Weenie on a Bun

Finals were stressing me out.  Needed a quick study break and ANYTHING to get me out of the apartment.  After a hard day of studying I started craving a sausage.  I ventured to Little Tokyo with Kevin and Chad, two of my friends from the team.  We were in search of a sausage fix and ended up at Wurskütche, the German Sausage joint.  To me, the most impressive part of the restaurant was the design.  I love the outside decor that makes it look very industrial.  The red and yellow diagonal stripes almost look like you're entering the tunnel of a subway.  The front of the restaurant, where you order, looks like a small to-go restaurant.  The grill is visible and all the different sausages are on display.  Reminded me of a street vendor.  The back of the restaurant follows the hip LA scene with dim lighting and lots of long wooden community tables.  Overall it looked more like a bar than a restaurant.  In fact, there was a bar, and I would totally consider going there just for drinks.  We sat ourselves at a table in the back and waited for our sausages with our order numbers.  I grabbed some of the large mustard tubes while we patiently awaited our sausages.

Chicken, Apple, and Spices- chunks of apple
and specs of cinnamon

I ordered the Chicken Apple and Spices sausage with caramelized onions and sweet peppers.  The sausages were moist and juicy, but they were not specifically bursting with flavor.  I couldn't really pick out the apple or the cinnamon flavor.  The bun was sweet and soft, reminded me of an umami bun.  Personally, with hot dogs I like my bun toasted, but I see what they were going for.  The caramelized onions and sweet peppers were great on top.  I also used the whole grain mustard, definitely a good combo.   Chad and Kevin both ordered the Belgian fries.  Those were probably the highlight of my meal, when they weren't guarding them with their long swimmer arms.  I liked dipping them in Chad's Chipotle Aioli. Not a big fan of Ranch-what Kevin ordered.
After dinner my sweet tooth was acting up and I really wanted to go to The Pie Hole across the street.  Unfortunately it was closed! Before 10? I thought it was a late night joint? Anyways, I'm sure I'll blog about their mexican chocolate pie sometime soon.

Insomnia Insanity

You might think I'm insane.  I start by explaining the circumstances, so I don't seem completely out of it.  Yesterday I had a really big lunch around 3:00pm, it wasn't that good, but I was starving.  Around 9, when I was getting ready for bed, (yes it was early, but I was tired), I just ate a small salad and then some peppermint pretzel slims from Trader Joes (They are amazing by the way!).

After starting to watch a movie, I fell asleep around 10.  Then, around 2:00 am, I woke up dying with thirst.  I went downstairs, got some water and went to the bathroom as well.  Then when I tried to go back to bed, nothing was working, I just kept tossing and turning with one thing on my mind.  I was hungry.  I knew if I went back to sleep and woke up at a normal hour I would be fine, but I couldn't stop thinking about breakfast! I had eaten a lot of salty food in the past two days (korean BBQ and a fried chicken sandwich, and I was just craving something sweet).   I went on Facebook and even watched another 30 min of my movie, but nothing seemed to work.  Around 4:00am, when it started getting ridiculous, and I realized I was completely awake, I got up and dressed. Got in the car and headed downtown to The Original Pantry Cafe.  This restaurant is open 24/7.  If you pass it during the normal hours of the morning there is usually a line out the door and around the block.  I walked straight into the diner and sat at the bar.

I took this opportunity to get a good real meal, because I usually don't get the chance to eat decadent breakfasts (crazy diving schedule).  I ordered the 3 pancakes, and an orange juice (needed the vitamin C because I've been feeling a cold coming on.  The restaurant had a good 15-20 people in it, but my pancakes still arrived with 5 or so minutes.  They were light and fluffy but still very filling.  I asked if they had any chocolate chips or bananas to put on top, but it was an unfortunate no.  I smothered them in butter and about 1/3 of the syrup dispenser.  When they first arrived I asked my stomach if it was actually hungry at 4:15 in the morning.  I actually kind of hesitated, but once I took the first bite I was able to finish the rest within about 20 min.  I had a really relaxing breakfast, surrounded but he other interesting 4am crowd, but never less enjoyed it.  I drove back to my apartment (must have been tired because I started driving on the wrong direction on Fig, a one way street), then did some laundry and wrote this blog.  Maybe I'll try and start studying for finals, or watch the rest of my movie? Either way, my stomach is satisfied with the breakfast that I was craving.

