CSNSC reminisces about the City of Angels

Suggestions on L.A. hot spots from Salonniere Alexis' post,"Paradise Found in the City of Angels: Tasty Tips and Sights to See":

When Gaspar de Portola, Father Juan Crespi, and their men in 1769 tramped their way through the swamps and wetlands of what we know as Los Angeles, they were greeted with dozens of temblors, fire, and fog. You can find paradise among the urban sprawl in the City of Angels. You just have to know where to look.

Eats:

Figtrees on Venice Boardwalk at Venice Beach
Mimosas and a tasty brunch with the California sun beating down at you while the Pacific breaks on the shore ahead, can life get any better?

Sawtelle Kitchen in Little Tokyo, West Los Angeles, near UCLA
The best of Japanese meets rustic French cuisine without taxing the wallet. The mussels with linguine in a green curry sauce is unforgettable. They also have a red snapper with an almond crust that I’m still dreaming about. While dining here, you can also check out the original Giant Robot...

Read more tasty tips and LA sights to see here...

Most Ethiopian food in the Bay Area is good. Messob's is better. Maybe it was the honey wine affecting my mind but I was convinced that Messob served better food than I've had at any other Ethiopian restaurant in California in the recent past. I'm a fan of injera, vegetarian combos, spicy minced meat, et cetera. But at other places, all good places mind, on an off night the flavor of the sauces can trend toward ketchup, the vegetarian dishes can be overspiced, the meat can be a little salty.

At Messob everything seemed to be just that much better than I've had elsewhere. The sauces were a little more refined, the spices were balanced. The didn't serve anything that I didn't like. Nothing tasted like ketchup.

I don't think this was just my impression either. One other supper club member used to avoid Ethiopian food due to a bad experience in LA and had to be cajoled into coming along this time. Messob changed their mind completely.

Their vegetarian selections were the real stand outs. Really well done. The misir wot, spicy red lentils, were my favorite, but the gomen wot and the atkeli wot were also memorable. I wouldn't worry about individual dishes though, just get the vegetarian combination and you'll be able to try it all.

The chicken was great. The lamb wasn't a favorite. In fact it was the only thing left unfinished.

A couple of bottles of Enat honey wine didn't hurt anyone either.

Speisekammer

Alameda, East Bay

After our revelatory feast at Suppenkuche, a foodie's haven for haute German cuisine and beer, the CSNSC zeroed in on Speisekammer, the more spacious and elegant sister to the SF diner. The former is more of a raucous biergarten compared to Alameda's family oriented locale. Most members had never ventured onto this tiny gem of an island in the East Bay, and we marveled at the quaintness of Alameda's main drag lined with boutiques, restaurants teeming with diners (always a good sign!) and regular people--no hipsters in sight--who mulled about enjoying the autumn evening.

Speisekammer, unlike her Hayes Valley kin, is a little easier to park, though Friday and Saturday evenings can stymie the hungry customer, who may get a little frustrated circling for street parking. The restaurant is comprised of four huge quarters. With Teutonic elegance, visitors can expect high shining, polished wood adorning walls, floors, counter tops, benches, and shelves. Heavy drapes, oil-painted portraits and landscapes of bucolic people and countrysides, along with various rustic knick knacks lend to a casual Deutsche atmosphere. Speisekammer is great for family gatherings with children in tow. You can actually hear members of your party and see their faces. Weekends may indulge customers with live music, not necessarily German, so no worries for those who are wary of the accordion and polka.

The menu seems to be the same sumptuous fare as Suppenkuche. Recently they've included a "Recession-Proof Menu" that offers half orders with prices more kind to the wallet. The service is hip, friendly and well-informed, though sometimes they can be over-taxed and therefore forgetful due to the high volume of diners, who, like us, demand bountiful platters of some of the best recipes the Bay Area has to offer. We cannot sing enough praises about this restaurant. The spatzle is cheesy. The noodles are the perfect pitch in bite and tenderness. Meat lovers will revel in the assortment of sauce drenched pork, chicken, and beef choices, such as schweinebraten, jagersnitzel, stuffed cabbage, and bratwurst. The schwienebraten, a succulent cut of roasted pork drowning in mouthwatering beer sauce, enjoins sweet meat edged with a sour savoriness. A bratwurst aficianado of our party, who spent his formative years in Darmstadt, courtesy of Uncle Sam, swore the bratwurst was exactly like the ones he ordered on the cobblestone streets of the Fatherland, served in yesterday's newspaper and engulfed with crisp, oily fries. Even though each of the entrees come with sides, such as spatzle, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut, we highly suggest ordering one or two as a la carte plates, so you can share because your group will undoubtedly hanker for more. The beer selection is unrivaled. Everyone loves the Raddler, and the Belgian Apple Ale is like biting into fruit worthy of the Gods. The flourless chocolate cake satisfies expectations and the apple streudel is perfection.

