pleasurepalate "Menuism Community Manager"

With the restaurant boom happening in downtown Los Angeles, I wanted the dust to settle a bit before checking out all the various eateries. First on the list was Rivera, the brain child of Chef John Rivera Sedler with his take on Modern Latin Cuisine. I bet you can tell how he came up with the restaurant name. Anyway, 5 of us shared 16 different dishes from snacks all the way to desserts and even partook in a couple of cocktails. Mine was the Summer Splash made of Vodka, Lemon, Basil and Honey and it was quite refreshing.

Our meal started off with a trio of items from the snacks section of their menu. First to arrive was the Patatas Xips which were Kennebec potato chips that came with a chipotle-lime crema topped with caviar. Nothing spectacular, but at least the chips were light and crispy and I liked the tart and the little kick flavor of the crema.

Next came the Xnipek which was described on the menu as a Yucatan-style charred-habenero “Dog’s Snout” Salsa and Mini Chips. The “Dog’s Snout” refers to how the salsa is suposed to be so spicy that once you sample it, your nose will be equivalent to a dog’s runny nose. I actually didn’t think the salsa was as spicy as it proclaimed to be although it did have a kick, but it didn’t matter, I loved it. If I could, I would have gone in the kitchen, spooned some into a jar or two and taken it home.

The trio was rounded off with the Tortillas Florales, housemade Nixtimal tortillas and ‘Indian Butter". This is actually my second time experiencing these Tortillas with my first time being at Altamed’s Fourth Annual East LA Meets Napa Event which I attended last July. Second time around was just as delicious. I loved the presentation of the pressed edible flowers inside the tortilla plus the tortilla itself which was thick, crispy and hearty.

After the snacks, we went into the starters and what better way to start than with the Chile Pasilla Relleno which was a chilled pickled mile chile filled with burrata cheese. Of the 6 starter items we ordered, this was my favorite. I enjoyed the slight vinegary aspect of the chile plus with it being served cold, it was refreshing to the palate. By the way, on some of the dishes, there were different kinds of what I’m going to call “spice art”.

Soon after the Chile Pasilla Relleno, the other 5 dishes arrived in full force like the Cordero Vasco, which were Basque lamb chops, chorizo, piquillos, olives and capers. The lamb chops were cooked just right, but considering the ingredients that were used, I expected more pops of flavor, but was missing that.

The Piquillos Rellenos which were Spanish peppers stuffed with chorizo, golden raisins and gruyere cheese was actually one of the favorites of the table. I appreciated the tenderness of the pepper and how the sweetness of the golden raisins complemented the milder gruyere cheese. The chorizo wasn’t as present as it could have been, but I didn’t really miss it.

With a recommendation from our server, we also ordered the Bacalao Negro Fresco which was seared black cod and serrano ham crisp. I liked how the fish was delicate and moist, but had a crisped surface. The saltiness of the ham also went well with the mild flavor of the cod.

The next dish was my least favorite of the entire meal and it was the Cordorniz Cubana, a grilled quail with black beans. This is my fifth attempt at trying to like quail and it didn’t take this time either. Most of my other party enjoyed this dish, but it wasn’t for me. I’ve always find quail to be fatty. Maybe, if it was fried, I’d at least enjoy the crispy skin, but as of now, this is the last time I’m eating quail.

Last but not least of our starters was the Tamal which had braised pork short rib, seasonal mushrooms and guajillo sauce. The tamal itself was delicate and moist and maybe, I’m being just a bit greedy, but I would have loved more pork and mushrooms. I especially liked the mushrooms which added a nice earthiness to the overall dish.

After we finished off the last bit of the tamal, our 3 main entrees arrived along with a side of calabacitas. By the way, the calabacitas were prettily presented in a corn husk and I loved the color and the crunch of the squash, the bell peppers and the corn that made up that mixture.

Of our three main dishes, the one that I thought was just okay was the Maya Puerco Pibil Sous Vide which was banana leaf braised pork shoulder and Peruvian potatoes. Honestly, I don’t understand what the big deal is in regards to meats that are cooked using the sous-vide method. Perhaps, my expectation isn’t correct in that I always assume that the meat cooked in this manner should be extra tender, extra juicy. It’s not as if the pork in this dish was tough by any means, but it didn’t meet my perhaps too lofty expectations? However, this dish’s presentation was quite eye catching.