That's Fo-Crazy

Earl Grey Blueberry Fonut with
Vanilla Ice Cream

Here's a short post about a dessert adventure I recently had with some of my swim and dive friends.  Late thursday night we drove to a donut shop called Fonuts near the Grove.  I found this place online and have been dying to try it.  Its a donut shop that bakes/steams their donuts, instead of frying them. Healthier? Maybe.. not sure.  They also have really interesting flavors and some vegan and gluten free options. When we arrived, I ordered the last Earl Grey Blueberry Fonut.  Similar to Diddy Riese and Sprinkles, they offer a sundae special with their homemade ice cream.  With a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top this was a great dessert.  Interestingly, because the donut wasn't fried, it was a lot denser than normal.  It almost had more of a cake like consistency.  The earl grey flavor was a great choice, and the whole blueberry inside moistened the cake.  Not my top dessert choice, but I'm still glad I finally got to try this place out!

Tropicalia

Bife Tropicalia
Marinated Beef Steak served with unique salsa Tropicalia,
farofa and salsa campanha.

Last week I promised my friend Chad from my swim team that I would take him to get breakfast burritos on Sunday.  The only problem is that I cannot sleep in past 7am, and he wakes up around noon.  By the time he is up I am already ready for lunch.  Unfortunately our breakfast burrito date didn’t end up working out, so I promised him I would take him out to dinner one night before thanksgiving.  When I asked him what type of food he wanted, he said anything not American.  Last time we went to Umami.  Even though he loved it, he needed a break from traditional food, eating in the dinning hall everyday.  I took him to Tropicalia, the Brazilian restaurant in Los Feliz.  I’d been here once before with my Grandpa, and thought he would really like it.  We both needed some protein, and some traditional bistec sounded like it would just hit the spot.  

I ordered the Bife Tropicalia, a marinated steak that came with rice, beans, fried plantains, and some side sauces.  It was the same dish I ordered last time with my Grandpa, and under the restaurant specialty menu, I knew it was going to be good.  Chad ordered the same thing.  There were a lot of options, but he was just worried about having enough food.  Being a swimmer, and a big boy, he needs a lot of calories.  He told me that he is actually the shortest guy in his extended family, but the most athletic of course.  The dish is a pretty large portion and I knew that he would have enough.  Both of our plates came out relatively fast.  We talked about our class on the team, and how he would like to go to Rio in 2016 to swim for Canada.  I told him that I would go, mainly for the food, but to watch him swim too.  This time my meat was a little colder than last time, almost room temperature.  But everything else on the plate was perfect. The rice and beans were very flavorful, and the green sauce (salsa Tropicalia) and light salsa (salsa campanula) both compliment the whole dish very well.  They go great on everything.  My favorite part of the plate is definitely the fried plantains.  Sweet like bananas, they’d go great with ice cream for dessert!  The only part of the plate I didn’t really like was the farofa (toasted manioc flour)  Even though it is little salty, its super dry, and I really don’t think that the crumbs add anything to the plate.  Chad loved his dish.  He finished the whole thing and then what was left of mine.  

Madagascar Vanilla and
Espresso Banana with
Brownies

We were thinking about ordering dessert, but I recommended that we go to a great gelato place really close in Silverlake.  We drove just down the street to Pazzo Gelato, supposedly the best gelato place in all of Los Angeles.  I’ve been here with my sister before, and they have some really interesting flavors.  

