Post 101: Peruvian in SF - La Mar Cebichería (San Francisco: Embarcadero)

Okay, enough talk about sweets and cupcakes.  Let's switch back to some real food.

Back in November my brother and I headed to San Francisco for a quick 24 hour trip.  Our parents had gone on their own weekend getaway, so we thought we would treat ourselves to our own trip too.  Our main goal was to eat.  And eat we did.  The highlight of our meals was lunch at La Mar Cebichería Peruana, an oceanfront restaurant specializing in Peruvian style ceviche.  My friend Diana who had recently returned from working abroad joined us.

As we sat down at a table on the patio we were presented with a bucket of chips.  Every occupied table in the restaurant had a complimentary bucket of this house made appetizer along with a duo of vibrantly colored dipping sauces.

There was a mix of crisp potato slices, sweet yam curls and plantain strips in the bucket, all of which tasted great with the dipping sauces.  The yellow sauce was made primarily of aji amarillo, a Peruvian chile pepper.  It was blended with oil, cheese, and crackers, surprisingly, which made it mildly spicy and creamy at the same time.  The red sauce was made with aji rocoto, a much spicier chile pepper, and vinegar, red onion, and garlic.  This sauce definitely burned my tongue a little bit, so the combination of both sauces created the perfect blend of heat for me.

What's a good meal without a good cocktail right? While the orders were being prepared, we ordered a number of cocktails, the first of which was a pisco sour.  This cocktail was made with pisco quebranta, which is an alcohol distilled from Peruvian grapes also known as Peruvian brandy, along with lime juice, simple syrup, egg whites and bitters.  I really liked that the ingredients were not just shaken together but that the bitters was splashed against the foamy egg white to paint an aesthetically pleasing picture.

Of the six different Peruvian cebiches on the menu, we ordered five of them.  It sounds a bit insane, but it did help that La Mar offered a tasting of four cebiches on the menu.  The first of the four was the cebiche clásico with California halibut, red onion, cilantro, habanero, giant Peruvian corn and yam in leche de tigre.  Also known as tiger's milk, leche de tigre is the acidic liquid, usually containing lime juice, that cooks the raw fish in the cebiche.  The classic cebiche was a great start to the meal.

The next cebiche we had was the cebiche mixto, which was a combination of Mexican yellowtail, calamari and shrimp.  Also mixed in was an aji amarillo leche de tigre, a spicier version of the classic tiger's milk, which gave the cebiche a more potent flavor.  The remaining ingredients of red onion, cilantro, habanero, Peruvian corn and yam were the same combination of ingredients in the cebiche clásico.  The highlight of the cebiche was the tender rings of calamari in the spicy marinade.

After the cebiche mixto, we tried the cebiche nikei, which was a play on Japanese flavors.  There was fresh tuna topped with red onion, avocado, Japanese cucumber, daikon radish, nori and sesame seeds.  The leche de tigre here was sweetened with tamarind, which was a successful way to represent the sweet and salty flavor that is characteristic of Japanese cuisine.  This was a favorite at the table.

The last of the tasting was the cebiche chifa.  This yellow cebiche had more flavors in Chinese cuisine such as peanuts, scallions, ginger, pickled carrots and daikon.  Strips of deep fried wonton skin and cilantro garnished the fish dish.  The sweet and sour sesame oil flavored leche de tigre rounded out the cebiche well.  I really enjoyed the crunchy textures and the rawness of the scallions and ginger.  We thought that it tasted like a sophisticated version of a Chinese chicken salad.

The cebiche tasting was so good that we decided to add on a full order of the cebiche barrio.  This variation of the classic cebiche was probably my favorite because it had some of my favorite seafood... yellowtail, mussels, clams, scallops, shrimp, and deep fried battered calamari.  The red onion and cilantro with the spicy rocoto leche de tigre provided a crisp freshness and spicy yet creamy flavor.  It reminded me of Sriracha mayonnaise used in many Asian fusion dishes.  I could have done without the cancha, the toasted corn nuts, but the fried calamari more than made up for the jaw breaking corn.

