Gourmet Los Angeles

Anyone ever been to Nicky D's Pizza in Silverlake? We just went there for the first time tonight and it's good! The place is on Rowena, just a few blocks West of Fletcher, and it's on the second floor of a 1920's house. Give it a try, I'd like to hear what others think of the place. (We sat in the enclosed front porch)

I'll also post this to the los_angeles community.

A few weeks Sundays ago, I went out on an adventure to MacArthur Park. I had heard rumors Sundays in MacArthur Park were famous for their tamale carts.

What a pleasant surprise it was to find Mama's Hot Tamales Cafe, a restaurant and non-profit organization which helps educate tamale vendors while selling tamales from all over Mexico and Central America.

I found the decor of the cafe to be very pretty, and they have an excellend takeout menu, which has, emblazoned on the front page, "The Tamales Capital of the World!" Although I did not order any of their appetizers (such as my favorite, fried plantains), they sounded delicious and were under five dollars.

I ordered some of the following tamal varieties:

- Michoacan style with green sauce (chicken)
- "Valley of Oaxaca" with black mole (chicken)
- Guatemala style, made with a rice and corn dough and a red sauce (pork)
- "Valley of Oaxaca" with cheese and sliced jalapenos (vegetarian)
- Michoacan style with pasilla chile sauce (beef)

Of all of them, my favorite by far was the Valley of Oaxaca with black mole. It came wrapped in black banana leaves (instead of corn husks) and filled the house with its smokey smell. The mole was particularly intense, and the corn wrapping seemed to just soak it up. My second favorite was the Michoacan style chicken, which also came in banana leaves. The green sauce had a strong taste of tomatillos and seemed to keep the chicken particularly moist.

I am eager to go again and taste different tamales they have to offer. Their menu was quite extensive, and the most expensive dish was ten dollars. Individual tamales cost $2.75. Every single tamale we sampled was delicious, and I can't wait to go back and try more!

I'm not affiliated but this looks interesting.  Xposted to los_angeles



Hej!

Calling all Scandinavian Enthusiasts!

It's that time of year again!

Time for a steamy glass of spiced Glögg (mulled wine), Ärtsoppa (Swedish pea soup), Köttbullar (Swedish meatballs) with lingonberry jam, Pepparkakor (Swedish ginger snaps), Semla (a ridiculously delicious marzipan filled cream bun, as provided by the wonderful Berolina Bakery in Glendale), and hot Zoégas Swedish coffee.. mMMMmmmm..!!

That's right -- it's time for the 27th Annual "SWEA Los Angeles Swedish Christmas Fair!"

Save the Date: Sunday, December 3, 2006, 10 am - 5 pm @ the Hollywood Paladium

In addition to being able to sample some tasty Swedish cuisine, there'll be the traditional Santa Lucia Pageant, Swedish folk dancing, a few dozen shopping stalls, and a raffle for a trip to Sweden! Lots of fun..

Hello, I'm looking for somewhere to have brunch this weekend in the Pasadena and S. Pas area. We can go outside of this area, but this is our preferred location.

What's your favorite place to brunch?


And a little off topic but where do you think they serve the best french fries ever?

Does anyone know where I can find a good asian ingredient grocery? Like, a place to get bonito flakes and kelp and basic things as well as the more difficult material?

I'm coming back to LA. and want to know your opinions on good Chinese and Japanese food. A few of the places I've been to are the Panda Inn, Fu Shings in Pasadena, Golden Dragon in Glendora (though I'll never go there again!), Golden Dragon in china town (same as the other GD), Hong Kong Chef in Bell Gardens, Kim Tar's, Noodle Planet and Noodle World both in Monterey Park. Ichibans in Glendale, Ichikara and Sakura of Tokyo both in West Covina.

I'll be staying in Los Angeles, but location doesn't matter. For Japanese, I prefer less sushi (though when I eat it I like it to be very fresh), and more tempura and tepanyaki dishes. A chef tossing knives around doesn't interest me too much but it doesn't hurt. Name your top choices! Oh, by the way, please do not suggest fast food type places.

Thanks!

Has anyone ever been to the Eastside Market near Chinatown? (Chinatown used to be L.A.'s little Italy..) What's your take?

Not affiliated- I thought this was neat!


Made in France/Village Imports in North Hollywood, CA, is having its
annual open warehouse sale on Friday, November 18th, 2:00pm – 6:00pm
and Saturday, November 19th, 8:00am – 3:00pm. They are an importer and
wholesale distributor of Specialty Foods and beverages, but a few
times a year, they open the doors of their warehouse to the public, at
wholesale prices: 2,500 unique items for the fine gourmet, the amateur
week-end cook, or the budding pastry chef.

Specifically, you will be able to find:

- Badoit sparkling mineral water
- Le Village sparkling French lemonades and Apple Cider
- Puget French extra virgin olive oil
- Balsamic vinegars and vincottos
- Fallot Dijon mustards
- Pâtés, Saucisson, Foie Gras, Smoked Salmon
- Specialty Cheeses: French, Italian, Spanish, artisan American
- Valrhona chocolate: from the 75g retail bar to the 3kg block
- Wines, Champagne


They have sampling tables of some products.

6900 Beck Avenue (off Vanowen, near Lankershim) – North Hollywood, CA
91605
Ph: (818) 985-9800 Fax: (818) 985-1500 info@villageimports.net

what are the best bakeries in the 310/562 area codes, in your opinion? im searching for fresh bread and pastries, european, indian, middle eastern, turkish or greek. any suggestions? thanks all.

I'm planning a wedding reception. Anywhere from 20-40 people. Maybe a bit more. I'm looking for a restaurant that can:

Offer a nice room for me and my guests.
The opportunity to decorate the room and tables myself, or let the restaurant do it without charging me an arm and a leg.
A place that will offer my guests a menu with items that I chose. At least 3 course dinner.
I'd like to have a cocktail period before the dinner. I'd rather have the restaurant provide this than have to hire a caterer.
Some place that is REALLY good. Anywhere from 25-50 dollars per guest. That's not a lot of money but depending on my guest list I can go a lot higher.

I'm looking for a nice steak house or American restaurant. My favorite in LA being the North Woods Inn, will not accommodate anything like this on a Friday or Saturday night so that place won't work. I also wouldn't mind hosting this reception in a Chinese restaurant. Location has to be somewhere in the Los Angeles metro or county area.