RLOTW: Farmstand

I have not heard good things about Farmstand. Nobody I know has had a good experience at this self proclaimed "Urban Country Food" establishment. So with some amount of trepidation my coworkers and I decided to go after one coworker expressed his desire to eat somewhere "with salads" since he's on his annual cleanse. Despite the fact that my word of mouth reviews were positive, yet the the Yelp reviews are all decidedly okay, and the fact that I love the mixed-use building in downtown El Segundo, I successfully lobbied to go.

The results definitely exceeded my expectations. I knew we were in for a treat when the hostess who greeted us looked like she just got done taping an exercise video. I've never seen such fit arms in my life. And I don't have an arm fetish (chicken wing maybe). Anyway, we sat down, took a gander at the menu and ordered. I got a chicken sandwich and side of greens, coworkers ordered salads, and we split an order of fries. The fries were just a tad cold because they had probably sat out for a minute but they were super tasty - they were the uber-thin shoestrings, sprinkled with Parmesan, and served with a red sauce that tasted and smelled like ketchup to me but my coworkers swore it was not. After our meal (which I alone did not finish), we were pleasantly surprised when the steel armed hostess offered us a complimentary mousse. I'm not a super giant dessert fan but wow was that good.



After the meal one coworker, who was especially vociferous relating her prior bad experiences, proclaimed it the best meal she had ever had. Hyperbole aside Farmstand was definitely someplace where I would dine again.

The First Nachos of 2010

With all this talk about resolutions, books, and random lunches I almost forgot about THE FIRST NACHOS OF 2010! First let me set the scene:

My good friend Tannaz, of All Kinds of Yum fame, decided a couple years ago to hold a bake sale, No Cookie Left behind. This is gained a huge following of not only ardent cookie eating supporters but an entire bake sale organizing network. So after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Heather Taylor of Taylor de Cordoba thought that a fund-raising bakesale for Doctor's Without Borders was a good idea.

Now you might be asking yourself what the heck this has to do with nachos. Never fear, it will become clear in a moment. On the day of the event my sister and a friend made the sojurn from SouthBay up to Scoops to drop off some Ranger Cookies and see of the workers needed any tacos. Because there's a taco stand near scoops. A very delicious taco stand by the name of Tacos El Pastor. Where we got nachos. Very delicious nachos.



It's hard to tell from the picture but the chips are really strange. They are round with the fake nacho-cheese flavoring. Kind of old school - definitely not what I expect at a taco stand that looks super authentic. I definitely wouldn't want those kind of chips on very many orders of nachos but because they were so unusual it turned out to be pretty good. My only other complaint was that the 'chos were a little beany. But the carne was good, the avocado slices were a nice touch (the guac with the tacos was REALLY good), and who doesn't love the ketchup squirt bottle filled with crema? Seriously, WHO DOESN'T LOVE IT?

RLOTW: Indian Summer

Oh yeah, and the coworkers and I did a ROLTW at Indian Summer (in the pouring freaking raining to boot). Yelp already has a ton of reviews so I didn't do anything there but I was pleasantly surprised that they had samosas as part of the buffet. It also seemed like they had a bigger selection than other places. Although all the meat was chicken they did have a big assortment: chicken tikka masala, curry chicken, biryani, and chicken kabob (including some sausage-like pieces). Anyway, I highly recommend.

RLOTW: Fantastic Cafe

Well we didn't do RLOTW last week but my coworkers and I survived the inclement weather and made it out today to Fantastic Cafe in downtown Gundo.



Yelp only had 9 reviews so I added my $0.02:

The aforementioned burger combo is now up to $5.39 but that's still not bad. I almost got the Patty Melt, which is my usual goto at places like this, but the Cheeseburger did me fine. Coworkers got the grilled chicken sandwich and were pleased (especially after adding a dollop of the homemade salsa verde). Unfortunately we all got fries, which were great, but had onion ring envy after we saw a plate walk by.

I've had breakfast here too, which is really where Fantastic shines. The breakfast burrito is dense and delicious and the omelets aren't too shabby (the avo was surprisingly fresh). Solid times.

All your RLOTW are belong to us

Over the holiday break my cousin 'dval' reminded me about his prior blogging experience with the Scary Lunch of The Month (SLOTM). This is the best idea ever and I wanted in. Fortunately I have a couple of adventurous co-workers that I coerced into helping me form the Random Lunch of The Week (RLOTW), which is still tentatively named. Our goal is to randomly eat at every restaurant in downtown El Segundo.