After a whirlwind tour through five unique cebiches, it was time for more drinks.  We ordered a bottled sparkling grapefruit beverage and the blood and sand cocktail.  Made with Dewar's scotch whiskey, blood orange, Heering black cherry liquor, and drambuie, this was more to our liking than the pisco sour.  We could taste the whiskey in the drink, which is quite important to some.  It was a bit stronger but also sweeter than the pisco sour.  The blood orange and black cherry liquor blended well to make an alluring cranberry color and a smooth and deep fruit flavor.  The swirling clouds on top of the glass really did make the drink look like blood and sand.

Since we ordered the tasting of cebiches, we thought we should do the same for the empanadas.  Although there were only three of us eating, we really did try to eat just about everything on the menu.  The quartet of deep fried deliciousness was served with the house panchita sauce, another condiment that had crackers and chile peppers in it.  That was the second sauce that was made by blending crackers with oil and chile peppers.  Our eyes were opened to new aspects of Peruvian cuisine.  It was not just lomo saltado anymore.

First, we had the empanada de aji de gallina, stuffed with a Peruvian chicken stew and aji amarillo sauce.  The chicken was shredded but not dry in the least, and the sauce made the inside very savory and hearty.  

Next, we tried the empanada de lomo saltado, and it was amazing.  The soy and oyster sauce flavored beef was beyond flavorful.  It blew my mind that an empanada could contain lomo saltado, a classic Peruvian dish of stir-fried beef and potatoes.  Seriously, amazing.  

There was also an empanada de k'apchi, which was stuffed with pisco flambéed crimini mushrooms.  The shell of this empanada was the crispiest out of the four, and the filling really warmed me up like only a comfort food can.  

The final one was the empanada de tomalito verde filled primarily with sweet corn and blended with queso fresco, cilantro, and more sauces.  The sweet corn had a consistency more like mashed potatoes and the sweetness of yams.  It was a smart way to finish off the four empanadas.

Another sampler round of Peruvian appetizers was on its way down to digestion, which meant that another round of drinks were to be ordered.  This time we decided on the house sangria at the server's suggestion.  We liked it because the taste of the wine was still prominent, but the fresh fruit was present as well.  Our glasses were quickly dried out.

Of all the items on the menu, my brother was the most excited for the anticuchos de corazón, grilled skewers of beef heart.  Knowing my brother he probably thought eating the heart of an animal was primal and masculine, and I guess in some ways it really is.  But after Diana chomped down on some of the grilled heart, I knew it did not seem as primal as it seemed.  Diana's palate is very, uh... how do I say... uh... ladylike.  Yes, ladylike.  So the tender beef muscle was not daunting.  The fried potatoes served with it were like rounds of flat potato wedges.  So fried and so delicious.  What's better than grilled meat and fried potatoes? Oh, and there was some seriously gigantic Peruvian corn piled on the plate too.  Gigantic.

Our stomachs were pretty packed by this time in the meal.  We had spent almost three hours at the restaurant by now, but there was still one more item that we wanted to try.  Peru is a country that is home to many Chinese and Japanese immigrants, and so much of its cuisine is influenced by the culinary cultures of China and Japan.  We wanted to taste some more of the Asian influence, so we ordered the rollo nikei.  We liked the flavors of the cebiche nikei so much that we chose a similar taste for the sushi.  The roll had dungeness crab inside with avocado and cucumber.  On the outside tuna tartar was dropped over the top of each slice, and crispy noodle strips garnished the entire plate.  I liked the mix of meaty and crunchy textures, but it simply just tasted good.

I was really looking forward to the end of the meal because I had noticed the neighboring tables being served little drops of purple sorbet on spoons.  They were actually spoonfuls of chicha morada sorbet.  It was icy.  It was sweet.  And it was made with Peruvian purple corn, strangely enough.  It was more pleasing to the eye than to the tongue, but it was not bad at all.  It, probably due to the color and the sweetness, sparked a unpleasant memory of Welch's grape juice from my elementary years.  But no matter it was an eye opening experience nonetheless.

La Mar was definitely a favorite meal during our quick trip to San Francisco.  And I was more than delighted to see an old friend who I had not seen in a long time.  Thanks Diana for braving the Sunday Embarcadero traffic for us and rushing us to the BART station in time to catch our flight for the airport! Just barely, might I add.  Oh, yes, and happy birthday, Brother.  Until our next quick trip, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.
ML - 20121104

Post 54: Sushi for the Soul (SD: Pacific Beach)

It's been a while since I've had a nice meal.