The Kurobuta Pork Chop with a Mole Sauce and Sweet Potatoes on the side was tasty. It’s not the best mole sauce I’ve ever had, but it did have wonderful flavor plus the pork chop was thick and juicy.

Everyone went gaga over the our last entree which was the Duck Enfrijolada with goat cheese, stacked blue-corn tortillas, black bean puree and chile rioja sauce. It wasn’t the prettiest dish of the night, but all the flavors melded well together, from the pungency of the cheese to the earthiness of the black beans and so on.

13 dishes down and yes, we still had room for dessert and we ordered three of them. The first one to arrive was the Torta Xocolata, a chocolate torte and drunken pineapple. I forgot to ask what the pineapple was drunk from, but the tartness of the pineapple paired well with that dark chocolate torte.

The Crema Catalana with almonds and xerex creme had a wonderful crispy caramelization on the surface, but was a bit soupy, which was unexpected. I liked the fact that this dessert wasn’t overly sweet, but I wish that consistency was thicker because I would have enjoyed it much more.

Our last dessert was Quesos Españoles which consisted of three Spanish cheeses with sangria jus and crusty bread. We let our server choose our cheeses. Unfortunately, I only remember that one of them was a Manchego and the other was a blue cheese. Regardless, it’s hard to go wrong with cheese and it was the perfect finale to our meal.

Overall, except for one or two minor things, this was a wonderful meal and if all the new downtown Los Angeles restaurants are on par with Rivera, than I have a lot to look forward to as I explore more of what downtown has to offer.

For a few years now, I’ve been hearing about a wonderful restaurant in Eagle Rock called Café Beaujolais. I’ve even driven by the restaurant more than times than I can count, so when I actually had a free night to just spend time with friends, I suggested Café Beaujolais for dinner and off we went.

From the outside, it looks pretty plain with its brown paneling and green awning, but once you enter, you’re in for quite a surprise. The interior of the restaurant is actually very pretty and welcoming. Warm orange-brown walls hung with a variety of French wine-inspired art posters will greet you once you step through the door. The waiters are French, charming and very attentive. While you can hear conversation throughout the restaurant, it’s not deafening which allows you the chance to talk to your friends at your meal without having to yell at them.

As for the food, when I opened the menu, I was really surprised with how reasonable the prices were. Appetizers weren’t more than $10. All the entrees were under $20 and desserts were only $6.95. Maybe, I’ve been eating out at too many expensive restaurants lately because it was nice to see that it wouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg this time for dinner.

Now on to the meal itself. We started off with large chunks of French bread. I didn’t think that the bread itself was that great. It seemed a little hard to me, but hey, I wasn’t there for the bread, so it wasn’t a big deal. A nice little touch in regards to our water is that our waiter brought us a wine glass filled with water that he would use to periodically fill up our glasses when the water was getting low.

For my starter, I ordered the soup of the day, which was a celery soup. Our waiter made a point of telling us that the soup was not made with any cream or butter. The soup I have to say was amazing. It was thick, hearty and you could definitely taste the celery. This is the kind of soup that I would love to have again with just some French bread for cooler weather.

My entrée was a New York strip steak topped with a large pat of garlic butter and that came with potatoes, beans and small baked tomato. It was cooked just right: medium with the meat retaining its pinkness once I cut into the steak and as I cut into the steak, you could see the juices coming out. I was a very happy camper. I also liked the fact that the beans and potatoes also retained a bit of firmness and weren’t over cooked. Mushy veggies to me are just a waste of eating energy. I also took a bite of the Beef Borgionne, that someone else in my party ordered, and that was pretty tasty, too. The meat was quite tender.

Finally, it’s dessert time. I ordered their chocolate mousse. This chocolate mousse was rich and not overly sweet. This definitely leaned more towards dark chocolate vs. milk chocolate. Given that I’m a dark chocolate fan, I was more than satisfied with my dessert choice. What I found interesting is that this chocolate mousse version was denser than I’ve had in the past. It was less creamy, but like I said, I still enjoyed every bite of it.

All in all, I really enjoyed Café Beaujolais and now I’m just kicking myself that I hadn’t made my way to there earlier. But better late than never and now that I’ve discovered it, I’m definitely am going to be a repeat patron.

