The Skinny Critic

Buttercake Bakery

*Skinny Seal*

Buttercake Bakery owner Logan Levant has teamed up with Chin Chin and LAbite.com owner Susan Lee to bring a second Buttercake Bakery to LA.  The new location is located in the lower level of Sunset Plaza, next to Chin Chin.  Teaming up with LAbite means they will soon be delivering homemade baked goods to your front door…dangerous, I know.

The new location boasts a wide assortment of American desserts including the classics and some newbies as well.  They are more playful at this location and even said, “If you want us to make something different, bring in a recipe and we’ll try it.”  

The heavy foot traffic at the new location means longer hours and a wider assortment of baked goods.  On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights they are open until 10pm-late enough for those after dinner dessert run.

My favorite thing about this bakery is the array of samples they have at the counter.  I love samples, it's like foreplay for what's to come and in the case of Buttercake Bakery it's all sweetness.  Choose from mini cupcakes in the flavor of cookies and cream or red velvet to blue berry pound cake, raspberry oatmeal bar or ginger spice cookie.  They are always trying new recipes meaning there is always a reason to come back.  

Buttercake Bakery 8616 Sunset Blvd. (310) 855-0770 

Huckleberry

Huckleberry is one of those places that was an instant success.  It was immediately all over the food blogs and noted for being a celebrity favorite.  

I couldn't wait to get to Santa Monica to try it.  They are known for their breakfast, with items like green eggs and ham and a fried egg sandwich, so I decided to go for brunch.  

A long line that barely moved is the first thing that greets you as you make your way into the crowded space on Wilshire Blvd.  An eclectic crowd of families, hipsters and foodies come together here for love of good, quick food with a homemade touch.  Huge deli cases are filled with an assortment of produce from the farmer's market and an almost overwhelming amount of pastries are aligned on top of the cases with everything from sweet or savory bread pudding to coffee cake and banana caramel pie.  

After waiting in line for literally 25 minutes we were finally able to order.  I decided on the poached eggs over fresh market vegetables.  I hate to admit that this dish looks better than it actually tasted.  It was rather bland and had a very minimal amount of vegetables: snap peas and tomatoes.  

The turkey meatball sandwich was better and the sweets were all pretty good. But I don't really understand what all the hype is about.  It reminds me of an Urth Cafe...relatively bad service where you order, get a number and then get decent food brought to your table that is made with fresh ingredients.  The only difference is that I think I like Urth Cafe better.  

If in the neighborhood, a decent place to go for a coffee, pastry and snack, but not worth a trek. 

Huckleberry 1014 Wilshire Blvd.  (310) 451-2311

5x5 Collaborative @ Melisse

The Los Angeles Chefs Collaborative dinner is one of those ideas that is so ingenious, that I wish I had thought of it.  5 different Chefs from some of LA's most fabulous restaurants come together to prepare an amazing meal under one roof.  The dinner is 7 courses long.  Each chef prepares one dish and a 6th chef is flown in from another fantastic restaurant somewhere else in the country to mix it up a bit, and for the 7th course, the pastry chef at the restaurant of choice is responsible for making dessert.  

The brilliantness of this concept is that each chef is spending all their time focusing on one dish.  A dish that they know will be eaten right before or after another great dish. So as you can imagine, there is a level of competition between the chefs, which allows the diner (me) to feel like a judge on Top Chef.  All of the jest is in good faith as the dinner benefits the Special Olympics of Souther California.  

I choose to go to the dinner at Melisse.  The special guest was Chef Gabriel Kreuther of The Modern, one of my favorite restaurants in New York.  The other chefs and restaurants that are included in the 2009 5x5 include Michael Cimarusti of Providence, Neal Frazer of Grace, Josiah Citrin of Melisse, David LeFevre of Water Grill and Gino Angelini of Angelini Osteria.  

There is no peaking at this menu online before entering the restaurant, which makes it only more exciting.  A special, signed menu was placed in front of us at the start of the meal and then the fun began.  

Josiah Citrin made our first course, which was a veloute of asparagus-rosemary and passion fruit.  It was good but did not feel like much of a course, just a few small bites.

The second course was Hawaiian big eye tuna from Michael Cimarusti.  This dish was simple and the fish was fresh, but again didn't blow my socks off.  The bright orange sauce underneath the fish was a little off-putting. 