I've come to realize that I need a nice meal every so often just to rejuvenate my soul.  It doesn't necessarily have to be an expensive meal or have extravagant presentation, and it doesn't require swift customer service.  It's just got to feel healthy.  And by healthy I don't mean five fruits and vegetables or whole grains... I mean emotionally and mentally healthy... something that's just good for your soul.

So after a brisk run on the sands of Ocean Beach, Allie and I chased our workout with a nice breakfast at To The Point Café.  The replenishment was a chicken apple sausage egg sandwich held together by a buttery croissant with pesto cream cheese.  And the reward came in the form of mimosas... a traditional one for me and a lavender lemonade mimosa for Allie.  Thumbs up for Sunday mornings.

But that wasn't our nice meal.  Our nice meal was spent at Sushi Ota in Pacific Beach.  We sipped hot green tea, eavesdropped on the conversations from neighboring tables, and watched the quick movements of the Japanese restaurant.  And we did this while enjoying a platter of fresh yellowtail (hamachi) sashimi, a deluxe chirashi, and the fisherman's roll.  That was definitely some sushi for the soul.



The hamachi, a favorite for both me and Allie, was fresh enough to melt in your mouth.  Five beautifully carved, diamond-shaped pieces fanned out across the porcelain white plate, each piece that stood behind the first increased in size on a mound of shredded daikon and shiso.  And a drop of wasabi adorned the corner of the plate like the mole just above Niki Taylor's lip.  Simply beautiful.  And who cares if the yellowtail was from the radiated waters of Japan? I'm ready for my superhuman power, preferably the power to move things with my mind.



Our deluxe chirashi included that same yellowtail, sweet shrimp (ebi), salmon (sake), whitefish, octopus (tako), sea urchin roe (uni), squid (ika) stuffed with fresh crab meat, tuna (maguro), freshwater eel (unagi), fatty tuna (toro), and egg (tamago) that was stamped with the Ota authentic seal of approval.  Staring at this stunning box of rice and fish I completely forgot about the pickles (tsukemono) and the salmon croquette off to the side.

The fisherman's roll is what sealed the deal for us.  Whitefish and avocado hide within the rice and nori, and two kinds of onion sit atop of the roll.  Onions that were fried to a crisp provided the foundation for the topping of expertly sliced, raw green onions.  More yellowtail? Yes, please.  Slices of the beautiful sakana hung over each piece of sushi... like the smiling cheese from an In-N-Out Double Double... like the tongue of a hungry dog waiting for a juicy steak... or more like my tongue hanging out of my own mouth.  Man, just look at that sushi.  I'd hang a picture of this on my wall any day.

If that's not sushi for the soul, I don't know what is.  Replenished, stuffed to the brim, and happy as a clam, I declared, "I don't want to go to work tomorrow!" 

But I knew I was ready for Monday morning.  Until the next nice meal, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20110522

Post 45: Oh Mah Gahh...Omakase! (LA-South Bay: Torrance)

The omakase that we had for Ashley's birthday was an inspiring way to start off the new year.  I've had the omakase at Kantaro Sushi in Torrance before, but I left my camera at home the last time.  Luckily, I remembered to bring it this time so I could document some of the whoa moments of the meal.

Tuna sausage with cucumber, potato salad with corn
B-b-sole and tuna sashimi with ponzu, ankimo monkfish liver

When Duke first saw the pictures from the meal, I remember him saying that some of the courses looked pretty intense.  The first sashimi course with the entire fish chillin' right on the plate was definitely intense.  I mean... we were eating the flesh of the fish while the body was lying right in front of us.  Intense. 

Bluefin toro and amber jack sushi, hirame halibut and ika squid sushi
Deep-fried whole b-b-sole with nuggets and roe

Later, that same fish was grabbed from our plates with bare hands.  The cute little missus of the restaurant (do I call her Mrs. Kantaro?) whisked the dreary, gray fish carcass away to the kitchen only to return with a golden, deep-fried whole fish.  That was definitely intense.

Alaskan ikura salmon roe and Santa Barbara uni sea urchin sushi
Anago freshwater eel, spicy tuna hand roll and organic tamago egg
Mini chirashi and salmon sushi with cream cheese

But what else would omakase be? Omakase is the chef's table.  It's his way of showing the guest how skillful, creative, and imaginative he can be.  It's gotta be intense.