For those of you living in Los Angeles, Mexican food is as part of our culture as Disneyland and the Dodgers. Regardless of what part of town you’re in, you’re bound to see one, two or more Mexican restaurants in your neighborhood, from fast food joints like Taco Bell and chain restaurants like El Torito to small hole in the wall taquerias and casual family-run restaurants.

If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you probably know that while my emphasis tends to be on Asian dining, I love trying various cuisines, but the one cuisine that I tended to overlook in the past was Mexican food. I always felt like there wasn’t enough variety. The menus of the Mexican restaurants I’d walk into consisted primarily of tacos, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas, etc. Not that those dishes weren’t tasty, but once I sampled everything, there wasn’t anything to look forward to.

It wasn’t until my first meal at La Casita that my eyes were opened to new and different tasty possibilities that I never experienced before and all because of the soulful cooking of Chef-Owners, Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu. I’ve dined at La Casita for the past 3 years and with each meal, I’m just thankful that I’ve been able to expand my view of Mexican cuisine and experience more of its culinary traditions.

Given that I’ve been a steady visitor of La Casita, I thought I’d share with you some of the dishes that have wowed me over the years. One thing to mention is that while I have eaten dishes from their regular menu, there have been times when I’ve had off the menu items as well because of one of the Assistant Organizers of my dining group, Pleasure Palate. She truly is a frequent customer and as such, has a special rapport with the two chefs, which has resulted in some pretty special meals . I’ll be sure to note those off menu items in my descriptions below. If you’d like to order any of the off menu items, call ahead at the restaurant and they may be able to accommodate you.

As mentioned above, my first visit to La Casita really gave me a new perspective on Mexican cuisine and on that first day, the following are some of the dishes that made me say, “I didn’t know Mexican food could be like this.” One of our starters for that meal was the Cream of Pork Rind Soup (off menu). Who would have thought the crunchy goodness of pig skin could be made into a soup? Yes, it is possible and wow, was it good.

Then there was the Traditional Mole Poblano with Chicken. This was actually my first taste of mole and the flavors hitting my taste buds were amazing ~ nutty, smoky, a little bit sweet, a little heat. Simply amazing.

The two desserts we had that day were quite unique. One was the Dulce de Jicama (off menu), candied jicama with cinnamon in a creamy sauce. It reminded me of rice pudding, but the jicama added a nice juicy crunch.

The second dessert were Guayabas Con Compope, stewed guavas in a Mexican eggnog liquor. Tart and sweet. Christmas came early.

A subsequent visit was a Day of the Dead dinner where I was introduced to their Tamalito of Green Chile and Panela Cheese with Red Mole (off menu). It was moist with a bit of a kick from the tender chili peppers and the red mole sauce was outstanding.

This particular visit was also where I first tried one of La Casita’s signature dishes, the Chili En Nogada. The Chili En Nogada is a poblano pepper stuffed with pork, dried fruits, walnuts, candied cactus, pecan cream sauce and topped with pomegranate seeds. I liked how the poblano pepper still had a slight crunch to it. The filling was delicious and the pomegranate seeds added just the right touch of tartness.

It wasn’t until several months after that Day of the Dead dinner that I was able to re-visit La Casita and what a welcome back it was. While I got to try some new things, there were definitely a couple of items I wanted to savor again like their Cauliflower Cakes (off menu), which were battered cauliflower smothered with a red chili sauce. Cauliflower, as a whole, can be pretty bland, but not the way it was prepared at La Casita.

I was also happy to get a repeat taste of their Divorced Chilaquiles, with one half of the tortillas topped with salsa verde and the other with a red chili sauce. I loved how light and crunchy the tortilla chips were and always are.

As mentioned, there were a few new dishes included in our meal. Two of them really stood out. One was the Chiles Rellenos with Fresh Corn and Squash in Chile Rojo (off menu), which was a fresh and bright change from chili relleno that is usually stuffed with cheese.

The Fish in a Blackberry Mole (off menu) was truly a revelation. By this time, I’ve experienced quite a variety of moles, from chocolate and pipian moles to green and yellow moles to even green and white moles at La Casita as well as other Mexican restaurants, but none had such a concentration of a particular fruit or ingredient as that blackberry mole dish. It was truly superb, both sweet and tart.

