la.foodblogging » Snack Food

Susina Bakery - You Get What You Dessert

Pauline — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:13:51 +0000

Back when I was out in the frozen tundra, I received a phone call from one of my friends in L.A. He had a food emergency. He was going to a birthday party and needed the “best cheesecake in L.A.” Without hesitation, I told him to get to Susina Bakery ASAP and purchase the orange cheesecake. Long story short, the cheesecake was the hit of the party, and all the guests at the birthday bash were impressed with my friend’s fine taste. Over the weekend, we introduced Susina to some other people. After a couple bites, they agreed that Susina is pretty special.

First of all, we were initially disappointed because their famous orange cheesecake was out. The staff did recommend the Oreo cheesecake as an alternative. They said they make it exactly the same way, just with a different filling and crust. The cheesecake was delightful. We were all impressed with how it has the same rich flavor as other cheesecakes but without the heaviness. I’m usually not a fan of an Oreo crust because I find it to be too dry for my taste, but the crust of this cheesecake was just right. We also really enjoyed the raspberry chocolate cake. We were pleasantly surprised to find actual raspberries in the cake, not raspberry filling. The raspberries were fresh and not drowned in sickening sweet syrup. This was one of the best cakes I’ve had in a while. Our last selection was the apple tart. I’ve eaten a lot of apple tarts, and the trend seems to be making apple slices as thin as possible and layering them. Susina’s apple tart, however, was topped with a generous amount of thick slices. Each bite is filled with a very strong apple presence. As we were leaving, I decided to buy something to go to give to my mother. I picked a blueberry custard tart and some Italian cookies. My mother started off intending to have just a bite, just to taste. She finished the whole thing in one sitting. She did offer me a taste, and just like the three desserts my friends and I shared, this one was absolutely wonderful. The blueberries were fresh, the custard was creamy, and the crust was crispy but not dry. The cookies were also a nice little treat. The cakes and tarts were approximately $5, while the cookies were $20 per pound. (I spent about $2 on a handful of the bite-size cookies.) We all felt that Susina’s price is very reasonable for a taste of heaven.

You can purchase whole cakes and pies and even place orders in advance. Susina is more than just sweets and pastries though. I haven’t had anything other than beverages and desserts here, but Susina also offers soups, salads, sandwiches, quiches, and lasagnas. The staff is incredibly friendly and amiable. There is parking available in the parking lot behind the building, but be careful of where you park. Not all the spaces are for Susina, and the spaces are stacked, so you may be blocked in (or be blocking someone else in).

Susina Bakery & Cafe
7122 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-7900
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-11pm, Sat-Sun 8am-11pm

The 411 on Valley “Fro-Yo”

Erinn — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:50:41 +0000

If you’ve lived in Southern California anytime in the 80’s, chances are, you tried a dish of Penguin’s Frozen Yogurt. This chain was the king of yogurt during that decade. There seemed to, literally, be one on every corner.

What you may not have known, (I didn’t) was that Dannonactually created the first frozen yogurt back in the 70’s. It was frozen yogurt on a stick, called “Danny”. To bad for Dannon, the idea of frozen yogurt as a dessert, didn’t take off until years later. After the rise of the ubiquitous frozen yogurt shop, there was a period in the late nineties and into the new millennium, where the desserts’ popularity took a real nose dive. Then, in 2005, along came a little thing called Pinkberry…(is this where the Heavens part and the angels sing? For some, I suppose this is true.) It was a simple concept that really took off. Fast forward to 3 years later and there seems to be, once again, a yogurt shop on every corner.

But what sets these yogurt shops apart? Does Pinkberry still reign supreme? Of course, as with all food, is there really such a thing as an objective opinion? That’s a debate for another day. In the mean time I set out to check out some of the Valley yogurt shops and get the “scoop” on “fro-yo.”

You really can’t do a frozen yogurt review without including Pinkberry, the chain that got this craze going again.

