A Little Lull

It's been quiet here, so I wanted to pop in and say hello. I've been busy with eating not-really-meals at home and traveling (I've got more coming up, which is very good for my wanderlust). This little lull is only temporary and I should be back with posting shortly.

The above photo is from Julian's in Providence, RI, where I had brunch with my sister last weekend. I've developed a habit of ordering a Bloody Mary (sometimes, more than one) when I'm on vacation. As I love hearing about people's food and drink quirks, please indulge me and pipe up about your "travel drink" of choice!

LudoBites 4.0

I don't tend to flock to things that are hip and happening, mostly because of limited energy and funds. But, sometimes, it happens by accident. Other times, it's fate. One night, I thought about it was too bad that I never got my act together enough to go to LudoBites (getting reservations isn't for the faint of heart nor those who aren't on the web minute-by-minute). The next morning, I got an email from Rants and Craves seeing if I was free to go to LudoBites! And the rest is history.

My other two dining companions for my first taste of Ludo's food were The Truck Chaser and Weezermonkey. A lovely group of ladies to consume butter with, non?


Paris ham soup: unreal. Ludo's take on ham and cheese means utter decadence with Guiness foam and cornichons thrown in for balanced hot-damn-goodness. My (savory) personal favorite of the night. I'll get to dessert in a minute.


White asparagus veloute: We missed the part about this dish being cold. Still, a delicate yet sexy way to highlight white asparagus. And yes, that salmon roe is beckoning you right now.


Foie gras black croque monsieur: are you kidding? Wonderful.


Squid carbonara: who needs pasta when you've got tender squid? I really enjoyed this interpretation, especially with the poached egg.

So, my pictures stop here because of lighting issues. You can check out Weezermonkey's LudoBites post here, chock-full of gorgeous photos per usual.

Now, I must tell you about dessert: my very first chocolate souffle. Pertinent background information: my dessert experience is limited because I don't really care about ending meals on a sweet note. If it's there, I'll eat it, of course (I'm not monastic about sugar, trust me). Now, back to the souffle. I took one bite and everything fell away for a split second. That good. Only the French could have concocted a billowy puff of a dessert that holds a slightly gooey chocolate heart. Souffle, je t'aime.

I'm now going to be chasing the dragon on this front, but I will take on that challenge gladly. Thank you to Ludo for giving me such a special food memory.

And of course, thank you to Rants and Craves, my LudoBites fairy godmother! I had the best time and it's times like these that I thank my lucky stars that I live in LA. Magic can happen anywhere, but living in a city like ours serves up possibilities on a silver platter quite often.

LudoBites 4.0 (through May 28)
Gram and Papas
227 East 9th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Komasa

Sushi is a constant craving, but it is only an occasional indulgence for me because of the price point. Luckily, The Roaming Belly gave me the heads up on Komasa in Little Tokyo, a place where the quality is good, but the sticker shock is minimal. And she was also nice enough to join me for dinner! Here's what we ate:


Fried softshell crab: a lip-smackingly good way to start our meal.


Albacore salad: eat your veggies even when at sushi and I love salads at Japanese restaurants. I especially enjoyed the carrots, which were lightly pickled.


Tuna, uni and salmon roe: we had another round of sushi as well, but I failed to take a picture before we dug in (a common problem of mine). The spicy tuna roll here is good stuff and with big chunks of tuna; I can't imagine going to Komasa now without ordering one (or two, in our case). Everything I tried was fresh and so reasonably priced.

Our total bill (with tax and tip) came to $60! The only slight downside is that the restaurant is tiny, so you will most likely have to wait, but you are free to roam about because they take your cellphone number down and call when your table's ready. We went on a weeknight, so it only took about 15 minutes to get the call. Plan accordingly; if you're really hungry, going on a Saturday night is not a good idea.

I am Komasa's newest convert. A huge thank you to The Roaming Belly for showing me the light!

Komasa
351 East 2nd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 680-1792
*Parking validated at Japanese Village Plaza structure, entrance on Central Ave (you pay upfront and get your money back with 2 hr validation)

The Village Idiot

A while ago, Food, she thought wrote about her visit to The Village Idiot and she mentioned a few menu items that were new to me. Having had a few meals and many drinks there before (and enjoying them), I made a mental note to stop by soon. "Soon" is a relative term, but I finally made it there when my friend Seve and I had brunch there.


Seve ordered a 1903 Lager ($6). I stuck with water, but from prior experience, I can recommend their Bloody Marys.


He also had the rancher's breakfast ($11): eggs, black beans, crisp tortilla, ricotta salata, salsa roja and spicy sausage. He liked it.