At other visits, we ordered strictly from the menu. Be sure to check out their two melted cheese dishes. If you love chorizo, a must order for you is their Cheese Fondue with Chorizo. Tear off a piece of tortilla, add a dollop of cheese and chorizo, wrap it, eat it and repeat it. Delicious!

If chorizo is not your thing, check out the Aztec Cheese which is filled with poblano chile slices, mushrooms and herbs. The cheese for both dishes are made up of 4 different Mexican cheeses.

Looking for something light? If so, then the mini chicken tostados may be small enough to satisfy without filling you to absolute capacity. How can you go wrong with marinated chicken, chunks of cotija cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and red onions on top of crispy round tortillas?

Their Chili Relleno with Hoop Cheese is also quite tasty and when you cut a cross-section of the poblano pepper, you’ll see right away that they are definitely not shy about taking care of any cheese cravings you may have.

If you have a sweet tooth, their mini housemade churros stuffed with cajeta or chocolate will put a smile on your face and if you happen to order a Mexican hot chocolate, dipping your churros into that chocolate goodness is a must try.

As you can see, La Casita is definitely one of my favorite restaurants and just when I think that I can’t be surprised by Chefs Jaime and Ramiro anymore, it happens again. Recently, I took part in a 17 course dinner at La Casita that even now makes me happy from the inside out just thinking about it. The meal was a mixture of dishes I’ve had in the past and also, off the menu items like the Tequila-Infused Guacamole with Grasshoppers (off menu). I loved the creaminess of the guacamole and the light crunchy, earthiness of the dried grasshoppers.

We also got to sample their Green Ceviche (off menu), a pollock fish with poblano pepper, cilantro, onions, cucumber and lime juice. Refreshing and tart and I really enjoyed the crunch of the cucumber. What a great addition. This would be something perfect to have on a hot day.

The other seafood offering was a Fish with a Morita Chile Sauce (off menu). That morita sauce really gave some my fellow diners who had untrained palates when it came to spicy food, a rush towards a glass of water or bread to calm the flames. Not that I’m that much of a chili head, but for me it was just right and reminded me of tamarind for some reason. It had tangy flavor that I liked.

Part of the meal also included a recipe demonstration from the cookbook Chef Jaime and Ramiro are working on, revolving around the use of a Molcajete when it comes to making salsa. I think Mexican restaurants should adopt table side salsa making. It was fun to watch plus when everything was said and done, that salsa that was made right in front of me was absolutely fantastic.

That 17 course meal extravaganza ended with 4 desserts, two of which I’ve already talked about previously. Two of which were completely new. First, there was the one I’m going to refer to as an Arroz Con Leche Tortilla Won Ton (off menu), which was basically rice pudding in a tortilla shell.

The final dessert of the evening was Sweet Potato and Pineapple on a Cinnamon/Sugar Tortilla Chip (off menu). I liked how the opposing sweet and tart flavors of the two ingredients balanced each other out.

Overall, if you couldn’t tell already, I’m a big fan of La Casita and if all you’ve ever had of Mexican food has been limited to tacos and burritos, La Casita will definitely open your eyes as they have mine to what else is out there when it comes to Mexican cuisine. All you have to do is take that leap.

Last month, I was online reading through my email when one came in with a subject header that immediately piqued my interest. Simply, I saw the words “Korean Taco Truck” and my world stopped. Korean Taco Truck? Even before I opened the email to read, I was ready to drive to wherever that truck happened to be parked just to check this food out. It almost didn’t matter that I was snug in my pajamas at 11:00 pm in the suburbs.

Finally, I opened the email and it was an invitation from Alice Shin, PR person for Kogi BBQ, to attend a Korean taco tasting. A melding of Korean and Mexican flavors definitely intrigued me and I was already to RSVP Yes until I saw the date. :( Unfortunately, I already had plans that night, so I thought all was lost. Luckily, thanks to Kogi BBQ Founder, Mark Manguera, I was able to arrange a private tasting for me and a few friends this past Saturday.

As I was driving to our meeting place, I actually end up parking behind the Kogi BBQ taco truck, which wasn’t hard to miss. It had a brightly orange and red sign with the Kogi name in black on the back of the truck. By the way, the word “Kogi” means meat in Korean. On hand for our tasting was Mark himself, his wife and co-founder, Caroline as well as Caroline’s brother, Website Administrator/Photographer, Eric Shin and Chef Roy Choi, former Executive Chef of Rock Sugar.