Their shops definitely get top marks for first impressions. From the large yellow banquet, to the colorful chairs and outside tables with adjustable heights, this chain hits the mark on design. As for the yogurt, they offer three flavors, the original plain, coffee and green tea.

The original flavor, I have to admit, is really delicious, but between you and me, PureNaked in Encino, tops it in my opinion (more on them in a moment.) The coffee flavor is also quite tart, and yummy as well. Then there’s the green tee. Let’s just say, for me, it’s an acquired taste. They have a nice selection of toppings and their fresh fruit choices were top shelf.

Find the Pinkberry nearest you…

Then there is PureNaked Yogurt, which opened up about a year ago.

The original name of the shop was to be BareNaked, and you know, maybe they should have stuck with that name since it seems to really fit the bill. The space itself has a very bare feel, as though no thought was put into the decor. And then there are the yogurt choices, no wait, the yogurt choice, there is only one, plain, a la Pinkberry. The good news? The yogurt was delicious.

It was tart, refreshing with bright tangy flavors.

17499 Ventura Blvd. Encino, 91316. 818-461-0346.

Yum Yum Yogurt has a very different feel then some of the newer yogurt shops.

I was reminded of a mom and pop burger shack, complete with wood paneled walls. Along with eight different yogurt offerings, including the ubiquitous plain, they also had about 20 different kinds of toppings.

If yogurt doesn’t strike your fancy, they also have a full menu of salads, sandwiches, burgers and dogs. I found the yogurt to be quite good.

16545 Ventura Blvd. Encino, 91316. 818-783-5931

When you enter Hollyberry (Formerly Snowberry) it’s like walking into a little jewel box.

Peach and green walls, blown glass light fixtures and chrome chairs give it a “ladies who lunch” kind of sensibility. Their menu consists of four regular flavors: plain, peach, vanilla and pomegranate, along with a small selection of gelatoes. The plain yogurt was very good, but oddly, the peach tasted almost exactly like the plain. Oh yeah, and toppings, here you get about 20 to choose from.

14425 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, 91423. 818-817-2350

I felt like I stepped into a full fledged ice cream shop upon entering Humphrey’s.

My first impression was how friendly the service was. It’s the kind of place you’d take your kids on a hot summer day. Along with ice cream, frozen dipped bananas, a full sandwich and salad menu, they carry three frozen yogurt flavors: tart vanilla, sweet vanilla and chocolate. I tried a combo of the vanillas and couldn’t really tell the difference between the two. While the yogurt was okay, it was certainly not stellar. They get huge points for their toppings which include real chocolate chip cookie dough bits.
4574 Van Nuys Blvd. Sherman Oaks, 91403. 818-906-2490.

Limelite felt a bit different the the other shops.

There was house music playing, a big graphic print on the main wall, colorful resin chairs and a large green leather couch to kick back on. The yogurt, on the other hand, was pretty standard. Three choices: plain, mango and chocolate along with a selection of about 30 toppings.
15030 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks 91403. 818-728-8358

If you feel like you’ve stepped back into the 80’s, you might be at Studio Yogurt.

Of all the shops I visited, this one felt the most like an old Penguins. Not so much in the decor but in the yogurt flavors and topping choices. On the day I visited there wasn’t a plain/tart yogurt in sight. Instead there was a selection of 10 flavors including Irish Cream, Cake Batter and Cheesecake. There are fat free/sugar free option, and for those less calorie conscious, there’s ice cream too.
12050 Ventura Blvd. Studio City, 91604. 818-508-7811

Menchies sets itself apart by being 100% self service, which is just fun, I don’t care if you are seven or 70.

There are four machines, each with two flavor choices. And you get the option to swirl the two flavors together, fancy! There are more than 40 toppings and for $1 they’ll hook you up with a waffle cone bowl. Since it’s self service, they charge you by the ounce, 39 cents to be exact, including toppings.

I thought the topping quality was a bit better than the yogurt, but at the end of the day the yogurt and the experience were both pretty darn good.