Speisekammer and Suppenkuche both tip the scales in terms of Bay Area dining experiences. With courteous and hip service and an inviting atmosphere, like a Wagnerian opera, Speisekammer's tasty vittles will spark food enthusiasts' imaginations with fantasies of sublime epicurean experiences come true. Go, now! Don't delay. And be sure to set dates for future visits because you can bet we're penning in our own appointments for more dining euphoria.

2424 Lincoln Ave
Alameda, CA 94501
Phone: (510) 522-1300
http://speisekammer.com/

El Zocalo

Bernal Heights, SF

In the Outer Mission with easier access for parking than the typical hot spots in the area, this Salvadorena hole-in-the-wall is comfortable, low-key and provides some tasty bites from Central America for unbeatable prices. Inside, you could easily believe you were in a dive in downtown L.A. Flower sellers hawk bouquets and other glittery wares. Postcard-like pictures of El Salvador decorate the white walls with photos of las playas, el campo, and other rural, pretty scenes of the home country.

The menu includes Mexican selections but El Zocalo's specialty is Salvadorena, more specifically, their empanedas and pupasas. Perfectly doughy masa that's bursting with corn zest. The enchiladas salvadorenas are by far the piece de resistance. Tangy, savory stewed meat, mixed with pickled cabbage and salsa, all piled high on a crispy, crunchy corn tortilla. These dishes are worth their weight in gold, but thankfully you don't have to pay a pretty penny to fill up on savory bites. The menu includes a selection of Mexican and Salvadorena beers. Overall the ambiance is not much to write home about, but El Zocalo serves as the perfect pit stop for a night out drinking with friends & family.

3230 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 282-2572

Medjool Restaurant & Lounge
Mission District, SF

It’s been said that Medjool is a little slice of Los Angeles in the heart of The Mission, so the CSNSC couldn’t resist having a go at this bourgie hot spot. The reservation policy is strict and potentially costly to the pocket if your party has any cancellations, so diners beware. Our party opted for the valet service, which proved as efficient as it could be under the circumstances, those circumstances being that Medjool is crowded and wildly popular. Patience is a necessity here.

The restaurant is wide open and airy. Two floors and a rooftop bar allow for large, raucous parties and opulent décor. The lighting fixtures are otherworldly. The walls are painted in warm cinnamon and saffron and are adorned with eye-catching Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ornaments. The service was friendly and easy on the eyes. Our waiter was just as enthused about the cocktail menu as we were.

We dived right into the drinks and ordered the special, plum martini. These were tart and unimpressive. The pear martinis and margaritas redeemed the initial cocktail. Though we’d heard that Medjool is popular for their drinks, we found that their libations are not of the same caliber as Absinthe or Jardinaire.

Just like the plum martini, the dolmas fell flat. We had high expectations for their lamb dishes, which were utterly and unforgivably dashed when we bit into the Olive Oil Poached Half Rack of Lamb, Quinoa, Cherry Jus, English Peas. This dish was shamefully over-cooked, dry and flavorless. The Medjool Sampler with Hummus, Tabouli and Baba Ghanoush was filling but CSNSC members can prepare the same dishes at home and delight the palate. Add to that, the Roasted Local Halibut, Chermoula, Fava Beans, Rainbow Chard proved too fishy and salty.

What was worth the price tag was the lamb tangine and fig. The combination of stewed fruit and meat made this dish a delicious revelation. We, thankfully, ordered two plates of the Brined Pork Tenderloin on a Bed of Chorizo White Beans. This was simply irresistible. Perfectly salty and savory, the beans and pork gave it a meatiness that just leaves you wanting more.

Medjool is a place to be seen. Like a typical trendy LA restaurant, it’s more hype than good eating, and you’re left wondering why is the bill so high when the food is so unsatisfying? After this dining experience, the CSNSC has sworn off bourgie eateries because, when it comes right down to it, despite the people watching, impressive architecture and interior design, it’s just not worth the cost to the wallet. For now, Medjool concludes our Asian Culinary Tour.

Medjool Restaurant & Lounge
2522 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94111
http://www.medjoolsf.com/

Aslam’s Rasoi, The Mission District in San Francisco

The Champagne Supernova Supper Club was inspired to give Aslam’s Rasoi a go, in the Mission District of San Francisco. A convenient three blocks away from BART, this neck of the woods is trendy and young, and allows for great people-watching, particularly upscale hipsters in their natural habitat. Once you enter the lauded Aslam Rasoi you are surrounded by beautiful mosaics that bedeck the walls and tables. Ambience is key here and the designer has done an excellent job draping the place in nouveau-Indian-Pakistan chic. It’s open, airy, and filled with gold lighting that creates a feel of intimacy and elegance. Should you get bored with the street scene, you can watch the cooks in the kitchen prep their specialty, tandoori.