I sampled the Banana Nut Fudge and Mascarpone Orange with Fudge Swirl.  But I ended up with Madagascar Vanilla and Espresso Banana with Brownies.  The Banana Nut tasted too much like overripe bananas for me, and I didn’t really like the creamy mixture with the citrus in the mascarpone.  I knew I couldn’t go wrong with the Vanilla, and coffee sounded good to me after our South American dinner.  Chad went with the Egg Nog and Hazelnut Chip.  The small comes with two huge scoops of gelato, but for the price of $4.25, it was a pretty good deal for the best gelato in LA.  We sat outside by the heat lamps and tried each others flavors.  His Egg Nog was great, it was just very overwhelming, and I can only take so much Egg Nog in one winter season, going to have to wait after thanksgiving to have my yearly glass.  Our drive back to campus consisted of his persistent DJ-ing from my auxiliary iPod chord, and only getting lost for about 15 minutes.  He always argues that I never invite him to go anywhere with me, can’t say that anymore Chad.  I’d go on another adventure with him anytime, especially if he pays for the dessert again.   

Not Soi Great

Afek and his Thai Iced Tea

Vegetable Summer Rolls
Crunch slivers of of assorted
fresh vegetables wrapped in
rice paper with a savory peanut
dipping sauce.

Saturday night, spur of the moment, I get a text from Afek.  He wanted to know if I could watch the new “New Girl” with him.  It’ s our favorite show to watch together.  All I really did that day was homework because I had two papers and a test the week before Thanksgiving.  Why do all the professors always pile on all the work right before break? I guess its better than having to do homework over break.  I told him to come over whenever he could and we would start up my Hulu account.  By the time he walked over, in the rain, it was already 7pm.  We decided to go “Get Fat” and comfortable before watching the show.  I didn’t really feel like driving too far, so we decided to just go downtown.  I recommended Thai food, because that was were we always ate when we would go out back in Seattle.  Unfortunately I haven’t had that great of Thai experiences in LA, compared to Seattle.  Besides Nappakao, a neighborhood restaurant right by my house that is pretty decent for Kirkland, Washington, my favorite Thai restaurant is Thai Tom.  Thai Tom is a small, hole-in-the wall shop in University District.  Hopefully I’ll go there over Thanksgiving so I can blog all about it.  We ended up going to Soi Seven on 7^th street.  I remembered going here once before last year, but I wasn’t so “Type A” back then, so I couldn’t really remember if I liked it or not.  This time my critical eye and tastebuds got to me.  Didn’t have the best experience, even though the date was still lovely as always.  Afek ordered the Thai Iced Tea.  Love the condensed milk, but its too sweet to eat with dinner.  I used to order them when I was younger and went out to Thai food with my family.  We started with the fresh veggie spring rolls-my favorite Thai appetizer. Although presented nicely, the rolls were very dry.  The vegetables did not taste fresh, or crunchy at all.  And there was too much rice paper, making them very sticky.  The appetizer came with a savory peanut dipping sauce that was actually pretty good. At the Thai places I visit at home, the dish usually comes with a thai chili sauce.  I really liked the peanut sauce, reminded me of a chicken satay dish.  Would had been great if the rolls were better. 
For our main entrees I ordered the Pad Siew with chicken.  This is my favorite Thai dish anywhere I go.  It's a pan fried wide noodle, usually served with some sort of vegetable.  I like the wide noodles because of their sticky and chewy like consistency.  This plate was not the best.  The whole dish was room temperature, and a little bland.  Not only did it not have enough spice, but overall it didn't seem like the noodles had soaked up enough of the sauce.  I was also not a fan of the vegetables served with it. Usually the dish comes with a medley of greens maybe accompanied with some carrots or peppers.  This dish only came with what seemed like the stems of broccoli.  They were hard and very bitter tasting.  I think I only ate two out of the whole dish, just picked around the rest.
Afek ordered the red curry.  He said this is his favorite curry dish at Thai restaurants, I like green curry because of the sweet coconut taste.  He was really hungry, and said it tasted alright, but the consistency was not on point.  The curry was way too watery, and lacked some flavor.  

