La Isla Bonita (4th & Rose) Taco Truck - Venice, CA.

Ask any real Venice Beach denizen, and he or she has likely never set foot on Muscle Beach. But a certain taco truck on Rose Ave.? Oh, yes, they know what the truck you’re talking about. It’s called La Isla Bonita, but nobody knows that. What’s better known is the two-dollar ceviche tostada — a thin, flat, crisp of corn tortilla covered with a half-inch layer of chopped onion, tomato, cilantro and appealing fish, plus, two slices of bright green California avocado (don’t forget to take advantage of the slice of lime). Sure, the tacos are fine, but it’s the ceviche that forms the crowd — an odd mix of surfers, old hippies, entire Mexican families, the Venice bums, and a pack of slender women clad in yoga pants. If it’s lunchtime and not Thursday, rest assured that one of the coveted parking spaces on Rose Ave. between Third and Fourth St. will be occupied with this “Mariscos” truck, which boasts an ocean mural on its rear. The man inside answers to “Antonio” or “Tony.” You answer to “Ceviche!” when Tony calls the orders out. Do like any local would, and wash it down with a Mexican Coke.- by Lien Ta for trazzler.com

- photos from greattacohunt & erinakamura

Centro Basco  -  Restaurant for Basque Food in Chino California

Open since 1940, Centro Basco is the oldest Basque Restaurant in the Chino Valley of Southern California.

Anyone who has traveled to Basque Country is familiar with the friendliness and sense of family that is experienced amongst the Basque people. It is this atmosphere that makes an outing to Centro Basco a unique and memorable experience.

Centro Basco offers Family-Style dining in the spirit of the Basque tradition where everyone sits together at long tables. Family-Style dining offers multiple courses, such as sourdough bread and blue cheese, homemade soup du jour, salad, and the special of the day which typically consists of two meat choices and complement vegetable. The Family-Style Menu offers special dishes not found on the regular menu such as oxtail stew, rabbit, and blood sausage.  Accompanied by all you can drink house wine and the friendship of new and familiar faces, Centro Basco’s Family Style Meals leave you with the warmth of the Basques.

Centro Basco Hotel
13432 S. Central Avenue
Chino, CA  91710
909-628-9014
 www.centrobasco.net

Sunday, April 3, 2011

12:30 pm

~Rabbit Stew

~Rib-Eye Steak & French Fries

Soul Burgers
1035 S Prairie Ave Ste 2
Inglewood, CA 90301
www.tonissoulburger.com



Toni Malone’s burger concept called Soul Burgers, is quickly becoming the talk of burger lovers all over LA. Soul food on a bun.

Toni’s love for cooking goes back about 25 years when she opened her first burger joint not far from her current location. But her love for music was too strong, she closed her restaurant and hit the road. Now, after all those years, she’s returned to Inglewood with her soul burger. But this time, instead of classic beef, she’s combined something that her son loved the most; turkey burgers and southern cooking.

And sure, it makes sense. Combine two comfort foods into something that sets so cal apart, soul food and hamburgers. Open for nearly a year, Soul Burgers features a selection of tender turkey burgers infused with southern soul cooking. Like the Luscious Yam Burger; a turkey patty layered with turkey bacon, egg, cheese, and special spicy sauce. Get it extreme and go for a turkey burger layered with turkey bacon, cheese, egg, greens, yams, dressing, and that special spicy sauce.

The soul food doesn’t stop at a turkey burger. Try the Heavenly Chop Burger with a seasoned lean pork chop topped with turkey bacon, egg, special spicy sauce, cheese, and your choice of greens or yams. They also have veggie, fish and fried chicken on a bun.

Their sweet potato fries, lightly fried, are sprinkled with just a dusting of sugar. They also feature a smattering of sides like mac-n-cheese and a selection of home made desserts. Keep on eye out for them on an upcoming episode of Food Network’s Outrageous Food, featuring their Outrageous Extreme Soul Burger.

Soul Burgers

1035 S Prairie Ave Ste 2
Inglewood, CA 90301
www.tonissoulburger.com

(Source: jasonz)

Ted’s Bulletin on the Hill

Some of the things waiting for me at Ted’s Bulletin in D.C.

The Big Mark Breakfast
~ $11.79 ~
3 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, hash browns, toast and homemade pop tart

Boozy Milkshakes at Ted’s Bulletin, a new set of 10 milkshakes spiked with liquor.

Ted’s Bulletin
505 8th Street SE
Washington DC 20003
202.544.8337 phone | MAP

Liaison Hotel to Ted’s Bulletin
View Larger Map

GO Burger
6290 Sunset Blvd (at Vine)
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-327-9355
http://www.goburger.net/

GO Burger, a bastion of burger innovation here to bring you spiked milkshakes and melted gruyère, opening Monday at the corner of Sunset and Vine.