The only other place I've ever had omakase was at Wakasan in Westwood... another birthday outing.  Wakasan's omakase involves more hot food items such as croquettes, hamburger steak on cast iron grills, chicken hot pot, etc.  That experience, just like this one, was intense.  You can read about it on Duke's blog.


Azuki red bean ice cream for dessert

Happy birthday, Ashley! 

And thanks for the description, Duke.  That one word said it all.

Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20110108

Post 44.3: Year in Review - 2010

I've been meaning to close out the year for a while now... and seeing that it's no longer the beginning of the year or the end of last year, I better get a move on.

2010 was filled with plenty of ups and downs and lessons learned.  It was not without its fair share of discoveries, adventures and unforgettable experiences.  Whether it was taking my first bite of poutine in Vancouver, taking in the sights and sounds of a grand slam tennis match in New York, or relaxing over a brewski at the end of the day... I cherished it all.  2010 was quite a memorable year.

Discoveries of 2010

My first discovery of the year came with the annual chaos of tax season.  Sitting under a pile of 1040s and 540s at work, I began reminiscing about how simple my childhood had been... when the only numbers I could count to were 1, 2, and maaaybe 3.  Desperate to bring simplicity back, I went downstairs to the convenience store in the lobby to search for a simple box of Treetop apple juice.  While browsing through the various sundries in the store, my heart sunk when I discovered that the only apple juice sold there was organic Treetop apple juice.  My simple, green box of childhood apple juice was no more.  While I had moved on to the sake, soju, beer, and wine, Treetop moved onto organic apples.  

This year was the year that I realized that the times have truly changed.  But it was also the year that I realized that many things had stayed the same.  Like the classic Bob's Big Boy burger.  So even though I had never actually liked the taste of the Bob's Big Boy double decker, I felt relieved when it looked and tasted the way I had remembered as a child.  Changing the Big Boy classic may have caused a protest with enough angst to rival the time when Coca Cola changed its classic formula.  (I swear I typed 'angst' in my sentence before I found and read the history on the website.)  Okay, so Obama really didn't change too much.  I'm cool with that... for now.

This year brought on the discovery of new cuisines and interesting dishes that were a fusion of culinary contributions from two different cultures.  Jjajangmyeon and jjambbong took a while to grow on me, while gamjatang had me at first slurp.

This year I also discovered that lettuce didn't have to be the main ingredient in a salad.  Or the that the star ingredient in a salad could be something other than a vegetable.  And that salad didn't necessarily have to be cold, refreshing, or topped with cheese to be good.  The raw beef salad from Yummy Yummy, the tea leaf salad from Burma Superstar, and the fig and brie salad from Larchmont Grill were all eye-opening experiences.

The year also marked the first time I was challenged to eat ox penis (it's also the last time I will ever do that), the first time I squeezed lime juice into my Mexican-style Chinese wonton soup, and the first time I tried Afghan cuisine.

There's no way I can forget my discoveries during my visit to our friendly neighbor to the north.  The Japadog, an all-American hot dog infused with the rich flavors of traditional Japanese sauces and garnishes, and true Canadian poutine, gloriously golden French fries topped off with cheese curds and then smothered with brown gravy, beckoned me to return to Vancouver in 2011 to have a second taste.  Perhaps on my next trip to Vancouver, I could make a pit stop in Seattle to Lola just to have a bite of those delectable doughnuts that I discovered last summer.  Those doughnuts blew my mind away.

And I discovered that each of these foods... no matter how it was cooked, no matter what culture created it, no matter what taste it sparked on my tongue... was made even better with a tall glass of ice, cold beer.

Cravings of the year

Those that spend a good amount of time with me know that I get sudden, incredible urges to gorge on certain dishes or cuisines.  I started off the year craving Indian food, but as the craving was satisfied, I quickly developed a longing for a cabeza taco from King Taco, a desire for a beef wrap from Happy Kitchen, and any kind of Taiwanese noodle from A&J Restaurant.

My cravings were made evident with my spontaneous text messages throughout the work day to friends who shared the same feeling.  My friends of Korean heritage frequently received texts regarding haemul pajeon, and friends who live and work in the Bay Area suffered from my inundation of text messages (usually in all caps) about my drooling over the tiramisu from Cavalli Caffe in San Francisco.  