To get RLOTW off the ground I started by compiling a list of all restaurants in downtown Gundo. Then I went through and marked off the places we dined at in 2009 as a group (sorry Big Mike, you will not be part of our Thursday plans). Additionally, prior solo missions do not remove a restaurant from the list. Eventually this list will become its own map.

To pick today's restaurant one coworker picked a number, another picked a direction (either up or down) and the third randomly selected a restaurant on the list. Then from that starting location he moved either up or down by the number selected. I have a feeling like this process will change sporadically, or restaurants will be picked based upon a certain desire for special occasions. Or yearnings for sushi or burritos. Fortunately there are over 30 restaurants on the list so we have a lot to choose from.


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My other goal will be to spread the word about Gundo restaurants on Yelp. Because I'm anal I already went on Yelp to 'help' them with some of their info. I amended the Tavern on Main page to include their website. I informed them that the El Tarasco on Grand closed and has since been reopened as Beach Mex. My other goal will be to write reviews of places we go, but only if they have 10 or less reviews already. In that vein, I wrote a review for the restaurant we dined at today, Melting Pot Rotisserie:

I went there with 2 coworkers. I had the chicken pita, coworker 1 had the half chicken combo, and the other coworker had the brochette (ka-bob) combo with chicken and beef. Really good food all the way around.

The chicken pita was made by sauteing precooked chicken with raw onions and peppers and rolling up in a warm pita. Very good spices and Tzatziki sauce. The half chicken was reheated in one of those Subway cheese melting devices and had a green pesto-ish sauce on it - also very tasty and not dry at all. The beef brochette had a thin vinegar based bbq sauce with a nice tangy flavor although coworker reported that the beef was tough. The chicken brochette had a yellow sauce of unknown origin.

Other amusing notes were that the meals were served with salsa while the menu also included some Indian cuisine (paneer and curry). Gotta love LA.

The Great Long Beach Taco Off Part 2 (2009)

Last year around holiday time I went with some fam (mom, sis, aunt, uncle, cousins, their kids) to the Aquarium of The Pacific in Long Beach. Before we went I had the BRILLIANT idea of having a taco off. Cousin Dave, from Ohio, loves him some Mexican food, especially tacos. So we went to King Taco and Tacos Don Chente in the LBC. It was awesome. His kids liked it, we LOVED it, and we all proceeded to have a wonderful day watching fish (and stuff).

For those interested in how the gringos differentiated: KT had better Asada (which was especially a hit with my little cousin), but we (I) liked Chente's Pastor and salsa bar. Also Chente had a little nicer decor and was less crowded (good for our group) plus we had REALLY REALLY COLD beers (mom's fave). KT is much more of a landmark so I'm suggesting we go there again. But we might to go El Gallo Giro and I'm really going to push for El Taco Loco No 3. More to follow.

And, of course, the obligatory map:


View The Great Long Beach Taco off Part 2 (2009) in a larger map

Oh, and don't think I haven't started thinking about next year: Taqueria La Mexicana and Hole Mole are both on 4th Street - maybe I can get someone interested?

Mexican Hot Dog?!?!?!?!?!?!

Email I just sent to my cousins:

Allright guys, I couldn't find a Mexican Hot Dog stand in Los Angeles. I am VERY familiar with the more traditional 'Heart Attack Dog' which is similar and sold, among other places, outside the Rose Bowl after UCLA football games - it's wrapped in bacon but has more 'American' condiments (mustard, mayo, ketchup, grilled onions and peppers). Basically we have 1 year to either A) find a Mexican Hot Dog stand B) start a Mexican Hot Dog stand.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/dining/26unit.html

LA Delis

An Email I sent to my friends today (slightly edited for the internets). Yes I know it's International Day of the Nacho. Also, I looked to see if www.idon.com was taken. It is. By some guy promoting an album called Sexy Robotica. Yum.

I was reading the LA Times today and ran across this story.

