American

M.B. Post – David LeFevre and his Social House

by Franklin on February 26, 2013

Manhattan Beach might possibly be the best beach in all of Los Angeles. Yeah, Malibu is where it’s at if you are rich and famous, but besides nice cars and huge houses, you aren’t left witch much. I guess Manhattan Beach is unique in that it is a great beach town. With much to see from shopping and unique eateries, the beach has grown to be one of my favorite destinations. Just to make this beach even more sweet, they have M.B. Post. More of a hang out spot than a sit down restaurant, M.B. Post is hip and relaxed.

Chef and ownder David LeFevre started off cooking as a child helping his mom. After working in various restaurants, LeFevre enrolled at the notable Culinary Institute of America. From then, he worked at renowned restaurants in Las Vegas and Chicago. He then traveled to France and hone his classical skills in some of the world’s most distinguished kitchens. He traveled to different countries like Singapore, Bangkok, Stockholm, and Tokyo to diversify his spectrum. LeFevre was recruited as Executive Chef of the Water Grill in downtown Los Angeles. It was under his time there that the Water Grill received their Michelin Star. Now at Manhattan Beach Post (M.B. Post), chef David LeFevre stated his own restaurant offering a rustic menu with artisanal dishes designed to be shared — a gastropub on the beach. A Manhattan Beach resident, he brings the neighborhood a Social House where guests come for dinner but stay for the spirited and engaging atmosphere. M.B. Post was recognized as James Beard Awards finalist as the “Best New Restaurant.” — A great accomplishment nonetheless.

The wooden benches and tables with the wooden walls all are modern yet rustic. Not having designated tables, but more of a “everyone sits together” on a bench was relaxed and fun. The atmosphere was dark, and the kitchen was in full view from patrons. I had the pleasure of sitting right in front of the kitchen and was watching the chefs at work. The bar is usually packed and rowdy with drinks in everyone’s hands. What I love about this place is that the menu changes daily. I don’t know if I was seeing it right, but the menu seemed like it was written by hand. I know that seems a little crazy, but it is. M.B. Post had a gastropub like feel to it, and the small plates are meant to be shared.

We started things off with the bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuits with maple butter. These biscuits were probably the most delicate biscuits I ever had. It was crisp and flakey on the outside, and the inside was warm and fluffy. Filled with salty bacon and cheddar, this savory biscuit was complimented perfectly with the subtly sweet maple butter. I am not really a fan or sweet butter, but this overly savory biscuit (not that I’m complaining) was a perfect vessel for something sweet.

The white oak grilled sword squid was perfect. A secret fan of squid, I love it all, from fried calamari, to grilled dishes like this one. The cooking process with use of white oak gave it a nice subtle smoky flavor. It wasn’t on the chewy side at all. It had a nice clean flavor that was complimented with the acidic lemon curd. Acidic flavors from lemon and lime are always welcome in seafood dishes. It kept the flavors very vibrant and light. Interestingly, the marinated gigante beans gave it more substance and meatiness. Not a true fan of beans, the combination of squid and beans was genius. The beans were just as important to the dish as the squid.

As our red meat protein, we ordered the BBQ Moroccan lamb belly. At first bite, I instantly remembered this dish. Did I have it before? Why was it so familiar? Then, it hit me! I first tasted this dish from David himself at the 2012 Los Angeles Food and Wine Grand Tasting. the funny thing is, at the grand tasting, I remembered the lamb was really salty. This time around at M.B. Post, the lamb was near perfect. It was salted just right, and the harissa, caramelized onions, and Japanese eggplant flavored the meat quite nicely. The complex flavors and the tender, near fork tender meat was a bite that was unforgettable.