From Mark came the story of what sparked the creation of Kogi BBQ. Apparently, it started with a few bottles of champagnes that led to a discussion of how in Korea, street food was the best way to sober up, which in turn led to the subject of taco trucks and voila, a Korean taco truck was born. As for the menu, the recipes themselves are a collaboration between Caroline and Eric’s mother and Chef Choi.

For this tasting, we got to sample 4 different tacos and one surprise addition. One tidbit from Chef Choi is that there is a different marinade for each of the proteins as well as a different dressing for the salad and sesame seeds that tops each taco. I really like the fact that he really thought about what would pair well together.

My first bite was of the Korean chicken taco and I really appreciated how the meat was charred to a golden brown, giving it a light smoky taste. I also liked that the chicken had a just grilled taste to it and that the splash of chili sauce added a much appreciated kick. Then I sampled the Korean short rib taco. I loved how the grill gave the meat a wonderful caramelization that was both sweet and richly satisfying and with just a squeeze of lime, the flavor marriage of sweet and tart made this taco my favorite of the four we sampled.

Next came the sweet smoky heat of Korean spicy pork taco, which made my tastebuds quite happy; however, a squeeze of something quite unlime-like added a different dimension altogether. On all the plates that our tacos came on, orange wedges sat side by side with the lime wedges. At first, I thought the oranges were some kind of palate cleanser, but Mark actually encouraged us to use it as an alternative to the lime. He’s definitely on to something. A squeeze of orange juice on my pork taco added a wonderfully refreshing citrus-y component that really hit the spot.

If you’re a vegetarian, you were not forgotten. Kogi BBQ also offers tofu tacos. Compared to the other three tacos, the tofu tacos were my least favorite and not because I don’t like tofu either. The tofu needed more flavor and I wasn’t that enthralled with the silky texture of the tofu itself. Now if that tofu was deep fried and perhaps marinated more, it would be a different story. Also, regardless of which taco you chose, the nice thing about them is that all the meat are cut into smaller pieces. That means that you don’t have to worry about a big piece of meat hanging from your mouth just because you couldn’t bite it off. What a relief!

In addition to the meat fillings, I also liked the dressed lettuce and sesame seed mixture that topped all of the tacos. The salad was light and enhanced the flavors of the tacos without detracting from them. One thing I personally would like to see is the addition of more “crunchy vegetables” that I can add to my taco experience. Thankfully, there’s already some thought into creating some kind of kimchee/radish slaw and/or using cabbage as a way to add additional texture to the tacos.

After four tacos, we thought we were done, but Chef Choi decided to surprise us on the fly, with short rib sliders on Hawaiian bread rolls. How cool is that? I think the concept is great, but I think that there needs to be some additional recipe development. For my particular palate, it was just too sweet. The addition of the mayo actually helped cut that sweetness a little bit, but just not enough for me. I should add though that some of the tasters in the group liked the sliders as is, so it could just be preference on my part.

One thing that I forgot to mention is that along with the tacos, you’ll be able to order burritos using the proteins mentioned above as fillings. In fact, you can even order a breakfast burrito, which contains eggs, hash browns, cheese as well as the meat of your choice. I could see myself scarfing down a short rib breakfast burrito topped with a little chili sauce for my first meal of the day. How about you?

Overall, it was a great experience. Mark, Caroline and Eric were great hosts and Chef Choi’s food was fantastic and definitely memorable. I am officially a fan and I’m definitely looking forward to not only tasting even more of Chef Choi’s fusion creations, but also seeing how far this venture will go (hopefully, well enough so that a Kogi BBQ taco truck will one day be hanging around in my neighborhood).

Currently, Kogi BBQ can be found at the Cabana and Green Door off of Sunset and Ivar in the evenings when they’re out and about, but to keep track of them, you may want to follow them on Twitter and/or check their websie for scheduled locations and times.

Did you know that the 1950s never left Dal Rae in Pico Rivera? In fact, as I was driving up Washington Blvd, I already knew I was going somewhere special. From a few streets away, I could already see the tall beautiful neon sign with the restaurant name in blazing red lights. No cheesy backlit plastic for Dal Rae. It was class all the way.