But the one craving I didn't mention much was actually something I only took one bite of.  During our trip to Seattle, oolong-milktea and friends waited forever for a delicate Russian pastry called a piroshky... and I sat on the sidewalk of Pike Place Market waiting for them.  One bite from my friend's spice-filled beef and cheese piroshky, and I knew I was a sucker.  Just as Duke wrote on his Yelp review of Piroshky Piroshky... who knew this thing could be so damn good?

Tears.  Anguish.  I want one now.  I admit I messed up... I should have gotten one.  But... perhaps the more I had bitten into that piroshky, the more anguish I would be in right now.  And if that were the case, I wouldn't be surprised if I were frantically checking for flights to Seattle right now.  Sigh.  Piroshky, I should have given you a chance...

Trips in 2010

This year, I made 6 trips out of Southern California.  I visited the Bay Area three times and made one trip each to Seattle, Vancouver, and New York.  Each trip presented a different experience made unique by the people, the food, and the city itself.  The sun shined brightly for me on all three trips to the Bay Area... even when the weatherman said it would rain.  In Seattle, the taxi driver tried to swindle us on the way to Sea-Tac Airport.  In Vancouver, Amanda's car got towed as we were making our way to the airport.  It seemed like something was bound to happen every time I made my way to the airport.

Well, my trip to New York confirmed it.  Already on the way to the airport, Jamie remembered that he had left the tennis match tickets at his apartment.  He went back for them, which caused him to miss the flight.  But thanks to Continental Airlines, the change fee was waived, and CO got him on the first flight out in the morning.

And on the way back to California, Jamie happened to be booked for a flight that had already taken off.  What?! No worries, it was solved by a courteous CO agent who even upgraded Jamie up from economy.  And even if it hadn't worked out, seeing a grand slam tennis tournament live for the first time made any fiasco worth going through.  

None of the trips would have happened without the numerous travel companions, hosts and guides, and service people in the travel industry.  Thanks to you, running through airport terminals, getting questioned by Customs and Immigration, and drinking until the wee hours of the morning made for exciting stories that I will remember forever.  I talked to kind strangers, yelled at sketchy strangers, and shared one of the last free economy class meals with hungry strangers.  None of these experiences would have been the same without you.

I loved traveling to these great cities, and I'm looking forward to even more traveling in the new year.  But you know what? Home is where the heart is.  And Los Angeles, you are what I call home.

The year's favorites from home

Although I've experienced some great eats while traveling outside of LA, food from home simply can't be beat.  The best food from LA comes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors.  One of them is a deep fried sphere of mashed potato stuffed with savory ground beef... just slightly larger than a golf ball but still smaller than a tennis ball.  It is known simply as the Porto's potato ball.

The best food from home can be something from the local bakery that you get on a weekly basis or something from the Japanese sushi bar you have only on occasion.  The spicy tuna, fatty tuna (toro) and sea urchin (uni) from Sushi Gen is some of the best in the Southland.

Just a few blocks over to the north of Sushi Gen is where you can find a classic Philippe French-dipped sandwich.  Place it next to a bowl of chili, with or without beans, and glass of 75 cent lemonade you'll get a glimpse into my childhood.  You may see me here munching on a roast beef dip and using crackers to spoon chili in... it's the same way I learned to eat when I was in elementary school.

But really, what makes a food your favorite is not whether it's a classic but how it makes you feel.  It could be a macaron from Bottega Louie, the beef ribs from Lucille's BBQ, a Spam musubi from King's Hawaiian, the Taiwanese salt and pepper fried oysters from Happy Garden, hand-cut salami from the store, or peeled fruit from your own kitchen.  The list could go on and on.

But perhaps the best food from home is really the food from home.  Mom's beef noodle soup, dad's corned beef and cabbage, grandma's dumplings (hand-made or frozen) bring the kind of comfort that not even LA classics like Philippe can bring.

Along with some of my newly discovered food, these favorites contributed to the memorable year in delicious food.  I can't wait for the food that has yet to be uncovered and the bountiful favorites that will carry over into 2011.  I feel very blessed to have been able to relish in food aplenty and to have made it a hobby when there are tons of people around the world that have trouble just finding a bite.  

 

Cheers to the new year.  Until the next find, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

Some pictures from this post have been contributed by oolong-milktea.

ML - 20110204