream or syrup is used), but they lips are sealed tightly. A waitress once told me that the only ingredient she can tell me is cola. I know traditionally, sweet cream is mixed with cola or your choice of soda, but I have no clue if Langer’s secret is really this simple.

My actual food order was the cup of soup and half sandwich combo ($10.95). I chose my standard chicken noodle with hot pastrami on rye. The chicken noodle soup is filled with thin egg noodles, which I’m happy about, but there are no chicken pieces at all. The lack of chicken meat is probably the only complaint I have about the soup. My friend opted for the matzo ball soup, which I had before, too. I can’t say it’s my favorite, but the matzo ball is quite big and better than some of the others I’ve had. What I really like about Langer’s food is the hot pastrami on rye. Some people just aren’t crazy about the pastrami here and are mystified why fans like myself enjoy it so much. First of all, each slice is a thicker cut than most other sandwich shops. There are some people who prefer layers upon layers of thinly sliced pastrami. If you are one of those people, then you should probably pass on the pastrami here. Due to the thickness of the pastrami here, the layers are smaller, which give some diners the impression that Langer’s is stingy with their portions. I can say that looks are deceiving. I have never been able to finish more than half a sandwich at Langer’s. The pastrami here is also surprisingly lean and well seasoned. In addition, the rye bread is very good, too. I enjoy the flavor of the rye, as well as the crunchy crust. If pastrami really isn’t your thing, there are many other choices. I recommend the brisket of beef sandwich ($14.25) and tenderloin skirt steak sandwich ($15.95).

Langer’s is right on the corner of 7th and Alvarado, right across the street from MacArthur Park. There is a parking lot on 7th and Westlake. Langer’s will validate.

Langer’s Delicatessen
704 S. Alvarado St
Los Angeles, CA 90057
Phone: (213) 483-8050
Mon-Sat 8am-4pm

A sister restaurant to the one on La Cienega, and situated beneath Romanov Restaurant, Prana Café is a welcome addition to Studio City (even if some of us miss the Albano’s Pizzeria place it supplanted).

Indoor seating is along the west wall, opposite the closed in but windowed kitchen, is reminiscent of the old Out Take Café layout. Subtract the irritatingly squeaky swinging doors to kitchen and it’s very comfortable to dine inside.

The decor is pleasant and warm, featuring large, live bundles of lucky bamboo along the wall. Comfy wicker arm chairs face the chocolate brown leather banquettes, offset by thin cream and brown striped fabric. The ceiling is painted a deep red hue with sculpted paper light fixtures in cream giving a soft light overhead. Add the sun flooding in from the front outdoor patio, set back from Ventura Boulevard, and you have a really cosy vibe.

Their menu offers sandwiches, salads, burgers and wraps, all ranging within $7 to $14.00. You can get breakfast items all day long, including buttermilk pancakes ($7), “crispy” french toast ($9), homemade granola ($7) and scrambles (rather than omelettes) ($9-$12).

Their eggs benedict include classic ($12) and smoked salmon ($14). I was especially impressed with the hollandaise sauce that accompanied my crab cake benedict ($16). Everything on the menu is made in-house, and it shows. Arriving on a huge, square ceramic platter, you get two toasted muffin halves with a crab cake and poached egg on each. The yolk is delightfully runny, as it should be, and there is no trace of nasty vinegar. Smothering that is the divinely thick and golden hollandaise sauce; a perfect blend of the piquancy of lemon juice with the rich yolks and butter. The crab cake is quite fishy but good and meaty, speckled with corn kernels and tiny pieces of red pepper. This meal also comes with a giant and golden hash brown, severed into a curious semicircle, which makes me wonder where the other half got to (not that I needed it!) I found the hash brown to be a bit too oily and too darkly fried, but then again, I am not a hash brown aficionado. At the center of this platter is a delicate little nest of alfalfa dressed with a tangy vinaigrette.

The Mediterranean Wrap ($13) is an inspired blend of slightly spicy shrimp with the crunch of fresh cucumber and the tang of yoghurt. It comes with french fries that are perfectly salty and crisp, although you can opt for salad greens or fruit.

The chef gives us a sample of the crepes that will feature on the menu of the Russian Tea Room, opening next door to Prana Café later this month. The French Connection is a little on the crispy side and stuffed with soft, ripe banana slices and smooth chocolate sauce. Savory as well as sweet crepes are already available to patrons of Prana.

