Tag Archives: Hollywood

Hot, or Hype?

December 29, 2008

This is a constant issue for me…Is this restaurant hot right now because it’s good?  Or because it’s hype?  It’s not until I eat there that I can determine that…even Yelp reviews contain a whole lot of hype sometimes.  It is about the most truthful that I can find though.  There’s always someone to speak the truth in a review (or it seems like it at least).

Swingers-ahh, Swingers-with a name like Swingers, you would think, this is going to be one hot place.  A friend previously warned me though, that this place is all hype.  I ate there twice in one day last week.  Why you ask?  Or maybe you didn’t ask me that.  The first time I ate there in one day, I had a turkey meatloaf with spinach and mashed potatoes and gravy.  Nothing about it was good…the spinach actually tasted like lighter fluid to me (not sure how that would even happen).  I did have one item that was good though; broccoli soup.  I’m assuming it was from a can though.

Why’d I go back?  I’m getting to that now, I just needed to stall a bit. 

I had this feeling that the reason people liked this place so much was for its desserts.  I mean, when you get in there you see cupcakes everywhere and they look great.  They look Sprinkles great…they don’t taste Sprinkles great though.  And the brownie ice cream sundae was absolutely terrible.  Again the only saving-grace moment I found was in something that was likely spooned out of a can; the hot fudge was awesome…

Seriously though, when you can’t even get the hot chocolate right, and you’re a diner, you’re probably all hype.  In this case, it’s true.  Even the service is terrible.  The first server was really nice, and sweet, and on top of her game, but the second server we had was terribly slow, and unattentive.  The host was very odd toward us as well.

Oh, and finally, this was in the Swingers in Hollywood (just off La Brea and Beverly) and not the one in Santa Monica — haven’t eaten there yet, but I will when my sister comes to town.  She likes Knocked Up and wants to check out Swingers in Santa Monica because that’s where Seth Rogen had breakfast with Catherine Heigal.  I must confess, this is why I had any interest in the first place.

Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , – No Comments

KISS

November 5, 2008

Some people subscribe to the idea that keeping it simple (seriously???) is the best method of cooking.  Some people go way over the top and add too many ingredients to a recipe.

I do think that simple food can be fantastic, but is it the best?  I don’t think so.  I think that keeping it simple works well, but only goes so far.  Fusion food is the progressive…it’s evolution.  Combining styles, and influences…ingredients from all over the world…techniques from everywhere: this is the way to truly create.

I’ll write up my meatball recipe soon and put it in the “Recipes” page section along with a picture of the cross-section.  It fuses Italian, Chinese, and American influences to truly create a meatball.

Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , – No Comments

Mexican Restaurant Reigns Supreme

November 5, 2008

 

It’s new to me, and I’m glad to have received the recommendation for it.  I’m talking about El Compadre at 7408 W. Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA.  This is the second best Mexican restaurant I’ve been to in Los Angeles at any time, however it is the current reigning champion with the best Mexican food I’ve had being at the Cactus Taqueria on Vine St. If you’ve read my other article Restaurant, No More!, you’ll understand why it’s no longer rated numero uno with me.

 

There are a few things that must be tested at a Mexican restaurant before it can be truly judged.  For dinner tonight I enjoyed four of the seven.  El Compadre understands that salt is muy necessario para sabor (very necessary for flavor) and adds the perfect amount to their carne asada.  Most people speak too generally and say, “Fat is flavor.”  This is not true.  If you think this is true, buy pure lard, grab a giant spoon, scoop a heaping pile of lard into your mouth and enjoy.  What?  Not good?  How about taking pure olive oil and drinking it?  Some people taste olive oil like others taste wine.  Believe me, if you’re not ready for it, you may just regurgitate whatever is in your stomach at the time.  Fat brings flavors out for a series of reasons, but it is not flavor itself.

 

To really utilize fat in carne asada you have to leave only a tiny amount on the meat when you cook it.  And you have to make the fat crispy.  Read about the Maillard reaction and you’ll understand this more clearly.  Someone at El Compadre understands this.  The bit of fat left on the carne asada is crispy, like the fat in bacon after it’s been cooked perfectly.

 

El Compadre’s rice and refried beans are also good.  Both are cooked perfectly, and as fresh as they can be.  The refried beans are obviously not saved to become stale and re-refried.  The rice is not left sitting for too long and does not get hard because of it.  Both are seasoned well.

 

The carne asada plate with refried beans and rice were great.  The tacos themselves were topped with guacamole, salsa, onions and lettuce.  The refried beans are topped with melted cheese.  All of which go very well with each other.  The final accompaniment which is a necessary test of a Mexican restaurant is the salsa.

 

The spicy, red, thick, tomato based salsa is not hot for the sake of being hot.  It is blended very well with flavor and heat.  The salsa does not stand alone, but it works very well when pairing with the beans, rice, and tacos.

 

My final three tests will come soon.  I need to try the chicken, the chile verde, and the flower tortilla.  All of which are crucial for the sustainability of good Mexican food.  For those of you asking about the corn tortilla chips, they are perfectly crispy, but could use a little more salt.  For some, corn tortilla chips can make or break a Mexican restaurant, but for me, they are trivial.

 

Until next time El Compadre.

 

Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , – No Comments

Arclight Hotdogs

November 5, 2008

Disapointed by my last hotdog and without breakfast today, I turned to the concession stand at the ArcLight for sustenance. It’s not as if I went out of my way for a hotdog from the ArcLight, I am here to see Appaloosa and I was hungry. Now that I’ve written my preface, I have a short review about the hotdogs at the ArcLight: they are actually good. They are no Nathan’s hotdogs, but they are good.

Also tagged , – No Comments