4849 Laurel Cyn. Blvd. Valley Village, 91607. 818-985-9150

If you are a “fro-yo” aficionado, and you know who you are, then you’ll find that perfect spot and stand by it ’till the end. But for the rest of us who just want a cool spot to sit and enjoy a frozen yogurt on a hot summer day, we’ve got it made. With a shop on every corner you are sure to find one serving up something that will satisfy your yogurt craving.

Cherry Picking @ Northside

Louise — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:25:13 +0000

One of my favorite things about the end of spring and the beginning of summer is the abundance of cherries. And what better place to get delicious cherries than right off the tree?

Last weekend, I went cherry picking. I was afraid that it was going to be too late in the season for good cherries, but I didn’t need to worry. There were plenty of nice plump cherries on the trees. Unfortunately, it might be a bit too late for rainier cherries (the yellow ones) because the few rainier trees we did find only had a nice ripe ones all the way at the unreachable top.

The orchard we went to, Northside, has lots of trees and a few varieties of cherries to pick from. My favorite that day were the dark red cherries which were crunchy and sweet. The orchard charges $3 a pound for cherries, which is not bad considering they don’t charge you for the cherries you taste off the tree while you’re there.

The only caveat is that if you plan to separate your pickings into different bags, make sure to use different buckets in the first place. The lady who weighed and tallied up our costs was cranky and gave someone in our party a hard time because she wanted her cherries split into two bags and even offered to pay for the cost of the second bag.

Also, make sure to pack sun block and a hat. While the orchard was shady, there were still some patches of sun and it was at least 95 degrees outside.

View Larger Map
Northside Cherries
9729 Northside Drive
Leona Valley, CA 93551
661-270-1290

Coupa Cafe ~ Beverly Hills

foodflirt90210 — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:02:56 +0000

It’s important to give restaurants a second and possibly third chance, just as it is with people. I tried Coupa Cafe twice when they first opened in Beverly Hills and wasn’t impressed. Early this week, my boyfriend and I were lamenting over how Beverly Hills needs a few better breakfast spots. Since he’d never been, we walked into Coupa Cafe and were so deliciously satisfied by the time we left, we returned the next morning!

They have these addicting Arepas and phenomenal coffee from Venezuela. Arepas (for those who don’t know, I didn’t) are a very popular Venezuelan snack food, especially for the late night party crowd. We go for pizza, or possibly “street meat” (aka hot dogs on a cart) at 2am. Venezuelans eat Arepas. They are little corn cakes that remind me of a Pita/English Muffin hybrid. When sliced in half, they are very thin, a little crispy, and you can fill them with anything you’d like. They become a perfect little sandwich, about the size of our Egg McMuffins, but much tastier!
On visit #2, Derrek ordered the Breakfast Special Arepa, eggs with bacon and Gouda, as well as one with turkey, goat cheese and spinach.

I customized mine with egg whites, sun dried tomatoes, and light Gouda cheese. All three were wonderful, but the Breakfast Special is great if you’re hungover!

Now let’s talk coffee. Among my favorite places in BH to get my morning ritual Cafe au Lait are Frittelli’s, Ingrid’s, and Le Provence. COUPA CAFE is now my coffee obsession of the moment. I always knew my heart would be stolen my someone or something in South America … I guess it’s the latter :). I asked if they had a mild coffee and our waiter suggested the Caracas. Not only did the Au Lait arrive looking red carpet ready, but also had velvet-like mircofoam, the tell tail sign of a fine barista. The coffee was rich, decadent, and smooth, as promised. Coupa Cafe also has free WiFi, beer and wine, a cute outdoor patio area and a warm fireplace inside. What’s not to love?