It’s a bright, modern corner spot from the beef artisans behind BLT Steak, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto one of Hollywood’s busiest intersections―an easy spot for a quick work lunch, or a burger date before or after a movie at the ArcLight.

To start: you can’t not try the UltiMELT, a giant burger topped with bacon and caramelized onions, with two gruyère-on-rye grilled-cheese sandwiches for buns. Supplement it with Fried Dill Pickles or Duck-Fat Fries. Or even a salad (yes, they have them).

If you want your booze in a milkshake, try the Aztec Mocha (it’s tequila, coffee ice cream, chocolate syrup and cayenne pepper). But if you prefer your cocktail in cocktail form, go for the Brown Derby, made of rum, lime and maple syrup.

Rarely does a pizzeria bother opening in the mornings, when the only pizza likely to be eaten is a cold slice from last night’s delivery. On 3rd St., however, the olive-wood-fired oven at Olio Pizzeria & Café is stoked to 800° while the day’s first coffee is brewing.

Every morning, the newly opened pizza place refashions the dough that will later carry toppings like chanterelle mushrooms and butternut squash into bagel-like bialys, pastries and more.

The wood-fired Danish ($6; pictured) is an elongated pizza crust smeared with a vanilla-spiked ricotta and topped with fresh fruit (blueberries, on our visit)—everything crisped and caramelized by a quick blast of dry heat from the oven. There’s no flakiness to the pastry—just blistered-crust crunch at the edge, a prelude to the classic combination of ricotta and fruit in the middle.

Bialys—Polish breads that, unlike bagels, are baked (not boiled) and sport a large dimple rather than a hole—cover much of the Austrian-Hungarian empire on the menu, showing up alongside smoked salmon on one plate ($13), or schmeared with pesto and topped with a poached egg on another ($5). Bialy are well suited to both preparations, the bread’s particular balance between crunch and chew offering something L.A.’s often lackluster bagels never could.

Olio Pizzeria & Café
8075 West 3rd St.
Ste. 100
Los Angeles, CA 90048

(3^rd & Crescent Heights)

323-930-9490
http://www.pizzeriaolio.com/

On the surface, Momed is a stylish spot where you order at the counter and servers bring you your dishes. But the menu is full of Turkish, Greek and Lebanese influences that you don’t often see at your regular grab-and-go.

The pides—chewy wood-fired flatbreads with toppings like buttery haloumi cheese, spicy soujuk sausage and piquillo peppers (pictured; $14)—are great pizza alternatives. With the wraps, house-made pita envelops tender roast duck and fig confit ($14) or juicy ground lamb koefte and sweet blistered tomatoes ($10). Get a crisp Keo lager (from Cyprus) to go with either one.

Choose any of the colorful salads from the case as a side, like chunky cinnamon-scented carrots, cucumbers with a sweet poppy-seed dressing or artichokes and fava beans with tangy lemon vinaigrette. A trio of these ($12) makes an excellent light lunch.

The mezze are particularly delicious, especially baleela (aka balila)—soft, spiced chickpeas swimming in brown butter sprinkled with toasted pine nuts ($8). The chef went all the way to Lebanon to find this dish, and for that, we’re eternally grateful.

Momed / 233 S. Beverly Dr. / Beverly Hills, CA 90212 /  310-270-4444 / www.atmomed.com

Sean Meenan’s much-loved New York eatery brings its signature painted palm trees, ecofriendly ways, and neighborhood hospitality to the Lumber Yard.

The Latin-by-way-of-Manhattan menu made it west too, modified only slightly to make the most of California produce. If you don’t gorge on grilled corn and Cuban sandwiches (we know it’ll be hard, especially considering it’s been a bit of a wait), go for ceviche, chicken and corn salad, or grilled rib eye with chimichurri. Wash it down with a frozen guava margarita, Corona michelada, or anything else you’ve got a hankering for from the full bar.

Lush native plants, reclaimed wood tables, eBay-ed chairs, and Rose Bowl finds add up to a lived-in, all-are-welcome feel. And despite what’s carved in the concrete outside, there is no Hector. So what? This place is still the real deal.

Cafe Habana at the Malibu Lumber Yard / 3939 Cross Creek Road at Pacific Coast Highway / Malibu, CA. / 310.317.0300 / cafehabana.com).

 http://habana-malibu.com/

Harajuku brings Asian-style crepes to Beverly Hill.