The next course was one of my favorites: maine lobster from Gabriel Kreuther with carrots, fava beans and nasturtium flower broth. The lobster melted in my mouth and the broth was the perfect accompaniment. 

Gino Angelini created the next course, a turbot filet with leek veloute and pioppini mushrooms and polenta crostini.  This is the best dish I've ever had from Chef Angelini and I wish it was offered at his restaurant.  The fish at his restaurant unfortunately rarely gets more creative than a dover sole. 

The final savory course was cumin scented lamb from chef David LeFevre.  This dish was phenomenal.  It was finished with a tomato date compote, a hummus like garbanzo coulis, kumquat, and pomegranate strewn couscous.  I have never been a huge lamb fan, but this dish converted me not only to a fan of lamb but also Chef LeFevre.  There were so many components, yet the dish was perfectly balanced. 

The final course was prepared by Melisse's pastry chef and was described as a rather boring sounding apricot-caramel with panna cotta and almond croquant.  It ended up being the perfect ending to a great meal.  

The chef's all came out to greet us, which made the evening even more special and it all went to such a great cause.  Every city should have a 5x5. 

LA BBQ fest

*Skinny Seal*

Cupcakes, flamenco dancers, cobbler and rock and roll were all to be had at this weekend's LA BBQ festival in Santa Monica.  There was no shortage of BBQ as well-pulled pork, ribs and sausages were all aplenty.  I (foolishly) bought a VIP pass so that I didn't have to wait in lines, but I got there so early that there were no lines...so a waste of $35.  By the time I left, longs were really long, particularly for alcohol and cobbler.  

My friend and I thought we'd share a try a few different BBQ's.  Unfortunately, the only option was $10 a plate from each BBQ place so it was hard to 'sample'.  They would be ahead to offer a half-plate for $5 so that you could try more of the places.

 We had an excellent pulled pork sandwich from Texas Thunder BBQ with a uniquely seasoned coleslaw on the side.

 Then we sighted people walking by with what looked like the most amazing cobbler...ever.  The line was 50 deep so this was the one point in which my VIP ticket came in handy.  Hot peach cobbler was topped with the perfect cakey crumble and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, yummy! I wanted to lick the sides of the little paper plate it came in, but I restrained.  

After the sugar rush we decided to go for some more BBQ as it was, after all, a BBQ festival.  We asked around and people seemed to be enjoying Gus's BBQ from South Pasadena.  We had Memphis baby back ribs, Carolina pulled pork and BBQ baked beans. 

The pulled pork was not as good as Texas Thunder, the ribs were great and the beans were a little strange as they tasted more spicy than sweet and tangy.  I don't think I will be driving to Pasadena just for the ribs anytime soon, especially with the new Baby Blues down the street.  

We decided to finish off our meal with some cupcakes, because every good meal should have a cupcake.  Polkatots cupcakes was there from Pasadena.  I had heard of them as they won the Cupcake Challenge.  We met the owner and she recommended the Dulce de leche and the strawberry.  

I wasn't expecting anything too spectacular as I have very high standards for my cupcakes, but let me tell you, these cupcakes were awesome!! I thoroughly enjoyed eating both-the strawberry was made with real strawberries, which is a must, and the Dulce de leche had the potential to be too sweet but was perfect and quite unique.  

I will definitely be driving to Pasadena for cupcakes in the near future.  

The BBQ event was deemed an overall success.  It was a nice opportunity to meet new people (which doesn't happen as often as you would think in LA), sit out by the beach, listen to live music and eat great food.  I can't wait until next year. 

http://www.labbqfest.com/

Ago

*Skinny Seal*

Ago is a classic Italian restaurant in Los Angeles that has been approved by the Italians themselves. A long list of daily specials is found on the interior of each menu and bread arrives warm with a large bottle of olio de oliva.  They have Italian classics such as thin crust pizzas, homemade ravioli and risotto, but they also branch out a bit and offer some of the best frites in Los Angeles.

It’s a later spot and doesn’t get really busy until after 8:30.  The patio boasts a beautiful atmosphere with as many as half a dozen candles on simple white table clothes.  Be prepared to rub elbows with your neighbors if you go on the weekends, but also be ready for a wonderful Italian meal. 