Which got me thirsty for some pastrami. Which got me to thinking about club sandwich and the fact that it's been awhile. So I was just curious if anyone felt like doing a club sandwich outing this weekend or next? It doesn't necessarily have to be at any of the places listed in the article. But here they are:

Nate 'n Al in Beverly Hills
Factor's in Pico-Robertson
Junior's in West L.A.
Greenblatt's on the Sunset Strip
Art's in Studio City
Canter's in the Fairfax district
The various Hat locations
Langer's near MacArthur Park
Brent's in Northridge and Westlake Village

I've never been to Nate 'n Al, Factor's, Greenblatt's, or Art's. But I love everyplace and would be down to go anywhere. Except Jerry's. That place sucks.

Alas I only mapped one Hat and one Brent's location:


View LA Delis in a larger map

International Day of the Nacho is here!

Today's razón para celebrar is the Official Best Holiday of NachoLoversAnonymous: The International Day of the Nacho. As you might remember from last month's post, this is a holiday we can all get excited about. For lunch I went to Taqueria Guerrero Style in Westminster, CA.


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The pastor nachos are a brick of chips, beans, cheese, crema, tomatoes, guac, and pastor. Unfortunately the 'chos were just okay. It seemed like a slow day and the chips were a little stale, the meat a little under-seasoned (it's pastor for crying out loud!), and at the risk of eating a gift horse in the mouth (what?), there was just too much food.


My co-conspirator and I also shared a chicken quesadilla, which although greasier, was probably better than the nachos (heresy I know!). Fortunately the price was right. About $15 with two fountain drinks (alas we did not get any delicious jarritos).


Taqueria Guerrero Style
5966 Westminster Blvd
Westminster, CA 92683
(818) 800-9309
www.bestmexcater.com

McDonald's Map!

Via Felix Salmon comes this sweet picture by Stephen Von Worley that presents a visualization of McDonald's restaurant concentrations in the US. Crazy!



So South Dakota, you are the winner! (that doesn't explain how you are still the 16th fattest state)

Even more intriguing about Worley's site was his link to Strange Maps. Whoa. Let me say again: WHOA.

T-Minus One Month....

Until the BEST HOLIDAY OF THE YEAR is back. Last year you might remember that I went with several friends (including famous food blogger Tannazie who took pictures) to Loteria Grill in Hollywood. This year I'm thinking of going to Loteria at the 3rd Street Farmer's Market. Here are some other links from last year.

And because no post would be complete without a map, here is Piedras Negras, Mexico. Supposedly they have the International Nacho Fest there. Although there are few links and it doesn't take place on 10/21. And it seems ass hard to get to. But I digress



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25 Delectable Dining Deals

Two months off? No problem! Evidently the Best Summer Ever includes little to no blogging. Never fear because the LA Times just published a list of 25 Delectable Dining Deals. Includes personal favorite Golden State Cafe!

Map included!


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Unfortunately the map contains no placemarks for pork shoulder.

Nacho Pizza? Yes Please...

From MSN came an article with different pizza and beer pairings. Being a sucker for both beer and pizza (I might have had it for lunch and dinner yesterday) AND the combination fo the two, I obviously had to click on the link. And it doesn't even have to be good pizza (or good beer for that matter). Yesterday I had pizza from the cafeteria at work for lunch and a slice from Costco for dinner. And both definitely satisfied the craving.

Back to the issue at hand: the MSN article had pizza and beer pairings. That's all well and good but the article went one step further and the 3rd pizza featured was a Black Bean Nacho Pizza. The beer reccomendation was an India Pale Ale (Red Hook perhaps?) to match the spiciness or a brown ale (like Newcastle?) to bring out the sweetness. I'm sure those go great but I'm also sure that Bud Light would also help bring out some other flavors (like the watery-ness of the pizza maybe?). Maybe I need to go to Costco again today.

Best Beer Bars in LA

View Toddmartens's List of Best Beer Bars in a larger map

I was perusing the LA Times today and a nice little list caught my eye. Seems like Todd Martens, a staff member, compiled a list of 24 beer bars in the greater LA area. I've been to more than a few of these places, and some have multiple locations (Yardhouse, Father's office, etc.). Missing from the list and deserving mention, although not quite technically a bar, is The Golden State Cafe. They have a GREAT beer selection and food (and even better owners!).

Martens also has a list of LA's best microbreweries but it seems just a tad incomplete (no mention of Manhattan Beach Brewing Company or no shout-out to the no-longer-a-brewery-but-still-has-giant-vats-in-the-bar Westwood Brewco?). Although to Golden State's credit they do carry Craftsman beer on tap.