M.B. Post, fits so perfectly in this beach town, Manhattan Beach. The vibe and ambiance of the restaurant all fit in perfectly. Driving down Manhattan Beach Blvd, and looking at all there is to shop and eat, M.B. Post is probably the coolest place to hang out. They have an interesting relationship with each other. M.B. Post isn’t what it is without the beach, and Manhattan Beach won’t be the same without M.B. Post. The food is amazingly delicious, and the “Social House” aspect of it all makes a destination to meet up with friends. Chef David LeFevre and his team is doing a great job. It was awesome to see him again at the restaurant walking around. After our meal, I said hi, and he seemed to remember me from LAFW. Chef David plans to open another restaurant in Manhattan Beach this spring. Called Fishing With Dynamite, the 30 seat restaurant will feature classic east coast seafood with the relaxed feel of the west coast. I can’t wait to try that when it opens.

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Portillo’s Hot Dog – Beef and Sausage, but I Forget the Cheese Sauce

by Franklin on January 27, 2013

The first Portillo’s hot dog stand known as “The Dog House” opened in 1963. The small trailer with dedication from the ownder to serving “the best food” and “the best service” available grew to such an institution today. Having a Portillo’s in the relatively close city of Buena Park, it is always a treat, Probably the coolest place in Buena Park, Portillo’s is always a spot for a fun environment and classic American fare. Everyone loves a good joint where health gets thrown out the window. Being the new year and all, I had a combination of healthy and “real” food. Overall, it was an awesome experience.

The hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches at Portillo’s don’t scream healthy healthy, so I opted to start off with a salad. I know. Something is changing insdie of me. Maybe it’s the new year that is making me make these “right” decisions. Their chopped salad was quite surprisingly good. The iceberg and romaine lettuce was chopped finely. It was tossed with cubed chicken, gorgonzola cheese, red cabbage, pasta, tomatoes, bacon, green onions and house dressing. The mixture made for a delicious salad that was somewhat healthy. The gorgonzola popped with flavor and the pasta inside gave it some substanance. The finely chopped greens made this salad easy to eat. Delicious!

At Portillo’s, they have an Italian Beef with Italaian sausage sandwich. This had both thinly sliced, succulent beef with Italian sausage on top. I got the salad just so I can eat this bad boy. Stuffed with either hot or sweet peppers (I opted for the sweet peppers), the sandwich had a lot of pronounced flavor. The Giardiniera on top finshed this sandwich off nicely. The beef with the zesty Giadiniera made this sandwich a top pick. Yeah, I didn’t get the hot dog at Portillo’s. Personally, their hot dogs aren’t that great. It is all about the Italian beef and sausage. Because of the Italian sausage, I ate this more like a hot dog than anything else. A little mustard on top to cut the fat, and I was all smiles.

I really wanted to get the cheese fries. The cheese fries was just french fries with a side of cheese sauce. What is better than french fries that a side of cheese sauce? Gravy, maybe? I settled for some onion rings. I haven’t had it in a while and I thought it would go nicely with my beef and sausage sandwich. I was right! The onions rings really hit the spot. It was crunchy and full of flavor. The cheese fries can wait for next time.

Portillo’s is a really chill spot. The food is greasy and delicious, and the price is reasonable. Inside and out, the design of it all is unique and fun. On the day that I went, there was a small group of old school cars parked outside. Car club? Just to go to this awesome eatery with a cool vibe made my experience special. Food and all, this is one of my favorite Orange County picks for good eats.

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House of Pies – Los Feliz and Griffith Park have Pies Covered

by Franklin on January 20, 2013

What is cooler? Cake or Pie? I mean, you got the all time favorite birthday cake, and pretty much every “pastry” (scone, donut, brownie, etc.) is all part of the cake family. Pie on the other gets no love. The only place showing them love is Mairie, and all the great diners. When I say great diners, I mean in the east coast. What do we have? What does Lost Angeles have? I guess we have House of Pies. A unique and one and only, the the restaurant is a casual style diner that has been around for nearly 40 years. I always had their pies on certain occasions and they are quite good. I never ate there personally, so I had to give it a try. The food is down to earth and is comforting on all fronts. Even the waitresses are sweet ladies. I would say though, their pies are superior to their food items, but it’s still a nice casual spot to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner with friends and family.