Coupa Cafe
419 N Canon Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210-4819
Phone: (310) 385-0420

Cross Street: Brighton Way
Hours: Daily 7:30am-11pm
Happy Hour M-F, 5-7pm, 2 for 1

LAMILL COFFEE CO.

foodflirt90210 — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:00:53 +0000

I finally meandered over to Silver Lake to experience the much talked about coffee boutique, LAMILL (pronounced lah-mill). This is not, let me repeat NOT, your average, cater to the masses, grab your daily cup o’ Joe and go coffee shop. No ladies and gentlemen, LAMILL takes the art of coffee to a pristine new level. Their caffeinated concoctions have been carefully calculated, formulated and are ever so thoughtfully constructed right before your eyes. This is a place to visit when you want to indulge in a divine brunch and linger over ridiculously decadent coffee that youâ€™ll crave for the rest of the week. If I lived in Silver Lake, this spot would become part of my lazy Sunday morning ritual.

At first I was curious â€¦ why didnâ€™t this opulent coffee palace open somewhere chichi like Beverly Hills? Why boho-chic Silver Lake? This seems to be an ongoing blog debate. My 2 cents? I think itâ€™s the distinctive artsy types, the gastronomic gurus, the â€œFrench palateâ€? patrons who will truly recognize and appreciate the quirky artistry occurring daily at LAMILL â€¦ and those people are found in neighborhoods like Silver Lake. In BH, people would have given this fantastic establishment plenty of business without scoffing at the $5 latte, but I live in Beverly Hills and let me tell you, a restaurant does not have to serve high quality food to be a success in the 90210 area code. (Not always, but often, BH diners are far more concerned with who is eating at the restaurant than with how the food actually tastes i.e. the Farm of Beverly Hills, Il Pastaio, and Mr. Chow.) Silver Lake is unusual as is LAMILL and I think they compliment each other.

When you walk in, thereâ€™s a tempting pastry case filled with scones, muffins, croissants, etc. Before we even sat down my boyfriend ordered a canele to be sent to the table. The two room restaurant was bustling with people high on platinum caffeine. The eccentric dÃ©cor almost out shines the coffee â€¦ almost.

Color scheme: gold brass, deep teal, robin egg blue, grey black and blood red. Picture custom French wall paper depicting mythological scenes and vintage chairs covered in exotic, vinyl animal skin such as ostrich and crocodile. Itâ€™s anything but boring and somehow sets the right mood for coffee chemistry. Sitting at our window-side table for two, we perused the bible of a beverage menu and munched on the incredible canele. The outside was terrifically crunchy with a soft, creamy center similar to vanilla bread pudding.

We wanted to try the coffee spheres, but were told they were still in the creation phase and not yet available. (I felt like I was in Willy Wonkaâ€™s Coffee Factory.) As alluring as the â€œJelly Doughnut Coffee Drinkâ€? sounded, we both ordered our usual, cafÃ© au lait with skim milk, just to test this $5 version against the hundreds weâ€™ve had elsewhere. Derrek wanted to add house made chocolate sauce and real whipped cream to his au lait. Uh oh! Order something not listed on the menu? Confusion ensued. Our very patient, sweet waitress summoned a guy in charge of coffee creation and he kindly explained that their drinks are made from precise recipes with exact ratios of milk to coffee etc. (BTW there was no attitude while explaining why they are so particular about the drinks â€¦ each person was gracious and sincere.) Much to my surprise, he finally agreed to bring the chocolate sauce and whipped cream on the side. Both were devastatingly delicious and the chocolate sauce was far closer to a velvety ganache.

To achieve the perfect 50/50 ratio that makes up a cafÃ© au lait (half drip coffee, half steamed milk) the coffee creator poured both the coffee and milk simultaneously, into the cup, table side. Necessary? Nope. Elaborate, indulgent, and fun? Absolutely! My cafÃ© au lait was smooth and creamy with no trace of burnt beans whatsoever. At LAMILL, the coffee is not pre-made. Each cup is brewed as it is ordered. Can you say FRESH? My only qualm was that by the time everything was poured, admired, and sugared, the beverage had lost that piping hot quality.