Upon entering the lobby, I was greeted by live music in the bar and two hostesses, who with their almost bouffant hair-dos helped set the stage for my 50s time warp. Inside the bustling restaurant, my eyes took in the wood paneled walls and the black leather banquettes and I felt right at home.

Once seated, iced relish trays were swept onto to the table while drink orders were taken. While perusing the menu, we were able to crunch our way through cold crisp veggies. It’s amazing to start your meal with fresh produce edibles. For someone who’s eaten at a lot of restaurants, this was a welcome first for me.

Speaking of the menu, Dal Rae’s vintage menu contained old standbys like lobster thermidor, oysters Rockefeller and tableside Caesar. Desserts even included relics like bananas flambé and cherries jubilee.

With all the choices, it was hard to decide but eventually everyone made their selections. After placing our orders, French bread, breadsticks and thick cracker wafers came out, soon followed by garlic bread. For our presently carb-conscious world, a lot of people would be running out the door screaming, but hey, in my 50s daze, I took helpings of both.

Appetizers were ordered, but the one that held the most fascination was the escargot cooked in garlic butter. The aroma was so strong that I think people from the bar could have smelled it; yet, it was also so tantalizing that I may have been willing to forget that escargot was French for snails and sampled the dish anyway.

After the appetizers were enjoyed and consumed, our steak fest began. After all, steak was the main reason we came to Dal Rae in the first place. Orders included Steak Diane, prepared tableside, as well as prime rib, steak and other various cuts of meat. For the meat entrees, it truly is all about the meat. The sides are kept simple. You get veggies and potatoes cooked in some fashion whether it’s baked or French-fried.

I ordered the Petite Filet Pepper Steak and it was cooked to perfection. Both tender and moist, it was literally packed with flavor. Just looking at it, I could see the black and white pepper embedded into the meat’s surface. I was so enthralled with my steak that I barely touched the vegetables or my baked potato. My steak was just that good. The empty plates around the table conveyed how much we all loved Dal Rae’s steak offerings.

Amazingly enough, there was still room for dessert or perhaps it was our childish glee in seeing fruit set on fire that prompted us to order both the bananas flambé and the cherries jubilee. The tableside preparation of both our desserts was a sight to see with flames igniting the fruit and alcohol in the pans. But even better was savoring the hot sweetness of the fruit mixtures poured over the cold sweetness of vanilla ice cream. A perfect end to a perfect meal.

So ended our time space continuum foray into 1950s steakhouse glory and wow, was it worth the trip. From start to finish, our time at Dal Rae was a sheer visual, atmospheric and culinary delight and if the only way I can come back is to sport a beehive, I’d do so without question.

To see more pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594301475787/

Such is the tale that circumstances can sometimes enable you to stumble upon a hidden treasure while you’re just trying to get through your day. Of course, to me, hidden treasure automatically translates to a mind-blowing foodie find. That was the case with fellow blogger, Teenage Gluster, who, by luck, discovered Casa de Moles “La Tia” and did a write-up on his blog. Click below to read his entry:

http://teenageglutster.blogspot.com/2008/08/mundane-mexican-no-more-moles-la-tia-in.html

After I read his post, where he was waxing poetically about the unique moles offered by Chef Owner Rocio Camacho at her restaurant like Pistachio, Coffee, Tamarind, Passionfruit, etc., my palate went into over drive. I’ve certainly had my share of moles in the past, with the most unusual one being a Blackberry Mole at La Casita Mexicana, but never like the ones I read about on TG’s blog entry. I knew I had to go. I knew I had to go as soon as possible. Tonight wasn’t as soon as I would have liked, but it was good enough.

Upon my arrival at Case de Moles, the restaurant was pretty much empty, but with it only being open since May, there probably hasn’t been enough word of mouth yet. Teenage Gluster was the first to strike that match. Opening the menu, the mole sauce section listed 15 different types of mole sauces. They were all in Spanish, but some I was able to easily translate. Below the mole shopping list were different types of proteins, everything from veal to duck to quail to chicken breast and so much more. While you could mix and match, they also had dishes that they considered to be their specialties like shrimp with coffee mole or their halibut with white mole. Along with the mole dishes, their menu also offered other options like the Cochinita Pibil or Carne Asada.