When I saw chicken wings and waffles on the menu, I was elated. It was exactly what I wanted and I heard their fried chicken is something to consider. The chicken was superb as it was juicy and crispy. I hate it when I bite into fried chicken and the meat is either dry or drenched in grease. Theirs was clean tasting and the crispy batter was surprisingly delicious. The waffle on the other hand just got by. It wasn’t anything special and the batter could use a little work. It wasn’t crispy or tasty — it was more for show. Hand’s down, the waffles at Roscoe’s are superior. The chicken though, they can hold their own.

I had a bite of their burger — the bacon avocado burger named the Frisco Burger. This was just a standard burger. the patty wasn’t anything special, but the bacon was nice with the creamy avocado. The sourdough was a nice switch from the boring hamburger bun. This burger wasn’t special for me though. It wasn’t overly juicy or flavorful.

I know it’s a shocker. I didn’t get pie this time! Honestly though, the food isn’t something to consider. It is your basic diner food — boring in every sense. The pies are quite decent, but then again, I am all about cakes. Birthday cakes, wedding cakes, cake donuts, I love them all. I am not a fan of most pies, meat pies, fruit pies — I’m just not a fan. I guess I am biased in a way. I mean, if this place was called House of Cakes, I would be all over it. I guess if you like diner food and love pies, this would be heaven. For me, just give me my fried chicken wings and I will be on my way.

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Chapter One: Modern Local – Today’s Take on Classic Cuisine

by Franklin on January 9, 2013

I went to Chapter One: Modern Local late one night. It was a random night where I wanted something good to eat, but not a full blown meal. I didn’t exactly want snack items you would find at a gastropub, and I didn’t want just a Double Double down the street. I guess I was bored and I wanted to try something new — I guess it was the food blogger in me that wanted to venture out and wanted to get excited by food. Looking at the exciting “world” that the Santa Ana Art District has, that was a nice place to start. Chapter One: Modern Local was my destination.

Upon ordering the potato pear, I really didn’t know what to expect. The pear shaped riced potato was stuffed with duxelles. Duxelles is a mixture of chopped mushrooms, onions, and herbs. The panko crusted exterior was crispy without being greasy. The best part was this wild mushroom, marsala cream sauce that it sat on top of. The complexity and rich mushroom flavor really made this dish stand out. It was rich and creamy and went so perfectly with the riced potatoes. This was basically a very complex and very elaborate mashed potatoes and gravy. Though definitely not an item to return for, it was a good experience.

The beef culotte was a dish less remembered. Though wrapped in bacon, it wasn’t too overpowering — the beef stood out. What was actually overpowering was the coffee and chocolate dry rub. It gave it a nice dry roasted taste and accented the beef quite nicely though. The red wine demi-glace was a nice touch, but the best part of the dish was the dijon smashed potatoes. They were seasoned perfectly and the dijon flavor really popped. Again, as the potato pear was a take on potatoes and gravy, this dish was a take on Shepherds pie. Though the ingredients are totally different, the taste and consistency of the dish really reminded me of Sheppards pie. Why the double potato and double rural dishes? I don’t know.

It was interesting that we ordered such old-school dishes at a place called Modern Local. Maybe their forte is to take rural dishes and make them “modern”. If so, they pretty much hit the mark. Chapter One Modern Local truly fits into the Santa Ana Arts District. As the name insists, the interior is full of books and almost looks like a rich man’s personal library. The food however, represents modern takes on classic cuisine. It is a nice spot for late night eats and drinks — I guess this adventure seeking food blogger got what it asked for.

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Eat Chow – Lying My Way Through the Menu

by Franklin on October 20, 2012

On the outskirts of Newport Beach, Costa Mesa is a hip beach town more suburban than anything else. Along the downtown area though, there are a lot of cool places to eat and shop. One place that stands out is Eat Chow. The menu here is New American, and they have their own twist on American classics. Some of the items here surprised me, and some were just a disappointment. This hit and miss situation really had me struggling if I liked this place or not. Though the food taste was spotty, the service exceeded my expectations. This small cafe style restaurant was nicely furnished and had a modern, yet down to earth feel to it. I was comfortable as I was eating, and that is quite important to me.