Knowing the menu was created by the esteemed Chef Michael Cimarusti of Providence, I was equally excited for the food. I ordered baked eggs that arrive with a sinfully generous amount of fresh crab meat on top, accompanied by perfectly crisp, perfectly buttered, toast. (Perfection is the predominant theme if youâ€™ve not noticed.) The dish was sprinkled with chives which I assumed were just a garnish, but they added a piquant flavor profile to my already heavenly breakfast.

Derrek opted for scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, asparagus, and chives â€¦ a sumptuous display of simplicity at itâ€™s finest. I floated out of LAMILL feeling blissful and content, with a sheer appreciation for the effort put forth to create a superior coffee+food experience in Los Angeles. (I did return weeks later. The â€œkinda like crÃ¨me bruleeâ€? banana dessert was average at best but the liquid center lollipops are luscious).

NEAT FACTS about LAMILL
La Marzocco espresso machine
$11,000 Clover coffee machine that brews single cups to order
Siphon tableside coffee service (popular in Japan)
Food as exquisite as the coffee
Similarities to Starbucks: ZERO â€¦ thankfully
Serves room temperature water (more easily absorbed)

LAMILL COFFEE BOUTIQUE
1636 Silver Lake Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-663-4441
Hours
Tuesday-Sunday
7:00AM-7:00PM
Closed Monday

Love + Valentine’s = Cheese

MaxMillion — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:11:51 +0000

It’s no secret how much I love cheese. I also love my local cheese emporium, The Artisan Cheese Gallery in Studio City.

Apparently plenty of cheese aficionados make frequent pilgrimages to this temple of buttermilky delights. One of their bestsellers is Coach Triple Creme Goat from New York cheese maker Coach Farm (apparently the same people who made the Coach handbags and leather goods).

So owner Melody asked her friends at Coach if they would make it in a heart shape for Valentine’s Day - “just for them”.

And they said “Yes”.

Coach Farm made them a triple cream (meaning 75 percent butterfat) goat cheese that tastes like a smooth, rich, and creamy brie with hints of the tangy, grassy flavor typical of chevres.

And it’s in a sweet heart shape just in time for Valentine’s Day.

The Artisan Cheese Gallery
12023 Ventura Blvd.,
Studio City, CA 91604
Phone: 818-505-0207
Fax: 818-505-0282

Little Next Door

foodflirt90210 — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:47:07 +0000

My mom was in town this past weekend and I took her to Little Next Door, the spawn of its popular parent restaurant, The Little Door. I went when they first opened and was very disappointed with both food and serviceÂ but the ambiance is great! I am obsessed with the imperial violet blue and royal gold color scheme. I really wanted to like this place so I figured one more trip couldn’t hurt.

Â They now offer table service, whereas last time you ordered at the counter before sitting down. We ordered 2 cafe au lait from a friendly Frenchman. They arrived piping hot, rich, and smooth in large bone colored bowls whichÂ felt comfortable and satisfying. I could tell there was a good baristaÂ in the houseÂ due to theÂ perfect microfoam on top.

We didn’t order wine, but this little cafe is heaven for those who love a good wine by the glass selection. 5 whites and 6 reds are offered all between $5.00 -$10.00 per glass. Tres Bien!!

While we waited for our food to arrive, which did take awhile,Â the warm, nutty smell of browned butter wafted throughout the space. If that doesn’t make you hungry nothing will.

At the waiterâ€™s suggestion, I ordered the grilled salmon sandwich on brioche bread. It was layered with a variety of spicy mixed greens and thin slices of salmon. One word … DRY. The bread was delicious but the sandwich itself lacked flavor and inspiration.

My mom ordered the Pesto Chicken Sandwich with grilled zucchini and summer squash. This sandwich had more flavor thanks to the pesto and was not as dry due to the grilled veggies, but the chicken could have used some time in a marinade. The baguette it was served on was good, but far too much bread for the petite amount ofÂ chicken and vegetables inside.