While I was waiting for the rest of my party, I ordered the Cucumber Agua Fresca, which is my favorite agua fresca drink and found it refreshing. Since I got to the restaurant early, I had asked the waiter, if there was any way that our group could get a sampling of 4 of the more unusual moles before we placed our order. He graciously said yes, so I chose Pistachio, Passionfruit, Coffee and Tequila. As the rest of my party arrived, Cecilia, my co-host for this outing, talked with him further and soon, we were able to include the Poblano and the White Mole as well to our tasting list.

Our waiter soon brought out those first six moles along with housemade corn tortillas and we started digging in. As we started sampling them, we were just in awe. Those 6 moles had very distinct flavors. I think our waiter must have gone back to the kitchen to tell Chef Rocio that she had a bunch of intense foodies in her restaurant, because soon after, 9 more dishes of mole sauces came our way. In all, we got to sample 14 of the 15 on her menu.

My tastebuds went into overload. The flavor profiles were all over the place. Sweet. Smoky. Spicy. Nutty. All of them had such complexity of flavors. Other than finding the tamarind mole a little too smoky, I was in mole heaven. While they were all fantastic, I definitely was leaning more towards the Pistachio Mole (deeply nutty), the Tequila Mole (loved the addition of the lime juice), the Hibiscus (the addition of the red wine was just so unique) and the Coffee Mole (dark and rich). Even with the choices I made, I have a feeling that they could switch up depending on what I’m in the mood for. For example, if I’m looking for something sweeter, how can you go wrong with the White Mole or the Passionfruit Mole?

We could have just sat there all night, dipping the corn tortillas and chips in all those glorious mole sauces, but given their generosity, we ordered additional food. Some opted for salad and soup as starters before their main entrees. I had a taste of the cream of veggie soup and it was light, creamy and delicious. I had the La Conquista, which is made up of fresh baby spinach, queso panela, peanuts, Sesame seeds with a pepita de calabaza dressing. I was a little surprised by the sesame seeds, but was told that it’s used in a lot of Oaxacan cooking. The salad itself was pretty good. I liked how they didn’t overdress the salad.

When it came to the entrees, four of us ordered mole dishes. I opted for the Shrimp with Coffee Mole. At first, I thought that the coffee mole may be intense for the delicate shrimp, but actually, the sweetness of the shrimp helped balance out the richness of the coffee mole. One little thing that was off for me was that the shrimp was either overcooked or undercooked. It was a little chewier than it should have been. Still, it was the perfect partner for the coffee mole.

I also had a taste of the Venison with the Hibiscus Mole. This was a great match because the wine in the Hibiscus Mole really complemented the venison and would probably pair well with other red meats also. I also enjoyed a taste of the Salmon and Pistachio Mole. We all know tasty pistachio-encrusted salmon is, so it stands to reason this would be a wonderful duo as well. Taking a bite of the Cochinita Pibil, I realized that this was no cochinita pibil I’ve ever seen before. It was highly spiced, not necessarily spicy, but just strongly flavored. It almost reminded me of chorizo. It just may be a dish to order when you need a bit of a mole break.

All in all, the food was nicely presented and was really delicious. I heard nothing but praise around the table. With us winding down after such an extensive mole tasting and our good-sized entrees, dessert wasn’t even in the ballpark. Of course, that was until I heard what they were and that changed everything. Ending our meal were the following:

• Rice Pudding with raisins soaked in tequila and sitting on green tomatillo marmalade
• Plantains with Tequila Sauce
• Flan de Tuna – Cactus fruit flan
• Cocoa Flan
• Ancho Chile Flan

Of the five, the rice pudding was one of my favorites, which was surprising. Green tomatillo going anywhere near rice pudding seems a bit strange to me, but I actually liked the lemon-herbness of the green tomatillo when eaten with a bite of the rice pudding. It added a different dimension to a dessert that can sometimes seem too milky-sweet. The ancho chile flan was also a hit. Considering that ancho chiles have a slight chocolate/coffee bitterness to it, it went well with the flan, which is basically a caramel custard dessert. The addition of the tuna (cactus fruit) syrup added to the Flan de Tuna a fruitiness that I wouldn’t normally associate with flan in general. Again, something unique.