Red Line Food Hop

The good people over at LAist have created a great reason to hop on the Red Line. Similar to Thrillist's holiday barhop guide, which was created to take advantage of Metro's extended hours, LAist posted a guide to Eating on the Red Line. Of course I was bored and mapped the locations on Google Maps (just like I did for the Red Line Barhop). Places on the list I love are In-N-Out, Philipe's, and El Gran Burrito. Places on the list I need to try ASAP are Molly's and Philadelphia Sandos.


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It's tough to Americanize when you first have to Mexicanize

I saw an interesting article in the LA Times today about El Salvadorans in Los Angeles. Often the immigrants are forced to adopt the language and customs of Mexico in order to gain employment and avoid harassment or discrimination. There was a little bit about food but unfortunately I saw no mention of nachos. I'm not sure how delicious El Salvadoran nachos would be since it seems like they go light on the spicy but I would sure love to find out.

More International Day of the Nacho

I'm too lazy to write about what I did yesterday for the International Day of the Nacho but my good friend All Kinds of Yum saved my ass.

Suffice it to say that Loteria Grill in Hollywood is good. Reeeeeeeaaaaaaal good.

Peruvian Organic Bananas Have Infiltrated My Life

Two themes have cropped up starting with the last post: stealing ideas from All Kinds of Yum and organic food. While I am a junkie of AKOY I am not really an organic die-hard although there are really good reasons to support organic food. My current philosophy is that if I see an organic version of food I usually buy and it isn't too much more expensive than the regular version I'll buy it (I have similar easy to follow policies regarding plastic bags, recycling, carpooling, and other forms of activism). It's the lazy fat white man's way to partially save the world without really trying (or really saving the world).

But AKOY's post about organic banana farms is totally awesome and has me rethinking my lackadaisical policies in one important respect: I'm nearly willing to buy only organic bananas from Dole. This seemingly arbitrary decision is based in large part upon Dole's masterful method of marketing its organic bananas. Each bunch of organic bananas has a tag that lists the farm the banana was grown on and country of origin. You then surf to Dole's organic website, input the farm number, and up pops details about the farm, including pictures, other crops grown, location, and the organic certification credentials.

For example, my farm (number 998) is located in Tumbes, Peru, only grows bananas, and was certified BCS Oko Garantie for both European (ECC) and US (USDA) markets. Plus there are five pictures of the farm and farmers and a link to Google Earth (which is untested since I still live in the 20th century). But seriously, how cool is that? And for those who want to be in the green-loving, pit-hair-cultivating, tech-savvy, enviro-geek crowd, there's even a blog that Dole set up that is a sort of clearinghouse of green ideas. They also have nice blog colors.

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Loteria and Stick and Stein

The past week was dominated by anonymous nacho loving. On Friday, All Kinds of Yum and I went to Loteria Grill at the Farmer’s market. AKOY sent me a chat earlier in the day expressing how cold our Los Angeles was and only nachos could save her. She was right, it was cold and rainy and windy and not at all like we remember from the Best Summer Ever of years past. The only way to break the doldrums was by totally stuffing ourselves with vegetarian nachos, a carnitas taco for me, and followed by a delicious banana-strawberry-nutella crepe from the stand next door. I tried to take a picture except the camera immediately disintegrated, leaving only the pale imprint on these poor eyes. The nachos were everything I love – lots of jack cheese, melted in the oven, covered with black beans and green salsa. The full-size order comes on a huge plate. We did not measure the semi-major and semi-minor axes of the oval and cannot give you an exact area but it was about the size of a football field. The only gripe was that they could have left the plate in for just a smidge longer to melt all the cheese.

Upping the ante, on Tuesday I ventured to the Stick and Stein in El Segundo accompanied by my faithful sister and two college seniors (one being my cousin). I played coy with my sister, contemplating a salad, but when the server came I threw down the chicken-nacho gauntlet. Fortunately my cousin’s friend doesn’t like all the stuff so the triumvirate went to town on a plate full of chips, cheese, beans, chicken, guacamole, jalapenos, sour cream, tomatoes, olives, and salsa. It was a full frontal assault that left my mouth on fire, fingers sticky, and belly full (and the schooners of Bud Light helped put out any remaining fires). To put it another way, Success!

If the nachos from Loteria evoke thoughts of a simple yet beautiful day spent drinking coffee and reading the newspaper, then the Stick was like going to see a demolition derby at the Menard County Fair. Each has its place, and that place is my stomach.