We started with the burrata with green beans.  This dish is simply prepared i.e kind of boring, so I added a touch on balsamic to give it a little life, and then it was perfect.  I ordered the ravioli di spinaci e ricotta.  Spinach and ricotta stuffed ravioli in a browned butter and sage sauce.  They were very good and very buttery. So buttery in fact that when I went to give my friend a bite I slipped and butter ended up all over my shirt…don’t you just love it when that happens…

 

The risotto ai funghi was amazing, rich risotto, chucked full of wild mushrooms and  probably my favorite dish of the evening aside from the frites.  

The frites were super thin, just the way I like my fries, pizzas and jeans.  They were covered in sage, which was a wonderful added flavor. 

The pizza was simple and delicious with a perfect balance of cheese and sauce.

Older looking Europeans filled up the place and particularly the bar area as the evening went on, but the service remained solid and the food very good.   A good choice for Italian food in LA.  

Ago 8478 Melrose Ave (323) 655-6333

Rock Sugar Pan Asian Kitchen

*Skinny Seal*

The vast Cheese Cake Factory empire is expanding…to Asian food! Knowing the type of financial backing that must come from the Cheese Cake Factory, my expectations for Rock Sugar Pan Asian Kitchen were high. 

Despite being located in a mall, the décor is somewhat remnant of a temple.  Describing the restaurant as ornate is an understatement.  Huge pillars line the entrance to an outside patio where diners can sit and enjoy a drink over a fire before dinner.  The interior is even more spectacular with 30-foot ceilings and walls filled with Asian art.  Small cabanas on the left and right of the room allow for a more private dining experience.  An outdoor patio shows you the rather loud and unattractive Santa Monica Blvd, so I would opt for sitting inside. 

The menu has changed more than once since the restaurant has opened but it feels as though they’ve finally got their groove.  The cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and India are definitely tweaked slightly to meet the demanding needs of the American consumer, but without losing all authenticity. 

Crispy chicken samosas are a great way to start the meal and come with a cilantro dipping sauce.  I don’t particularly care for cilantro but I still loved these and the sauce.    An interesting sesame cracker with a sweet, spicy dipping sauce is brought to the table in lieu of bread and are hard not to finish.

 

The Nyonnoya Seafood Laksa is the first laksa I ever tasted so although I may not be an expert on the dish, I really loved it.  I reminded me of a curry but with thick noodles. 

The ginger soy black god was the perfect mild, flaky fish. 

Topped with mushrooms, bok choy and tofu, it was different from the typical Miso Cod that seems to be on every other restaurants menu.

Noodle dishes are always a plus with me, especially when they are served with fresh shrimp and calamari.  These were special. 

This is a fun place to go and try different types of cuisine.  The menu is so large that it would take weeks to try everything, and most things are really great. 

 Rock Sugar Pan Asian Kitchen 10250 Santa Monica Blvd (310) 552-9988

The Hungry Cat

*Skinny Seal*

I am always impressed by a menu that changes daily.  One that truly focuses on the best ingredients at hand to create inspired dishes.  The Hungry Cat is just the place for a dish that the chef created no more than a few hours earlier.  The raw bar speaks for itself with oysters from on the half shell, juicy peel ‘n’ eat shrimp, Alaskan king crab claws and main lobster. It is the perfect place to get a gourmet fish at a less than gourmet price in a relaxed atmosphere. 

Appetizers range from chowders, sushi style salmon with a tandoori spice, cucumber yogurt and date pine nut crumble to grilled octopus with cauliflower, raisins, almonds, wild arugula and asparagus in olive oil.

There are always at least 4 fish dishes to choose from for a main as well as the rather heavy pug burger with bacon, avocado and blue cheese.  The fish may be a halibut with morel mushrooms, fava beans and potatoes or a wild stripped bass with coriander rice, coconut milk, tamarind, papaya and cashews.  The fish is always good and often spectacular.  

They feature a nightly drink special with names such as “pisco punch” or “howling wolf” that are always quite strong and unique.  Sitting at the bar allows for a view of the raw bar on one side or the bar tenders making fresh squeezed juices on the other side.    

My only complaint would be their small dessert menu, but I love an excuse to go get gelato any day.

The Hungry Cat 1535 Vine St. (323) 462-2155