The only weakness here is the coffee, which arrives in a large, attractive glass mug. The latte is, understandably, milder than the cappuccino. But the cappuccino is too bitter and the foam too airy. At Prana Café they would do well to employ experienced baristi who are expert at creating the necessary microfoam for a milky espresso drink worth returning for.

Owner Mikayel Israyelyan seems to know what he is doing, having found success with the elegant Republic Lounge on La Cienega as well as the opulent Romanov upstairs. As my dining companion observed, “You certainly never walk away from any of his places feeling hungry.”

There’s no higher praise than that in my book.

Prana Café
12229 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
Tel: (818) 301 7616

Open for breakfast and lunch, daily.

The ambiance at Four Sea is nicer and there are a lot more tables — I might take a bigger group (or a hot date!) there, but if it were just me and the BF, I would rather save the gas and stick with Yi Mei in Monterey Park. It’s closer and a bit cheaper.

In a rather savvy cross-promotion (actually, a no-brainer, when you think about it…) the delightful ice-cream parlor and café on Beverly, Milk, teamed up with the Got Milk? people (namely, the Cali Milk Processor Board) to host an open house last night.

I spotted a handful of fellow bloggers, including the gorgeous Kristy of Best of LA and met Javier the teenage glutster who is going to have to change his blog name any day now, once he ‘comes of age’ - lol

I met the gal who writes Mikey Hates Everything and she even came with two - uh - robot dudes in biz suits…

I also got to catch up with the dashing and daring Eddie Lin of Deep End Dining fame.

A few people asked after you, Jonah, but the words ‘new baby’ and ‘Westside’ seemed to explain your absence (!)

Over the past year, Bret Thompson (former Corporate Executive Chef of the Patina Restaurant Group, Michelin trained, and now owner and executive chef of Milk,) has been tantalising the palates of Angelinos with his delectable treats at Milk. Through this unique partnership with the Got Milk? campaigners, Thompson has adapted and now shares the secret recipes to some of Milk’s most divine sweet desserts – from the ever-so-popular Milky Way Melt (which I did not sample) to the pan-Latin-inspired Berry Tres Leches, which was out of this world!

Bret’s recipes can now be found on their really cool little site.

Other yummy desserts that were being passed around were:
mini ice-cream cones with a fantastic banana & dulce de leche filling and dipped in crisp caramel;
a petite meringue ice cream sandwich;
malted milk shake with teeny choc-covered malted balls within;
a feather-light cornbread cake with raspberry filling and kernels of corn that was truly sensational
also an elegant plastic goblet of a creamy, dreamy and lightly spiced pumpkin squash soup with smoky toasted pepitas on top;
and of course the Berry Tres Leches, which has to be hands down the best version of this classic Mexican dessert I’ve ever tried.

The cake is infused with berries until it is purple-blue and then layered with white cake. The custard parts are not too sickly sweet at all (as is sometimes the case) - it’s simply perfect. Topped with fresh berries and you have a winner. I got to chat with Bret about his Berry Tres Leches dessert, by the way. He explained that it was tough to perfect the genoise or French-style sponge cake part of this delectable dessert so that it doesn’t collapse under the weight of all the three milky ingredients, namely evaporated, condensed and fresh milk.

I also talked to Steve James, the head honcho of the (actually two-person) Got Milk? team and learned how the Got Milk? campaign was created, about fifteen years ago. Legend has it that apparently some creative minds from the advertising firm Goodby, Silverstein and Partners – who they’ve been with ever since – were waiting outside the conference room door, ready to make their pitch. They’d surreptitiously filmed people in their own office reacting, with varying degrees of frustration and anger, to deliberately minuscule amounts of milk left in almost empty containers. They had the campaign and strategy all worked out but no punchy, hooky catch phrase. The team were brainstorming right outside the door, saying, ‘But we need something really simple, like, I dunno, ‘Got Milk?’

Such goes the legend of one of the most enduring food-related ad campaigns you can name.

It was a really fun event.

TIP:

Feast on superb Italian fare at Angelini Osteria across the road, then walk to Milk for dessert.

Milk
7290 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 939-6455

[photo from their website]

I occasionally like to imbibe a cocktail or dine in a hotel. It feels extra glamorous and I can pretend I’m a traveller in a foreign land. So when a visiting friend suggested we meet for lunch at the Hotel Intercontinental, on Avenue of the Stars, I jumped at the chance to put on a pretty frock and heels (despite LA’s pre-emptive June gloom – okay, I added a chic cardie, aka sweater) and tool over there.

The Park Grill dining room at the Hotel Intercontinental is surprisingly unpretentious. Diners can relax in the clubby atmosphere of the dining room, with its gay, striped carpeting and comfy, upholstered armchairs.