When you order a crêpe at Harajuku Crepe in Beverly Hills, you can ask for a knife and fork, but chances are you won’t get one. Owner Rio Hirashima is set on broadening your crêpe horizons.

Named for the hip Tokyo neighborhood where crêpes are king, Harajuku’s start out like the more familiar French-style crêpes: large and thin, with slightly crisped edges

But these get a slight chewiness from mochi flour, and once filled, they’re rolled up and served as neat handheld cones. No plates or silverware are needed.

Flavors go beyond the norm, too. Matcha adds an intense color and distinct green-tea flavor; get them filled with sweet azuki beans or a scoop of strawberry ice cream ($5). Hirashima custom-grinds tea leaves for the subtly flavored Earl Grey crêpe; the aroma really shines through with a simple butter-and-sugar filling ($5). The fried egg, ham and cheese combo ($6.50) goes best with the buckwheat crêpe’s nutty, earthy flavor—it’s a perfect on-the-go breakfast.

There’s also an original-flavor crêpe that you can stuff with strawberries, Nutella and real whipped cream ($5.50). You know, for you traditionalists.

Harajuku Crepe / 9405 S. Santa Monica Blvd. / Beverly Hills, CA 90210 / 310-285-3946 / harajukucrepe.us

Hours:  Sun-Thu 8am-8pm / Fri-Sat 8am-10pm

All-you-can-eat Brazilian pizza.

From a Brazilian expat entrepreneur, Bella Vista’s a no frills, patio-abetted pizzeria w/ unusual ingredients and a heavenly concept borrowed from the parlors in his own country: pizzas are brought out all-you-can-eat churrascaria style.  Bella Vista serves 35 different types of Italian and Brazilian-inspired pizza (including some dessert flavors), salads, soups, and other Brazilian specialties.

Bella Vista
10826 Venice Blvd
(just West of Overland)
Culver City, CA. 90034
310.558.2374

* Read more at LA Weekly and Thrillist

Since its November opening, a reservation for Thomas Keller’s Beverly Hills Bouchon Bistro is still elusive. That’s why the new (and separate) Bar Bouchon couldn’t come at a better time.

The ground-floor bar has only about 15 seats, with tables outside along the small park. It’s definitely a drop-in-anytime kind of place, albeit one with the Keller stamp all over it. And unlike the restaurant, it stays open between lunch and dinner.

This isn’t just an extension of the main dining room: Save for a few items, most dishes are exclusive to the bar. There’s earthy chicken liver mousse ($13) and bowls of pretty little pickled vegetables ($6). Butter-soaked escargot ($16), each crowned with an individual pastry puff, are some of the best in town.

As for the oeuf en meurette (pictured, $12.50), we’ll take that perfectly poached hen egg and its pool of dark, bordelaise-soaked du Puy lentils over “regular” bar food any day.

To drink, there are expertly made classic cocktails, and wines by the glass or carafe. Keller even does beer: The White Apron ($6), a crisp, pilsner-style beer, is custom-made for Keller by Russian River Brewing Co., and the dark, Belgian-style Blue Apron Ale ($24) was previously only found at Per Se.

Bouchon Bar, 235 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills; 310-271-9910 or bouchonbistro.com

Essex Public House
6683 Hollywood Blvd
(E. of Las Palmas)
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-460-6608
www.essexhollywood.com

Essex is a casual gastropub laser-focused on its menu and beer list, with two distinct interior sections designed by the Kitchen 24 dude: a patio-looking entrance room w/ red-brick floor, exposed-duct ceiling, and two monstrous chalkboards w/ food and drink menus, while further inside’s

an oak-topped, wrought-iron-bottomed bar, surrounded by high-top black leather banquettes and mismatched light fixtures. Food’s from a former Asia De Cuba chef, and spans all sorts of gourmetness: “Figs in a Blanket” w/ La Quercia prosciutto & goat cheese fondue; yam gnocchi w/ smoked duck confit, pea tendrils, and hazelnut sauce; and chicken and biscuits w/ sweet English peas & natural gravy. Brew’s from the ubiquitous “Beer Chick” (The Library Bar, Father’s Office, etc), who put together a 50+ list including specialty draughts like Lost Coast Raspberry Wheat, Bruery Black Orchid, and Alesmith Nautical Nut Brown, bottles like Green Flash Le Freak Belgian IPA, Chimay Blue, and Hitachino Nest White Ale, and even hard-to-find and vintage bottles like the dense, dark Harviestoun OLA Dubh, which was aged in a whiskey barrel for at least 30 years.

Essex also has beer cocktails. Start with the Drunken Malum, with Floris Apple beer, bourbon, diced apples and a streudel-rimmed glass.