I ordered the grilled prawns. It had a garlic aioli on the side for dipping and saw on a bed of baby arugala. For prawns, I was surprised by the low price, so that is what swayed me to order this appetizer. When we got the dish though, I was disappointed and felt a bit ripped off. First off, these on the plate were not prawns. They weren’t even large shrimp. They were just normal shrimp you would find anywhere else. The seasoning of the shrimp wasn’t impressive and the flavor just wasn’t there. This was a mistake for sure. I felt I was tricked. I ordered prawns, and all I got were small shrimp. The arugla to shrimp ratio was even off. This dish didn’t fit n the criteria of the other dishes, because all the other dishes were actually quite delicious.

I wasn’t really blown away with the truffle Parmesan fries. Again, I was tricked with their words. Though the fries were shoestring, my favorite, the truffle taste was missing. Filled with Parmasan and parsley, the fries were perfectly seasoned. It was a perfect side to the French Dip.

The French dip was interestingly tasty. The herb & sea salt rubbed prime ribeye was perfectly seasoned and thinly sliced. It allowed all the crevices to absorb the pan drip ajus. The brioche was a perfect bread choice to sop up all the juice, and was toasted to perfection. The horseradish cream was perfect. Horseradish and prime rib is a perfect combination, and this sandwich is a true testament to that. This wasn’t as good as the original from Philipe’s, but the taste was still impressive. The sandwich with the ~~truffle~~ Parmasan fries was perfect.

I have to say, I have tried a lot of mac and cheese. From the stuff from the blue box, to the authentic down home southern style, I tried it all. The truffle mac and cheese at Eat Chow was actually pretty good. Though the menu said truffle oil mac and cheese, I didn’t really expect anything in the vicinity of truffles. What I did get was something unexpected and delicious. The oyster mushrooms in this dish were spectacular. Caramelized in a special way, it left the mushrooms in such a sweet, yet savory state. It was sticky, chewy, and rendered down in such a fine way. It tasted even better than the bacon in the mac and cheese, and we all know how much I like bacon. The cheese sauce was creamy and delicious, and this was a memorable mac and cheese dish.

Like I said before, Eat Chow is a hit or miss. You have to know what you are going to order and know what you are going to get. Despite a few discrepancies in the wording of the menu, the experience was a positive one. The inside is sleek and modern which I liked a lot. The service is amazingly friendly and you just feel comfortable there. I kind of like that it is a small cafe instead of a full blown restaurant with a lot of seats. Do expect a wait though because seats are limited. Don’t worry though — their staff is really friendly, will offer you a drink as you wait, and strike up a conversation with you. This kind of hospitality is invaluable in the restaurant business, and I am happy to have experienced it.

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The Parish – A Korean, a Food Blogger, and a Master Chef Walk into a Bar

October 1, 2012

Food blogging was just something I fell into. Fairly young in the food blogging world at less than 2 years, I feel like I still have a lot to see and learn. When I had the chance to sit down and dine with other like minded food bloggers, I jumped at the chance. TC from [...]

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Birch Street Grill – Putting on a Smile at this Gastropub

August 8, 2012

Hmmm. What can I say about Birch Street Grill? Hmm… After much thought and starting at the computer screen, I had nothing. Their happy hour was nice. It lasted late, almost until 8 PM, but it was nearly empty. The music was nice and the TVs were flat, large, and abundant, but still, nobody was [...]

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BLD – A Tweet Earns a Plats du Jour Compliments of the Chef

June 10, 2012

This whole experience was surreal to me. You are reading about a guy who never wins anything. Raffle drawings, none — lotto jackpots, never. But this experience, this one was different. All of the stars lined up for this one and everything worked out perfectly. The way it goes is, you tweet any dish you [...]

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Pink’s Hot Dog – The Historical Hot Dog Cart Goes Hollywod on Us

June 15, 2011

Pink’s hot dog is up with the best of Los Angeles. When you think of LA, what comes to mind? Hollywood, beaches, In-n-Out, palm trees. Somewhere in that list, Pink’s should come up within the top 10. Pink’s is a Hollywood icon, and have been a Los Angeles landmark for years. By the way, being [...]