FRIDA Restaurant Group Brings Casa Azul Cantina to Westwood

With all the new restaurants popping up in the past year, Westwood is looking to be a pretty good place to dine. One of the newest addition is Casa Azul Cantina from the FRIDA Restaurant Group. Frida in Beverly Hills has been a popular destination since it opened in 2002, introducing westsiders to more than tacos and burritos. UCLA students and staff alike can now be grateful for a Mexican place within walking distance that's not Acapulco (even if they all have to admit they've enjoyed the $1 margaritas there ..).

Casa Azul takes its name (and decor) from Frida Kahlo's blue house Coyoacán, and many of the items from Frida make their appearance here as well.


Speaking of margaritas, I was happy to find tamarind margarita on the menu, even if it's frozen blended! ($9)

Prefer them shaken? Try the Matador Special ($10) made with fresh muddled cucumber, agave, tequila, triple sec, fresh lime juice. If you like it spicy, the jalapenos in the "El Diablo" will give you the kick you want.

The aren't martini-sized drinks either, the glasses they used were actually really big (and heavy).

Shrimp appetizers abound; I prefer the Gambas al Ajillo (fresh shrimp prepared with olive oil, garlic, guajillo chile, and lime juice) to the Camarones Aguachile. I've only had camarones aguachile with raw shrimp before, and even though the sauce was good here I thought the shrimp was overcooked. In contrast, they were tender in the gambas al ajillo dish.

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La Monarca Bakery: Pastries, Lunch, and Cakes to Save Monarch Butterflies

This East LA institution has finally moved west with its opening of La Monarca Bakery Santa Monica. This place fits surprisingly well with the Santa Monica with its healthier pastries (low butter, low sugar, nothing is fried, vegetarian options) and the price is lower than most bakeries in the area.

The executive pastry chef Alain Bour is actually a France native and trained, and he combines classic techniques with Mexican flavors, like their croissant filled with guava paste or dulce de leche. Browsing their pastry case may be overwhelming (it's self-serve), so here are some suggestions.

Make sure you try the tacos de guayaba,a sugar-dusted puff pastry filled with guava and cream cheese ($1.50).

It's a different style but it gives Porto's guava cheese roll a run for its money. The pastry shell isn't the flaky type and I do think I prefer the guava paste here. One is never enough.

Their pan de elote is a sweeter version of corn bread and also worth a try.

Also try the Cafe Oaxaca ($3.75), made with espresso, mexican hot chocolate, and steamed milk.

They have free wi-fi and you can count on me coming here to work over some cafe oaxaca.

For the lunch crowd, there are different types cazuelas (Mexican claypot stew) served as sandwiches. Choose between Poblano chicken mole, Salsa Verde braised beef, or even a vegetarian chorizo, then choose your bread size.

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Recipe: Chicken Tamale in Green Sauce from Mama Hot Tamales

Being a graduate student has its perks. Sometimes it's pretty random, like the time Mama from Mama Hot Tamales came to Caltech show us how to make tamales.

Chicken Tamales with Green Sauce (Salsa Verde)

Masa Recipe:
1 - 5lb bag of Maseca
1 ltr of corn oil
1 tbsp baking soda
3 tsp of salt
Enough chicken broth to bring the masa to the consistency of cookie dough

To prepare the masa/dough: combine the maseca, baking powder, and salt. Add chicken broth, knead well with your hands to form dough. In a separate bowl pour cooking oil and add dough, 1/2 cup at a time, to the cooking oil, and mix until thoroughly combined.

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First Time at My Family's Own Restaurant: Kogyo (Surabaya)

There's definitely a conflict of interest here since I'm actually talking about my family's restaurant. My mom opened Kogyo on the 2nd floor of Sutos (Surabaya Town Square) in January but I haven't gone home to Indonesia since then until very recently. Finally could see and taste it for myself!

I don't want to seem like I'm promoting our own restaurant, but you know, after hearing about it for 10 months, I got excited about finally going there myself.

The whole thing started when I brought blogger friends Mattatouille and Glutster to Indonesia last year, and talking about the Kogi hype to my mom, it seemed natural that with a real Korean and a real Mexican in town, we should try making it ourselves.