We also ordered one Harissa Egg to share.Â HarissaÂ is a hot red pepper paste used in North African cooking. It tasted like a deviled egg with a zesty bite. Yum!

One of my favorite pastry chefs in LA, Michael Brock, recently moved from Boule to Little Next Door. I’d told him how disenchanted I was with their pastry on my first visit but I trusted things had gotten better with him at the helm and I was right! I asked him to bring us his favorite sugary offerings … we’ll start with my favorite. AÂ vanilla panna cotta layered with grapefruit gelee and topped with grapefruit supremes.

“OH MY GOD! This is the best dessert I’ve ever put in my mouth.” Those were my exact words. The tangy tartness of the cool grapefruit gelee combined with theÂ rich, soft, sweetness of the velvet-like panna cotta. We ate the entire cup. We couldn’t stop. There were four other treats to try but this one lured us in, mouthful by heavenly mouthful.

In second place were the caramel sea salt truffles. Delectable dark chocolate filled with savory sweet caramel; Excellent. At this point we could not manage one more bite. Our waiter was veryÂ understanding and brought us to-go boxes for the remaining 3 pastries. These were devoured the following morning at home with coffee.

The vanilla beignet was light, fluffy and the creamy custardÂ inside made me melt.Â My mom liked the pain au raisin and said it was buttery but not overly sweet.

Last, the apple tart. This had wonderful flavor. Cinnamon, brown sugar, butter and apples mingled in my mouth.Â Â

The crust was a little difficult to cut through dueÂ to sugar that hadÂ caramelize on the bottom of the tart but we warmed it up and overall, thoroughly enjoyed each bite.Â

THE BOTTOM LINE

Go for the fine European atmosphere, go for the great coffee and delectable desserts.

Little Next DoorÂ
8142 W 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA

90048 9am-6pm Daily
Phone: (323) 951-1010Â Â http://www.thelittledoor.com/lndhome.html

CRUMBS ~ BEVERLY HILLS

foodflirt90210 — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:12:56 +0000

There’s a new Crumb in town and this bakery means business!

Opening first in New York and the Hamptons with ample praise, I was hoping this bake shop wouldn’t disappoint me as so many “trendy cupcake boutiques,” have lately. Located mere blocks from the “almighty,” albeit overrated Sprinkles, I figured this gutsy little bakery must really be packing some punch …Â for the most partÂ … I was right!

They offer tons of extra-large, funtastic, candy coatedÂ cupcakes as well a large selection ofÂ frilly frosting cakes. The ladies purse cake looked very NYC with black and whiteÂ butter cream frosting.

Crumbs is not your modern/chic, dainty cupcake bakery. Â They are not afraid to pile on the frosting, top it with m&m’sÂ and bake-off large and in charge brownies.

My friend and I ordered 4 big cupcakes to take home. Like sprinkles, there’s not a lot of standing room inside … no where to sit. Smart of them? YUP! This will force a line out the door in no time :)The “Artie Lang” (of the Howard Stern Show) is Vanilla sponge cake filled with chocolate butter cream, covered in vanilla cream cheese frosting and topped with chocolate fondant icing with white and chocolate sprinkles on the sides! WOW! A lot going on there but this was THE BEST CUPCAKE we ordered! (we ate it before got a pic … sorry guys). FINALLY, A CUPCAKE WITH MOIST, BUTTERY VANILLA CAKE AND EXCELLENT FROSTING! Leave it to New York to know what a truly yummy cupcake should be!

My next favorite was the Caramel Apple cupcake.Â Â Incredibly moist vanilla brown sugar likeÂ cake with apples baked right in the batter. The frosting tasted like cream cheese vanilla butter cream swirled drizzled with caramel.

My friend got the Candy cupcake; Sweet vanilla cake frosted with a heavy dose of Crumbs signature vanilla butter cream and smothered in multi-colored m&msâ„¢. This was just too sweet for my taste but the cake part was super moist and buttery!