Pad Siew Chicken
Slices of Chicken tossed with wide pan-fried
noodles in a sweet soy sauce with broccoli
eggs.

Besides the less than mediocre food, the service was not the best as well.  Our entrees were delivered only 3 or 4 minutes after our spring rolls, not even giving us enough time to finish them.  Wasn't actually that surprised that the food came out that fast, given there were only a few other tables occupied on a Saturday night in DTLA.  Not something you would expect for a restaurant on 7th street.  I guess the place has some really good lunch deals, so that much be when they get all their business?

Red Curry
Spicy and creamy curry comprising of red
chilis, red curry paste, coconut milk, bamboo
shoots with chicken.

After dinner we had to decide where to get our sweet tooth cravings.  I took him to Syrup, the Dessert Bar downtown.  Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to order any of the extravagant crepes or liege waffles with toppings.  My parking job outside was a little in the red, and I didn't want to risk getting a ticket.  I grabbed the carrot cake to go out of the pastry display, and Afek got a glazed donut.  We ate our desserts in the car, protected from the rain, and on the look out for cops.  My carrot cake was a little dry, with way too much frosting.  Probably trying to cover up the taste.  We rushed back to my apartment in the rain, and finished up the New Girl Episode we were dying to watch.  Not the best dining experience Afek and I have had, but it was still a fun Saturday night.

Hillstone and HIP

Although USC does not have a hospitality school, I am fortunate enough to be a member of HIP (The Hospitality Industry Project).  Because of diving, I have never really had enough time to go to any of the events.  Last year I attended one at the end of the year where a panel of event planners from the Los Angeles area came and talked to us about the industry and their professions.  I thought it was really interesting and could definitely identify myself with the personalities and characteristics that they carried as professionals.  Organized, committed, impatient, energetic, type a (yep, that's me).  But as you can tell from this blog, my true passion is for restaurants.  Today was very exciting for me, I basically decided that my ultimate goal is to either work in management of a restaurant, or own one myself. 

As part of the club, I submitted my resume to the head of HR at the Hillstone Restaurnat Group, and was selected with nine other members for an information session and tasting at the Houston’s location in Pasadena.  I felt extremely fortunate that I was able to be included in this exclusive event .  We were greeted by the head of HR and operations manager, who gave us a detailed overview of the company as a whole. and the main focus of their restaurants.  I love how they pride themselves on having the freshest ingredients delivered everyday, and how everything is made completely from scratch.  They only have one small freezer in the entire kitchen, but it carries the most important food group of all-ICE CREAM!  Of course I was the one to answer that question.  We were then given a tour of the dining area, kitchen, and garden outside.  They grow enough arugula and mint for the entire restaurant.  And I must say, the arugula had the most distinct taste to it.  It was almost spicy!  After learning about the internship opportunity (which I will definitely be applying for), we were seated for lunch.

Dole

Chicago Spinach Dip with
chips, salsa, and sour cream.

When the event said that we were getting a tasting, I assumed we would get to sample some of the dishes.  Surprisingly, they catered a full on lunch to us (all on the house)!  We were seated in the back booths, as the rest of the restaurant quickly filled with other friday lunch goers.  Our waiter was super friendly and seemed very enthusiastic about his job.  I asked him how long he had been working there and he said that he's been with Hillstone for 13 years, but serving at Houston's for 10.  I couldn't believe it! That really tells you something about how the company treats their employees. He then said that we might as well call him Grandpa (which I proceeded to do for the rest of the meal).  I usually just order water with my meals when I got out, because I like to keep to keep my palate clean when I am tasting food, but this one drink the waiter described was too delicious sounding to pass up.  It's called a Dole, half lemonade/half pomegranate juice.  The perfect combination of sweet and tart.  
Our waiter then brought us some appetizers to snack on while we pondered the menu.  We started with the spinach dip and chips and the grilled artichoke.  Mike, the co-president of the club loves the dip from previous dining experiences, and said we must include the salsa on the chips too.  I'm usually not a huge spinach dip person, just because how cheesy it is, but this was by far the best textured and tasty dip I've ever had.  It was not as heavy as the usual spinach-cheese concoction, which made it a better appetizer (instead of a complete tummy filler).  The grilled artichokes are delicious.  I've always been a fan of artichokes and dip because my mom makes them at home all the time.  She just roasts the whole thing, but at Houston's they are split up and almost charred.  Gives it a nice smokey taste, which I love.  I actually had this appetizer last time I was at Bandera in Westwood with my mom and two friends, Kate and GuGu.  I was really surprised when a lot of the other club members said they'd never had an artichoke before, and I had to explain to them how to eat it.