It's a small and casual place with mid range prices. My mom tends to say you can't find another place serving US rib eye at our prices in town (the local beef is so much tougher compared to the marbled US beef).

The menu is mostly Korean plus some non-Korean items my mom is proud of (like her niu ru mien aka beef noodle soup which seems to have a small following of its own). There are people who come a couple times a week just to have the beef noodle soup.

Photo by my brother.

Our most popular item is probably the Durian Mochi.

The chewy mochi skin is made fresh and the mochi is filled with cream and real durian monthong! I've never had anything like it before and loved it. Props to my mom for thinking up something like this.

I try helping out with the menu by suggesting some items. So far I've contributed Pat Bing Su (aka Korean shaved ice), and soon dubu is not far in the future ..

I never told my mom about the Kyochon/Bonchon hype here, but she must've known about Korean fried chicken from somewhere else, since I found these fried chicken wings with sweet and spicy plum sauce on the menu.

I didn't get to try everything, since we still ate at home or went out to other places to eat while I was there, but I really like their burrito too. Guess I'll have to wait until 2012 to try the rest.

Kogyo BBQ
Surabaya Town Square (SUTOS) unit 1-46 (2nd floor)
Surabaya, Indonesia
@KogyoBBQ

Mariscos El Teto's: A Gem of a A Seafood Trailer

Mariscos El Teto's isn't a food truck. It's a food trailer.
Parked throughout the day in front of a floor demolition store on Lankershim Blvd in Sun Valley, a couple of foldable chairs and table sit at the edge of the curb.

Street Gourmet LA has shared his find months ago and brought plenty of bloggers here, including me, to enjoy the amazing Ensenada-style seafood (I just never got around to blogging until now).

The real reason I made the trek to Sun Valley was this: the sea snail (caracol). I haven't had sea snail since my first trip to Baja where we encountered La Guerrerense. El Tetos will cook your sea snails concha preparada (in the shell) many different ways and they were well worth the drive.

The manta ray tacos with black olives, octopus, cilantro, onions are another reason to visit El Tetos. A meaty, seafood experience in your hands.
A table on the curb holds all the salsa and condiments, onions, and lemons.

El Tetos have a "large" menu though for the most part they are different preparations of the same protein.

The fish taco here can truly stand up on its own, challenging Ricky's as the best Baja fish taco in town - perhaps the only one around who can.

If manta rays aren't your style, they also have a solid carne asada ...
... and crispy empanadas rather overwhelmingly topped with chopped tomatoes and cabbage.

Bill and I were just talking about this amazing marlin "ham" he had in Baja, and all of a sudden, what did they bring out? Marlin ham!
This "ham of the sea" was like nothing I had tasted before. Its meaty and flaky, like you would expect from this type of fish, with a whiff of the ocean naturally, but it was the smokiness that made it so very special. I think this was a rare treat for Bill and I was lucky enough to be there. I'm not sure how often they'd have something this special there again. Hopefully I'll get to have some more in the near future.

For most of us, Mariscos El Teto's is far, but it is undoubtedly worth a try. As always, props to Street Gourmet LA for driving all over the state finding gems like this.

Mariscos El Tetos
8854 Lankershim Bl.
Sun Valley, CA
(818)335-3157

Tasting the Revamped Santa Monica Place: La Sandia and Zengo

Do you remember the old Santa Monica Place? The mall at the end of the Third Street Promenade used to be an afterthought. Now it has undergone a massive revamp and face lift that I didn't even recognize it anymore! I went there recently for a media dinner at the two new Richard Sandoval restaurants there, La Sandia and Zengo.

On my way to my first stop, La Sandia, I was so surprised. What used to be an old, dying mall is now a sleek, open-air center.
It's so fancy now!

I was impressed by La Sandia's dining room. The middle area was spacious and airy with a fountain at the center.
Since we're having our media dinner at Zengo, we only sampled some cocktails and tried some appetizers here: enchiladas, taquitos, ceviche. These are dishes you would expect from other Mexican restaurants, and they are done pretty well here.

We sampled four cocktails (sharing the flutes so we don't get too drunk) which were surprisingly well made and interesting.