Overall, our meal at Casa de Mole “La Tita” was simply unforgettable. It affected me so much that normally when I blog about a restaurant, it could be days, weeks or even months after I’ve visited it before I write about it, but my dining experience at Casa de Mole was just so exquisite, that I wanted to share it with even more people. So if you get a chance, run, don’t walk to this ground breaking restaurant. You definitely won’t regret it.

To see more pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157606739092845/

It’s funny, how I’ll go to a restaurant once and blog about it, but then I won’t write about a restaurant that I’ve been to several times even when I really love the food. Such is the case with Azeen’s Afghani Restaurant in Old Town Pasadena. Azeen’s is the type of restaurant that really needs some spotlighting, simply because it’s hidden away on a one way street that’s not anywhere near the busy pedestrian traffic on the parallel street of Colorado Boulevard. I only found out about it because I went to a dinner there with friends a couple of years ago. Ever since then, I’ve been back a few times and I have to say that for the most part, I’ve never been disappointed with my meal. So let’s get into the food,

When it comes to appetizers, I’ve had most of them and they’re quite tasty. For the particular meal that this post is going to reference, my friends and I shared two of them. One was the Pakawara-e-badenjan, which were batter dipped sauteed slices off eggplant. It’s at Azeen’s that I’ve ever had eggplant deep fried and being an eggplant lover, that was already a bonus. I enjoyed the crispiness of the batter, but at first, I wasn’t quite sure of the yogurt and meat sauce that topped the eggplant. It seemed an odd combination but the tangy yogurt sauce actually married well with the more highly spiced tomato-based meat sauce.

The other appetizer was the Buranee-kadu. This dish is sauteed butternut squash, also topped with yogurt and meat sauce. The melding of flavors was really interesting for this dish. You get sweet, meaty, tangy all in one bite. While we didn’t have them this time, be sure to also check out their steamed dumplings, if you decide to make a visit to Azeen’s.

One is the Mantu, a chopped beef, onion and herb dumpling and the Aushak, whose filling include leeks and scallions. Both dumplings have slightly differing sauces. The sauce for the Mantu is also yogurt based and the dumplings are topped with mixed veggies while the Aushak has a yogurt and meat sauce, with the addition of mint. What’s great about all the yogurt sauces is that they’re all housemade, so you know they’re absolutely fresh.

When it came to the entrees, we ordered the following:

1) Badenjan Challaw – Chunks of lamb cooked with eggplant, onions and tomatoes.

2) Gulpi – Cauliflower stew cooked with ginger, onions and tomatoes

3) Kabob-e-murgh – Tender chunks of chicken breast

As I said earlier, I’ve pretty much enjoyed all my meals, except for the occasional dish that didn’t do it for me. In this case, I didn’t care much for the lamb dish. Compared to other things I’ve tried in the past, the Badenjan Challaw wasn’t as flavorful as I would have liked, plus the lamb was a little too chewy when it should have been more tender. I loved the Gulpi. Cauliflower on its own is so bland, but when stewed with the ginger, onions and tomatoes, it definitely took a flavor life of its own that was very appealing. When it comes to kabobs, the real test for me is chicken. If a restaurant can prepare chicken breast kabob without it being dry, than that restaurant deserves praise. So praises to Azeen’s because their chicken breast kabob always comes out moist and tender.

When it comes to the other menu items, you really can’t go wrong with any of the side or entree vegetarian dishes. Azeen’s really knows how to cook their vegetables. They always have a lot of great flavor to them. The other meat kebobs, beef and lamb, are hit and miss. Sometimes, they’re tender and juicy and sometimes, not as much. As for the other entrees, I’ve always enjoyed the Korma Challaw, a dish with chunks of beef cooked with green pepper, onions and tomatoes. The sauce is so good that I’d spoon it over my rice and eat it, even after the meat was all gone. As for desserts, they serve three different kinds. I always find the baklava and the gelabee, which is fried pastry dough too sweet. When I’m in the mood for something sweet, I stick with their rice pudding, which is served chilled with pistachios and almonds.

Let me end by saying that I eat out a lot and I’m always looking for new restaurants and new cuisines to try. It’s rare that I’ll return to the same restaurant twice in one year, even when I think the food is excellent. For me, to have gone back 3 to 4 times to Azeen’s, definitely shows you more than anything else, how much I truly enjoy dining there. You should check it out yourself one time!