OK … now for the downer … their Red Velvet, which I was told is a best seller, not great. Not even good really. The cream cheese frosting that is what makes a red velvet so addicting, tasted like too sweet vanilla butter cream and the red velvet cake, was not red nor velvety but brown and dry dry dry. Hmmmm …. oh well. Ya can’t win them all. They have cookies too and as a good food blogger, I had to taste one. Blah … chocolate chip with cinnamon, it was stale for one and the flavor wasn’t terrible but I won’t return for the cookies … only the cupcakes, superior to all other LA cupcakeries, besides Leda’s Bakeshop which is top in my foodie opinion. Oh, Crumbs also has coffee and is cheaper than it’s near by competitors.

THE BOTTOM LINE

If you CRAVE down home, BUTTERY, lots of THICK CREAMY frosting baked goods, Crumbs is for you.

If you prefer Sprinkles … you’re buying them for a pretty gift, not sweet self consumption.

CrumbsÂ

9465 S. Santa Monica Blvd.

, 310.550.9811Open 8a.m. weekdaysÂ & 9a.m. weekendsÂ

Real Chinese Take Out

Pauline — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 05:09:35 +0000

This is going to be my most obscure entry, but believe me - this little take out place is worth seeking out. About 5 years ago or so, I was at a party. The hostess didn’t want to deal with the food issue much, so she ordered “train box meals” for all the guests. Basically, the idea came from the meals people who buy to eat on trains in Taiwan. The packed meals were good, but nothing special. I hadn’t really given the train box meals a second thought since the party, until… I had a craving for some Chinese snack foods - scallion pancakes, wontons, etc. Imagine my surprise when I heard that the little shop that makes the train box meals also makes a lot of Taiwanese food for you to cook or just reheat at home.

The place that makes the boxed meals is called å?¯æ¨‚ç¾Ž (pronounced Ka Le May). I have no clue what the English name is, if there even is one. It does say “TAIWAN GOURMET DELI” in front of the store though. I was surprised by just how tiny the store is. There is a menu posted on the wall that lists the regular items - such as the vegetable baos, sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves (zong ze), and scallion pancakes, just to name a few. At the counter, there are a number of additional things to buy - such as the shredded daikon pastries and stir-fried sticky rice (mee gaw), though these can only be purchased on Saturdays. In addition, the train box meal varies every day.

Each day, å?¯æ¨‚ç¾Ž makes two types of boxed meals ($5 each). What varies is usually the meat dish and how the egg is prepared. This time, the box on the left is curry and scrambled egg with chives. The box on the right is BBQ pork and a half a marinated hard-boiled egg. The only things constant are the greens, glass noodles, and the rice at the bottom of the box.

So here’s a mental picture of a Saturday visit to å?¯æ¨‚ç¾Ž - walk in empty handed; walk out with 2 train box meals, a Ziploc bag of 50 frozen pork and vegetable wontons, 1 container of mee gaw, 6 zong ze, 1 pack of frozen scallion pancakes (which is actually tastes better than the ones I make from scratch and requires less of my time), and 4 shredded daikon radish pastries. In addition, with the Chinese Moon Festival coming up, å?¯æ¨‚ç¾Ž is currently making some green bean moon cakes. These are extremely fresh and much better than the ones you buy in cases at the Chinese supermarkets. The moon cakes at å?¯æ¨‚ç¾Ž are so good that between August 27th and October 4th, they will make nothing but moon cakes. So, if you want to try any of the Taiwanese foods I’ve described, you’ve got to go soon, or else you’ll have to wait until October.

Miscellaneous Notes:

1) å?¯æ¨‚ç¾Ž is located in a plaza, and there is plenty of underground parking.

2) If you have your heart set on something in particular, I recommend calling ahead first to find out what they are carrying that day - e.g., what the two train box meals are for the day, what pastries are available, etc.

3) å?¯æ¨‚ç¾Ž is really a take out place. There is no place to eat right there on the spot, so if you’re driving far to give this place a try, you might want to bring a cooler for the frozen foods while we’re in this summer heat wave.