I was really looking forward to trying a full English breakfast ($13). But, I was let down. Perhaps one mistake is that I decided on a whim to order poached eggs? In addition, the sausage (ahem, banger) was dry, though the grilled rashers (bacon) were good. I guess I will simply HAVE to go to England for the real thing!

I prefer The Village Idiot during the day when the light spills in through the big windows, the conversations are a little less deafening and you don't have to wait for a table. I'll go back sometime again, but perhaps stick to lunch fare.

The Village Idiot
7383 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046-7526
(323) 655-3331

Libra

I was recently invited to a free private dinner by Libra, a new Brazilian by-the-pound spot in Culver City opened by Marcelo Ahn, owner of Brazilian Churrascaria M-Grill. With a 90% vegetarian salad bar and grilled meat options, Libra's got something for everyone, which is a draw for friends and family whose dietary differences may run the gamut.

At the beginning of the bar, there is a hand-washing station. Unusual, yes, but I like the idea. I fancy the design as well, which could be said of the entire restaurant, which is white and minimalist.



Out of the many salads and sides, these photos turned out the best, but trust me - they've got a lot of stuff (including pasta items and meatballs!).


Snow pea salad was a must for me as I cannot resist the green pods. A good option to balance out the less virtuous (but tasty) items like caramelized plantains and cheese bread. Also pictured: the smoked salmon and pea salad, which I did not try.


Pickled stuff. I had the cornichons, of course, and eggplant.

After you load up on the bar, if you want meat, you give your order to the cooks.


The grill. With the meat.


I chose the picanha (top sirloin cap) and linguica (Brazilian sausage). The beef was fine, but the linguica was very good.


By the grill station, there are sauces available. I got chimichurri and some type of "vinaigrette" (I believe that's what was on the label).

Pricing is a little high: the bar only is $9/lb and the bar with grilled meat items is $11/lb (my plate above weighed 1.01 lbs). I imagine the prices are due to the location and the quality of the ingredients (the restaurant makes all dishes from scratch with no processed items). But, if you're looking to eat a casual meal in this part of Culver City, you're going to spend a bit of dough unless you go to Chipotle. The setup is cafeteria style, so no table service, but the interior seems to be kept very clean with staff members clearing tables and refilling water (at least the night I went).

The food is better than the "bang for your buck" level as the restaurant boasts a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef (who is Ahn's sister). I liked Libra enough that I would eat there again, but probably for a lighter meal. Funny enough, vegetarians may have a rollicking good time here, maybe even more than omnivores.

Libra
3833 Main Street
Culver City, CA 90232

*Park in the Cardiff Center garage (at Cardiff and Culver), which is 2 hours free. I always park here when going to this area.

Spinach and Orzo Salad

I've been on a nutrition kick lately and wanted to make something not-so-boring for a weekday lunch. I found this Spinach and Orzo Salad recipe over at Simply Recipes, which was used as a starting point. Some adjustments that were made:

I used capers (already had some) instead of olives and left out the pine nuts. I had canned artichokes waiting to be used, so I threw those into the mix. I didn't blend the spinach because I lacked the proper equipment (leaving the leaves whole) and the vinaigrette was made with white wine vinegar and without the dried herbs.

This one is a keeper. The olive oil in the vinaigrette gives the salad a slight richness, which was a pleasant surprise, and the feta works well with the other ingredients. I am so looking forward to my Monday lunch!

Osteria Mamma

During the workweek, meals for me are usually simple, light and not very interesting. So, you can imagine how much I was looking forward to a "school night" dinner at Osteria Mamma with Weezermonkey! We ordered a good deal of food and laughed. A lot.


Polipolata ($9.25): octopus salad with celery and potatoes. The octopus was so tender. Remarkable! We also had a great gorgonzola arugula salad with brown pear ($8.95).


Tagliatelle bolognese ($15.25): loved the springy pasta and the rich sauce. I was a lucky duck and got to take the leftovers home.


Spinach and ricotta cheese ravioli in butter and sage ($13.95): appreciated the handmade dough, but the flavors were too subtle. Definitely a lighter way to enjoy their pasta, though.


Custard Cream Tart (can't remember the price): A smart choice for anyone who wants a rich, yet not overly sweet, dessert. We split one and it was plenty (it is misspelled as Custer on the menu, which gives it an inadvertent military flair).

I've always wanted an Italian grandmother, but such a relationship is not easy to come by. Instead, I will look to Osteria Mamma whenever I'm dumbstruck with handmade pasta cravings. Their menu also offers pizzas, which might be something to try when I've exhausted myself of their noodles (could this ever happen?).

Osteria Mamma
5732 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90004
323-284-7060