Los Angeles: Loteria Grill

The Hollywood Loteria Grill is not to be confused with an area tourist trap. And while it doesn’t have hole-in-the-wall cult status, it is not a place where you’ll find your good ol’ Mexican safety dishes - you must be ready to pass up on comfort combinations to have fun. Yes, there will be tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, but expect a twist in taste.



From the first arrival of chips and salsa, it is easy to see that Loteria Grill aspires for authenticity. Chips are fresh and crisp; the proof is in their oily sheen. The salsa is no watery sop of mushy tomato, but rather a consistently blended chipotle concoction. And it has bite.

In playful form, a striking appetizer offering is what looks like a folded over pork rind, but instead of pork, it’s billed as a chicharron de queso, a salty, crispy foot tall cone of griddled toasted cheese that looks like pork skin, but tastes like cheese cracklings. At under eight dollars, it is served with salsa and creamy guacamole.

Regional ingredients like sauteed mushroom and huitlacoche, or corn smut, are the norm for the choices on Chef Jimmy Shaw’s menu. This trio of quesadillas is made of light and airy masa, stuffed with delicate, but rich flavors that sharply contrast the bright tastes of queso fresco and tomatillo salsa.



Tacos can be served in pairs or as part of a combination plate with includes rice and beans (13). With handmade tortillas, this pair are beef tongue tacos in tomatillo sauce are relatively expensive at ten dollars, three would be a fair offering. Still, the tongue proved remarkably tender, the tomatillo both smokey acidic.



Loteria Grill’s interpretation of Mexican food is meticulously thought out and artfully served, never overdone. With servings that are light, and a price that is on the expensive side considering portions, Loteria Grill becomes a choice for quality and good taste. Both of these, are something this restaurant has plenty of.

Loteria Grill Hollywood
6627 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 465-2500
http://www.loteriagrill.com/

CIY: L.A. Stew, Hollywood Farmer's Market

An overnight trip to Los Angeles isn’t complete without the proper souvenirs. Don’t show up for the kitschy plastic Academy Award. Leave the Hollywood snow globes melting on Sunset. Instead, head on over to Ivar street, where the Hollywood Farmers’ Market is in full bloom. Here you’ll see a bountiful collection of early morning eats as well as the freshest seasonal produce, both conventional and organic.

It is here that the perfect L.A. trip begins to come to an end, with a Sunday morning forage for just the right produce to make sure that not all of Los Angeles is left behind on the long drive home.

I call this L.A. stew.



There is no set ingredient list behind L.A. stew; there are only two rules:

1. Pick whatever’s seasonal (protein can be purchased later).
2. Cook it in one pot.

Here’s what was available and appealing and affordable in November:

1. purple, yellow, and white carrots (2 lbs.)
2. organic celery (1)
3. parsnips (3)
4. organic fennel (1 bulb)
5. shallots (2)
6. organic Italian parsley (1 bunch for garnish)

And for the especially adventurous, a trip to Santa Monica’s Penzeys Spices will yield:

1. Star Anise (more aromatic that you’ll have previously known it to be)
2. Dried Guajillo peppers

L.A. Stew

1. In an oiled heavy pot, caramelize peeled and cut shallots.
2. Sear protein on all sides for 3-5 minutes total, then remove and set aside.
3. Add 8 oz. of red wine, gently scrape bottom of caramelized pot.
4. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add 1 can of beef stock and 2-3 cups of water as well as 3-4 broken pieces of star anise and 1 guajillo pepper.

1. Add peeled and trimmed vegetables to stock.
2. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
3. Season meat with salt and pepper, add to broth.
4. Simmer for another hour.
5. Serve and garnish with flat parsley.

Hollywood Famers’ Market
http://www.farmernet.com/events/one-cfm?venue_id=587

Penzeys Spices
http://www.penzeys.com/

Los Angeles: Bowery Bar & Bistro

Los Angeles is a competitive market for the gourmet burger. There are the Umami’s and Golden State, 8 0z. on Melrose, as well as classics like Apple Pan. Make no beef about it: Gourmet burgers are not a waning trend, they are here to stay. These burgers are a sign of the times - a rationalized meal that says, “It’s not really fine dining, if it’s in sandwich form.”

Of course, if that were true, they wouldn’t taste so good.

The New York-themed Bowery gastropub isn’t the first to claim responsibility for having Los Angeles’ best burger, and while I’d never assume the ethos for confirming or negating such a claim, it’s no shabby contender.



Served on a toasted English muffin the Bowery Burger is juicy and well-seasoned, saved of having to suffer the fate of too much bread. The choice of the English muffin also results in a burger that can be enjoyed without the worry of sogginess.


Just shy of ten dollars, the 8 oz. Bowery Burger wouldn’t be so gourmet with the usual cheeses. An extra dollar provides the choice of Gruyere, bleu, goat cheese, as well as cheddar for the traditionalist. Garnishes are also a dollar each.

Or for three dollars, the Bowery offers a choice of cheese and three garnishes. Below, this burger is served with bleu cheese, fried jalapenos, avocado and topped with a fried eggs.

Admittedly, most burger joints, gourmet or not, are only as good as their fries. The Bowery’s hand cut shoestrings are crisp and well-bestowed in the salt department.


A gastropub, the Bowery has a full bar, as well as a menu that includes moules frites, as well as other pub fares like fish and chips and steak.

At midnight, The Bowery’s ambience is a muted bustled. It’s loud, but not obnoxious; it’s t-shirt chic, but no slouch. The fact that the same can be said about it service, makes this a worthwhile late night choice.


Bowery Bar & Bistro
6268 Sunset Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 465-3400
http://www.theboweryhollywood.com/

CIY: cornmeal encrusted & fried squash blossoms

There’s something poetic about the eating of flowers. As it is, they reward our senses in various forms: Visually, we admire them and we smell them. But to eat them, can be a last act of gratitude; an act of mercy, perhaps - a way to defy decay and say to them, “Your beauty will never be lost.”

After all, the squash blossom is a thing of beauty; and its life span much too short.



Inspired by seasonal menus that have been offering the flowers in fried form, this rendition uses traditional cheese stuffing, breading and frying techniques. After all, the frying of cheese is failsafe is not outright default deliciousness.

Ingredients:

8 squash blossoms with enough room for stuffing
3 oz. of Fontina cheese
1 1/2 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
3 tablespoons of corn flour (or any other flour; corn flour was used to stay keep the corn taste cohesive)
1/2 cup of cornmeal (for breading)
1/2 teaspoon of salt



Prepwork:

1. Cut the fontina cheese into 1/2” strips.
2. Gently insert them into the blossom pockets.

Batter, Bread, and Fry:

1. Combine eggs, milk, and salt.
2. Whisk vigorously while adding in corn flour (or any other flour)
3. One at a time, dip the squash blossoms into the bowl, allowing extra dripping to return to the batter.
4. Gently pat the battered flower into the cornmeal.
5. Fry in preheated corn oil for no more than 20-30 seconds. This step proved tricky as the cheese had a tendency of falling out of the flower. Blossoms must be gently placed into the oil with the open end facing the pan’s wall. Flower stems work well for holding, but gently held tongs are a safer option.
6. Remove excess oil on paper towel and enjoy.

The thinking behind the cornmeal breading is to add crunch to the texture of melted cheese. The outcome, while an apparently cheesy mess, proved to be earthy and fragrant. When not overcooked, they still snap with a delicate crunch that tastes of a light sweetness.

Still, next time, I won’t be so nice about respecting their floral notes. Sure, there will be cheese. But there will also be chorizo.