Beyond the large, glass french doors lies the garden patio, where I’m sure we would have dined had it been a sunny day. It’s an attractive and intimate little garden and the umbrella’d dining tables skirt an expanse of lawn. Apparently this is a popular venue for weddings.

The menu offers a decent range of two soups, several salads and sandwiches, a few hot meals and desserts. My dining companion went for the great sounding watermelon and spinach salad ($15). This came out as a kind of log cabin of sticks of watermelon with a mass of baby spinach, chunks of chevre and candied walnuts in the middle. On either side of the ‘cabin’, the long, rectangular plate was attractively drizzled with the mango dressing as well as cross-hatched drizzles of vibrantly ‘kermit’ green basil oil. Now, while this looked impressive, in fact it’s a little tough to get the dressing off the plate and onto your food. But the baby spinach was also lightly dressed and sprinkled with black sesame seeds (love them!) so this wasn’t an issue, just a tiny bit irksome.

She also ordered a prosciutto and arugula pizza ($19) that was, shall we say, extremely disappointing. Suffice to say, upon reflection, one probably shouldn’t go to a hotel and expect them to have a roaring pizza furnace…

I opted for the ‘Bento Box’ ($35) as it gave me four small courses with two options per course. It arrived all at once, on a large, white, square ceramic platter with four smaller square dishes within.

The soup was the soup du jour; a chicken broth with a hint of lime, neat cubes of breast meat and finely chopped vegetables. Delicious! Of the two salads, I went with the wild rocket salad. It was studded with candied walnuts (actually, too many…), sweet slivers of dried pear, and a couple of teeny little heirloom tomatoes. The rocket was generously dressed with a rich balsamic vinaigrette that was perfumed with white truffle oil. Rich and satisfying. I couldn’t imagine a whole bowl of it; it worked really well as one small course of four. It also came with two batons of plain but toasted crostini.

The ‘entree’ portion of this bento was one of their cooked entrees, and I would recommend dining at the Park Grill for this dish alone. A small but sufficient hunk of Chilean Sea Bass, beautifully cooked, was resting on a bed of ‘forbidden’ black rice that actually looks dark red. The modest portion of fish was served with two gorgeously braised and grilled wedges of endive and a sprinkling of soft greens. It was superb!

For my fourth course I went with the plate of fruit over the pastries, and I was glad I did. A sprinkling of blueberries, boysenberries and raspberries were complemented by a slice each of honeydew melon, cantaloupe, orange and pineapple. All the fruits were exquisitely ripe. This was a perfectly balanced, filling and delicious meal.

I noticed they are doing a special buffet for Mother’s Day. I definitely think hotels are the ideal place to pamper the grande dame in your life. I’ve already raved about the exquisite afternoon tea at the Peninsular Hotel.

But the Hotel Intercontinental might be just the place for a family gathering. If it’s a nice day, you can dine outside and the kids can run about on the grass. There will be a band performing soul, jazz and Latin music.

The buffet menu is pretty extensive and has something for everyone. Highlights from the menu include:

Kid friendly choices such as wild berry mini pancakes, triple decker peanut butter sandwich, mini BLTs, mini nutella and banana club sandwiches and baby sliders.

Assortment of miniature breakfast pastries and a seasonal sliced fruit display. Egg dishes include omelettes by request and crab eggs benedict with paprika hollandaise.

There are salads such as mushroom and shrimp salad with green papaya, multicolored heirloom tomato salad with bocconcini and aged balsamic reduction, ahi tuna salad ‘a la nicoise’, grilled marinated artichoke salad with Asian beef and so on.

In addition to a sushi and sashimi display, there’ll be shrimp, mussels, oysters, clams and crab claws. Pasta dishes include truffle gnocchi with sage and brown butter or wild mushroom risotto.

Barbecue items include prime rib eye steak, citrus marinated organic white salmon, and baby lamb chops marinated with whole grain mustard and lavender. Loads of grilled and roasted vegetables, such as parmesan grilled corn on the and roasted vegetables with fresh cilantro and lemon oil.

Assorted cakes and desserts, including panacotta, tarts, pies, cookies, brownies and blondies and even a sweet crepes station with fresh fruit sauces.

This gastronomic spread will cost $68 for adults and $34 children 4-12, (with no charge for children 3 and under).

Happy Mother’s Day!

Park Grill, Hotel Intercontinental

2151 Avenue of the Stars,
Los Angeles
Front Desk: (310) 2846500

[FYI – Validated valet parking was $6.00]