Dining in the desert is usually a crapshoot—menus are as dusty as the landscape, never wavering or changing. But with a recent spate of renovations, plus new chefs using seasonal, local and organic ingredients, things are starting to look up.

With its mod style and young, friendly staff, Cheeky’s is the locals’ new breakfast favorite. The menu changes daily at the whim of the chef, so you might find dishes like maple-sausage hash with sweet potatoes, parsnips and a perfectly poached egg ($9), and buttermilk pancakes studded with fresh corn and blueberries ($9). Get the “bacon flight” to taste all of the house-seasoned strips (cinnamon, jalapeño, maple and herbs). 622 N. Palm Canyon Dr., 760-327-7595 or cheekysps.com

For a swank lunch, sit poolside at the Riviera Resort’s Circa 59. New executive chef Bradley Manchester tosses pappardelle with roasted beets and their greens ($13); brown-butter vinaigrette adds surprising richness to shaved Brussels sprout and fennel salad ($9); and the short-rib panini with pickled onions ($14) is hearty enough for two. 1600 N. Indian Canyon Dr.; 760-327-8311 or psriviera.com

Even if you’re not staying at the sprawling La Quinta Resort, the just-opened Morgan’s (pictured) is a reason to visit. The room has rustic desert elegance, with seasonal dishes to match, like creamy roasted fennel soup with apple and bacon ($8), steaks with grilled, plump porcini mushrooms ($32), and roasted Santa Barbara spiny lobster with herb butter ($36). 49499 Eisenhower Dr., La Quinta; 760-564-4111 or laquintaresort.com

The Ace Hotel’s Amigo Room could just as easily be in Los Feliz as in Palm Springs. In addition to fresh-fruit cocktails and craft beers, the menu in the bar (and at Kings Highway, the former Denny’s across the hall) features addictive truffle popcorn ($5), vegetable potpie with a flaky crust ($8), and locally raised rib-eye steak with herb relish ($29). 701 E. Palm Canyon Dr.; 760-325-9900 or acehotel.com

Lazy Ox Canteen
Downtown’s all-star gastropub

241 S San Pedro / Little Tokyo, Downtown L.A. / 213.626.5299 / www.lazyoxcanteen.com

The Lazy Ox’s an open-kitchen’d, industrial-feeling, wood-laden gastropub, helmed by an all-star group of restaurateurs, including the guy who opened the first Sushi Roku, the lauded chef from Opus, a beverage director poached from Boa and a past Chaya GM.  Most of their organic produce is from Sage Mountain Farms in Temecula and brought to the restaurant fresh each day by a waiter who also works at Sage Mountain.  The menu’s laden with all-over-the-place deliciousness: pan-fried skate wing w/ ham hock collared greens & shellfish Bearnaise; brick-roasted morcilla sausage w/ licorice pear, black garlic, and charred tomato; and a pancetta tomato sauce/aged pecorino “Jersey Cow Ricotta Agnolotti”.  Ox’s also got wine, sake, soju, and a carefully put-together beer menu, with 20+ options including the honeyish Napa Smith Pale Ale, Japan’s hoppy, hard-to-find Ozeno Yukidoke IPA, and Canada’s dark-colored Terrible.

The plan is to offer “social media” specials/discounts via their Twitter and Facebook, although they’ve already tipped off that they’re planning a whole suckling pig very soon, which takes an entire team to properly eat.

We tried the following, each one better than the one before it:

• assorted seasoned pickles with dill
• hand-torn egg pasta with sunny-side egg, brown butter & citrus vinegar
• charred octopus with pickled shallots, corona beans, garlic-rapini & charred tomatillo
• AND two other seasonal items and one dessert i can’t remember the names of

My friend Margarita and I were astonished at the quality and freshness of each item we ordered.  We are still fantasizing what the rest of the menu items must be like.

Hours of Operation
Day Hours: 8am - 4pm
Dark: 4pm - 5pm
Happy Hour: 5pm - 7pm
Night Hours: 5pm - Midnight
Open: 7 days a week

Map

The Gorbals Los Angeles / 501 South Spring Street / Los Angeles, California 90013 / 213 488 3408 / www.thegorbalsla.com

Open 7 days a week
Lunch: M - F, 11am - 3pm
Dinner: M - W, 6pm - 12midnight | Th - Sa, 6pm - 2am

…and Sunday brunch from 11am - 3pm

Check out the MENU

and this item in particular:
Shepard’s Pie In Potato With Egg this appears like a stuffed potato skin, and in fact that’s what it is. in the skin there is ground beef, spiced with cumin and coriander, and on top of it are mashed potatoes and a soft-cooked quail egg. this dish is also finished with fresh chives.

Review @ foodshethought.com