This restaurant is touted for their extensive variety of tandoori dishes, and aside from these specialties, the rest of the menu is run-of-the-mill Indian & Pakistani fare. Our feast kicked off with assorted pakoras and garlic naan. Not too bready, or chewy, the naan was crispy and thin, much like a margherita pizza. We followed up with the chicken tiki masala, good but not mind-blowing. The special fish of the day, tilipia, also left no memorable impressions. The lamb kebab was the most impressive and Aslam’s Rasoi lives up to their reputation for tandoori delish. The dish was delivered sizzling hot. The meat was tender and rare with just the right crispy barbeque-iness outside. Flavors abound!

To quench our thirst during the meal we ordered a redolent Riesling and a soju Cosmo that left us sad and disappointed, a true alcoholic sin. The wait-staff was competent but brusque. They seemed to act as if the evening was busier than apparent. Aslam’s Rasoi is high-end South Asian cuisine. If you enjoy flavorful tandoori, and nothing else from the great lands of Pakistan & India, this might be the place for you. If you prefer more original dishes and are allergic to the trendy hipster milieu, you might want to count this one out.

1037 Valencia Street (at 21st Street)
San Francisco
(415) 695-0599
http://www.aslamsrasoi.com/index2.html

by Epicurious

OHGANE KOREAN RESTAURANT, North Oakland


While not in the most desirable of neighborhoods – Ohgane is located on the stretch of Oakland’s Broadway Boulevard between 40th and 41st, off the 580 freeway – it makes up for lack of geographical charm with plenty of easy parking, lot and street. Those cruising in sweeter rides than our own need not worry while chowing down, for a trusty security guard, armed with a Bluetooth earpiece, keeps watch in the lot in the evenings. On the outside, Ohgane resembles a Koreanized IHOP, but the roomy interior makes for an ideal tabletop grilling space. The back room seems to be reserved for Korean speakers, so naturally we were seated in the front. Murals of the Korean countryside cover the walls, which surround abundant tables fitted with grills and overhead ventilation fans. Our only gripe: that there was only one grill for our table of eight, and it was located at the far end of the tabletop, rendering one of our party head chef and the remainder of us hungry and demanding baby birds.

The menus are beautifully bound in silver albums covered with rose brocade (seriously), Ohgane’s menu covers all areas of Korean food goodness. While you can choose from appetizers, entrees and meats for grilling, most go mainly for the meat. There is a lunch menu, which we’ve heard gives a bigger bang for your buck, but for our soiree we stuck mainly with meat and more meat. We did try two appetizers, vegetables pancakes and chap chae (stir-fired glass noodles with beef and veggies), and found them delicious, but the vast array of ban chan, or small complimentary dishes, are usually the perfect accompaniment to the meal. What’s more, you can ask for refills!

When wrestling with sizzling meat, filling beer glasses and making sure everyone gets a taste of a particular yummy side dish, presentation is usually not a concern. Like typical Korean BBQ places, Ohgane serves everything up neatly and efficiently, and as long as the meat kept coming, we didn’t mind that there were no tomato roses atop the piles. Korean BBQ is all about the meat, and we were all about getting it off the grill and into our mouths as quickly as possible. We tried bulgogi (sliced lean beef), spicy pork and chicken, although the menu offered many more selections, including seafood. We also ordered a few entrees - spicy pork and veggies, bi bim bap (rice with meat and veggies cooked in a clay pot and assembled at the table) and soup noodles. Everything was as good as can be, and although a certain someone declared that it wasn’t up to LA standards (but then again, what in Nor Cal IS?), we had to momentarily put conversation and socializing aside to indulge in the Korean BBQ experience.

A good selection of sake and liquors lined the display case by the entrance, but curiously the only Korean beer that Ohgane serves is HITE. Six bottles later, we didn’t really mind. A quick Google search reveals that Hite is not only made with 100% pure rock bed ground water, but is also the first beer to have a thermometer mark on its label, which tells you whether the beer inside is at the optimal temperature or not. As usual, our supper club party was too full to partake in any desserts after our main course. We are trying to work on saving room since we know this is a crucial element to restaurant reviews. We just can't help getting more than our fill of such tasty entrees.

Even though we didn’t have a Korean among us, we got excellent service from the rotating staff, with seemingly five or six different people serving us throughout the evening. It was a little difficult communicating with the waitress who took our order, whose English wasn’t great, but it wasn’t an issue. At $34 per person, Korean BBQ wasn’t the cheapest outing we’ve had, but for an evening filled with good food, good company and thought-provoking conversation it was worth every penny.

Ohgane Korean Restaurant
3915 Broadway Oakland, CA 94620
(510) 594-8300