4) If you get the baos - pass on the meat ones. Get the vegetable ones instead.

View Larger Map

å?¯æ¨‚ç¾Ž - TAIWAN GOURMET DELI
1300 E. Main Street, #102
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 282-5436

Artisan Cheese Gallery - outstanding cheeses in Studio City

MaxMillion — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:23:36 +0000

I love cheese. No, wait - I adore cheese. I don’t mean that rubbery, bland molten and stringy stuff you generally find on pizzas, nor that weird orange stuff you find melted inside a quesadilla. Don’t offer me a highly processed slice of square, plastic-wrapped plastic ‘cheese’ unless you want to wear it.

I’m talking about Real Cheese.

Pungent cave-aged Gruyere and the blue-veined Roquefort from France. Dreamy, creamy brie-like cheeses such as Fromage d’Affinois or stinky Reblochon (also from France). Pungent blue cheeses such as Gorgonzola or the semi-hard and flavourful cow’s milk Provolone from Italy. I adore fresh chevre from Redwood Hill Farms, in northern California, or from local cheese maker Laura Cheney. “Blessed are the cheese makers” indeed.

So, you can see I was thrilled when a specialty cheese shop opened in my ‘hood last year, The Artisan Cheese Gallery

Their close proximity, here in Studio City, saves me the pilgrimage to the other notable cheese specialists in town, namely The Cheese Store of Silver Lake and - my absolute favourite - The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills.

Owner Melody Dosch is similarly enamoured with cheesy comestibles. She cultivates relationships with (and devotes a large section of her display cases to) the wares of quite a number of artisanal and boutique cheese makers, dealing personally with a dozen or so on an ongoing basis. These include Californian dairies such as Andante Dairy in Tomales Bay, Winchester Cheese Company, Rinconata Dairy, Santa Margharita and Fiscalini Dairy in Modesto; farms such as Donnay Farms, Minnesota and Capriole Farms in Indiana; also Oregon Gourmet in Albany, Bobolink Dairy, New Jersey and Haystack Mountain Dairy, in Longmont, Colorado.

In fact, Melody purchases cheeses from over fifty American artisans and cheese specialists.

I went over to the Artisan Cheese Gallery for a special event recently where Melody had invited Paula Lambert, a cheese maker from Dallas, to do an in-store presentation, provide samples of her most excellent and unusual cheeses and sign her two glossy cookbooks, The Cheese Lovers Guide and Cheese, Glorious Cheese.

Melody carries a number of Paula’s cheeses, including:

Hoja Santa, a goat’s milk cheese wrapped in Hoja Santa leaves; Blanca Bianca, a raw washed rind cow’s milk cheese (she says it’s one of her favorites); Scamorza, a smoked mozzarella made from cow’s milk; a stunningly creamy yet tart Goat’s milk Mozzarella; Queso Oaxaca, a traditional Mexican cow’s milk cheese; Montasio Festivo, a goat’s milk cheese with a unusual and flavourful chipotle chili rind and Caciotta, a plain cow’s milk infused with Mexican mint.

Melody says she first had the pleasure of meeting Paula and tasting her marvellous cheeses at an American Cheese Society conference in Louisville, Kentucky, about three years ago. Says Melody of the stylish southern dame, “She is one of the most elegant women you will ever meet.” She’s right.

A selected range of Paula Lambert’s excellent cheeses, as well as boutique cheese from all over the country, can be found at The Artisan Cheese Gallery

Also available are salads and sandwiches made daily to order (available 11am-4pm), such as Duck Confit paired with fig spread and Le Marechal cheese or AGC Muffaleta (approx $10) or the classic Grilled Cheese sandwich, made with Ballard Family Dairy cheddar on BreadBar pain de mie and with or without organic heirloom tomatoes ($8.25 or $9.25).

12023 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604
Phone: 818-505-0207
Fax: 818-505-0282

Paula Lambert’s cheeses - The Mozzarella Company