The Dos Agaves was made with mezcal, agave and rimmed with chapuline salt. Another mezcal drink contained cucumber, pepino, and chile pequin. I enjoyed the passionfruit caipirinha and the hibiscus margarita which uses hibiscus syrup made in house.


La Sandia
395 Santa Monica Place
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 393-3300



We then moved to Zengo for dinner (and more cocktails).

Overall we liked the cocktails at Zengo better. I ordered the Prickly Pear Caipirinha ($9) and the Mekhong Pina Horchata made with Mekhong thai rum was an interesting creamy concoction. We also tasted the tamarind margarita and cucumber mojito - all of them were good.

The XO sauce edamame was quite addictive. Do give it a try, unless you're vegetarian since the XO sauce contains dried shrimp and scallops.

Many of the dishes are the familiar asian fusion dishes with a twist like beef and hamachi tiradito, sushi rolls, and a miso black cod with chipotle, but you can also find some unique ones worth trying:

Achiote-hoisin pork arepas (corn masa, avocado crema fresca) - $9
This dish combined the sweetness of hoisin pork with the great texture of fried arepas - chewy with a crunchy texture. The creamy avocado is icing on the cake.

Peking Duck-Daikon Tacos (duck confit, curried apple, orange-coriander sauce) - $12

This was another of my favorite.
It's a lighter and more refreshing take on both peking duck and taco. No tortilla or thin chinese pancake here, just the crisp freshness of daikon radish. Unfortunately the duck confit itself was a little on the dry side. Just a little more moist and juicy and it would be perfect.

Not knowing anything about La Sandia, Zengo, or the food of Richard Sandoval before, I was pleasantly surprised. There were a few dishes that I thought were creative combination of flavors I have not seen before. Now that the new Santa Monica Place definitely has some good food and cocktail options, I wouldn't mind the mall so much.

Zengo
395 Santa Monica Pl
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 899-1000
http://www.richardsandoval.com/zengosm/index.htm


Disclosure: This was an all-blogger dinner hosted by the restaurants' PR.

A Feast of Pre-Hispanic Mexico at La Huasteca

Apparently it has been a long time dream of Chef Rocio Camacho to bring to life alta cocina, fine Pre-Hispanic Mexican cuisine to Los Angeles, and her current position at La Huasteca has allowed her to do just that.

Recently she and her team at La Huasteca invited a few people (or rather, asked The Glutster to invite a few people) to taste her new pre-hispanic menu. Keep in mind, this tasting was not just for marketing, but also for her to receive feedback about her new menu. We suggested some things she could improve on and most likely by now these dishes would be even better (I won't be going through all of them here, but most).

This was my first time at Plaza Mexico in Lynwood and I must admit I was very impressed. It felt as if I was really in an old plaza in Mexico. This old style building even had two caged parrots up on those balconies!

The interior of La Huasteca did not disappoint.

There was even a mariachi band making its round in the restaurant towards the middle of the night.

There were three aguas frescas already waiting for us on our table: nopal con pina "Xochilt" (cactus, pineapple), Agua Preciosa "Atlaquetzalli" (honey, unsweetened cacao, aciote), Jamaica con Fresa "Chabela" (hibiscus, strawberries).
The jamaica con fresa is the one most familiar to the tongue and most drinkable, but the nopal con pina was probably my favorite. It's refreshing with a bit of a grassy note, bitterness and spice from the nopal/cactus. The agua preciosa reminds me of a cross between Milo and a horchata.

We were served two different salsas with our tortilla chips:
Salsa Maya (pina, cilantro, jalapeno, serrano, tomato)
This was a good combination of flavors and a nice balance between spiciness and tartness.

Salsa Especial "Molcajete" (tomatillo, cilantro, jalapeno)
The molcajete refers to the stone mortar that it is served in. This smoky salsa had a full bodied mouthfeel.

Empanada de Flor de Calabaza (squashblossom)
Chef Camacho has a way with her masa (corn flour) and I don't know what it is but the texture of her empanada was simply amazing. It has a crispy coating yet still manages to be moist and fluffy, definitely more so than others I've had before.

Tamalito Michoacana "Corunda" (sweet corn tamal)
Sweet corn tamal filled with spicy cotija cheese. It was firm, moist (a little oily even).