Salmon Mango Roll

Coconut Shrimp Roll & Grilled Arichoke

Hiramasa Roll

Here comes the sushi.  I am usually reluctant to order sushi in a non-japenese restaurant, but my mind was blown.  My all time favorite sushi restaurant is the original Katsuya in North Hollywood.  These rolls came pretty close.  We were served the
coconut shrimp roll, the Hiramasa Roll, and the Salmon Mango roll.   Unfortunately I couldn't try the Shrimp roll, but everyone said it was really interesting.  And I didn't go for the Salmon one because there was a lot of asparagus in it, which I am not a big fan of.  The Hiramasa roll, on the other hand, was mouth watering.  I believe it was a spicy tuna roll with yellowfin tuna on top.  Like the best sushi out there, it basically melted in your mouth.  I didn't want to fill up too much, because I had a feeling a lot more food was coming out. I stuck with two pieces along with tasting the other appetizers.
Then it came down to the toughest decision: what to order for our meal.  All throughout the info session, everyone was recommending several dishes and even walking through the kitchen, my nose was bombarded with delicious aromas.  For me, it was between the Famous French Dip and the Crispy Chicken Sandwich.  I took this opportunity to order more of a lunch type dish than an entree because I don't usually dine out midday.  I went with the Chicken Sandwich.  Tambi, the HR rep said it was new to the menu, and very popular.  With fries on the side, this sandwich blew Chick-fila out of the water.  Although it was ginormous, it wasn't too heavy.  The salad slaw on the onion bun was creamy, yet light and the chicken was lightly breaded and grilled to perfection.  The fries were very skinny, and although not my favorite fries ever (not crispy enough for me) they were a perfect compliment to the sandwich.  Of course I ate them all.  House made ketchup and a spiced sort of mayo were included, both great on the fries.  I was able to eat 2 out of the three slices, and got a box for the remaining.

Ding's Crispy Chicken Sandwich with fries.

 The whole meal Tambi kept checking up on us, and continued to recommend the harvest cheesecake. Even though we didn't say anything, everyone was definitely too full for dessert.  But being the best hosts ever, Grandpa proceeded to bring out all three desserts on the menu. Set in front of us was the Warm-Five Nut Brownie, Apple Walnut Cobbler, and Harvest Cheesecake.  All three were great.

Apple Walnut Cobbler

Warm-Five Nut Brownie Sundae

The brownie sundae was rich and creamy.  My favorite of the three was the Apple Walnut Cobbler, not a huge walnut fan, but the apple pie dessert always gets me.  Something about the sweetness with the tart and cinnamon, warmed up with ice cream on top.  Can't get much better than that.  It's like a match made  in heaven.  The Harvest Cheesecake interestingly wasn't made with pumpkin (it was a butternut squash).  Completely original and exotic! Was a great fall dessert and I definitely recommend it while they still have it on the menu (and everyone is still obsessed with pumpkin like desserts).   Overall I had an amazing time at the restaurant.  The tour and session with the two employees was very informative and I officially fell in love with the industry.  The food was amazing and I will definitely have to visit more of the Hillstone Restaurants soon! 

Harvest Cheesecake