Aguacate relleno de ceviche "Estilo Huasteca" (shrimp and fish ceviche, lime, jalapeno, cilantro)
A ceviche mixto with shrimp, fish, dressed simply with lime, jalapeno, and cilantro. The creaminess of the avocado really cuts the acidity of the ceviche wonderfully.

Our three appetizers were followed by three soups:
Puchero Vaquero (sweet potato, tomato, chaya - Yucatan greens, carne seca)
This was apparently a traditional Zacatecan stew.

Huatape de Camaron (shrimp, tomatillo, serrano)
The broth was thickened with masa and gave it a chowder-like consistency, though the mouthfeel reminded me more of yucca cream. The shrimp are a little overcooked but the flavors were otherwise amazing.

Caldo de Piedra (made with hot rock. Shrimp, vegetable, scallop, octopus)
Deep, complex flavor and aftertaste. Everything from octopus to carrots were cooked until very tender.

Ensalada de Nopales con Chapulines y Tuna Vinagreta (cactus salad with grasshoppers and cactus fruit vinaigrette)
The cactus has a nice pickled flavor and the grasshoppers/chapulines added a great smokiness and spiciness.

"Tikin-Xik" Pescado estilo Yucateco
"Basa" (Vietnamese fish) cooked in banana leaf. The sauce was made with habanero and achiote. A nice balance of tart, spice, sweet, and smoke. Very good.

Camarones Isla Mujeres (shrimp, mashed beets and potatoes, plantain, sesame seeds)
The shrimp in this dish was cooked perfectly. I found the shrimp better with just the plantain as the beet/potato mash tobe a little dry and worked with the sauce but not the shrimp.

Camarones al Café (sauteed shrimp served with coffee mole)
It probably would've been better on a different protein but the coffee mole is a great sauce: rich and complex with a slight bitterness but enough sweetness.

Barbacoa "Platillo del Jefe" (lamb braised in mezcal, served in an amazing gordita)
The lamb has been marinated in mezcal, cooked in its juice, and served in another of Chef Camacho's amazing, fluffy masa - this time a gordita.. Served with a side of consomme with garbanzo beans

Frida Kahlo (chicken, pumpkin seed pipian mole, peanut pipian mole)
Pipian is a type of mole which has some sort of nut/seed as its main ingredient and usually served over chicken, as is the case here. The two sauces here serve as a good representation of pipian (be warned, the green pipian has more heat).

"Poc-Chuc" Filete de Puerco estilo Yucateco (pork, bean, grilled onions)
Despite looking like a jerky, the pork was quite tender and the glaze has a great smokiness, reminiscent of chorizo.

Mole de Los Dioses (Portobello mushroom, huitlacoche mole)
This, my friends, was a huitlacoche (corn fungus) mole. I loved the deep earthy flavor of the mole, though I would've preferred it on some type of protein instead of the mushroom (it is actually served with filet mignon on the regular menu, so worry not!)


Desserts here deserve a try as well.
Beso de Angel ("Angel's kiss". Pecan, coconut, almond, cherry, vanilla)
A simple looking dessert that actually contained quite the list of ingredients. Fragrant, sweet, refreshing.

Guayabas con Rompope
I do believe this was everyone's favorite dessert and deservedly so.
These sweet, tender and juicy guavas are soaked in the rich creaminess of eggnog. Amazing.

Crepas de La Casa and Platanos al Tequila.
They had crepes in pre-hispanic Mexico? Who knew? OK, I don't really know if they did or not but either way the crepe was a nice, lighter dessert filled with fresh, sweet blueberries. I found the plantains a little dry (but perhaps only because I am used to bananas as desserts).

This was my first time both dining at La Huasteca and trying Chef Camacho's creations (other than at fundraising tasting events). I have to say I was quite impressed. This type of fine Pre-hispanic cooking is still a rare find in Los Angeles and Chef Camacho has done a great job bringing this exciting cuisine to life here. While the proteins are occasionally overcooked, there's no doubt that Chef Camacho has mastered her sauces.

Chef Rocio Camacho

La Huasteca
3150 E Imperial Hwy
Lynwood, CA 90262
(310) 537-8800