garlic knot | milo and olive

garlic knot milo and olive santa monicagarlic knot milo and olive santa monicaBehold, the garlic knot from Milo and Olive, a wood-fired sachet of dough from which clove after clove of garlic comes tumbling out into a olive oil oasis.  Mmm…

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8 ways on the 8th day | palsaik, ktown

palsaik sampler samgyupsal pork belly koreatown los angeles8 marinades

palsaik soup koreatown los angelesPalsaik soup

Pal = 8.  Saik = colors.  8 marinades of samgyupsal (aka pork belly) on the 8th day of May.  8, my lucky number.  My recent birthday dinner with friends at Palsaik in Ktown, with plenty of Hite beer to wash it all down.  One year wider, but not necessarily wiser.  Get in my belly!  Ahhh!

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big rocks and breakfast baguettes | morro bay

morro bay rockMorro Rock is a volcanic plug

morro bay boatsGoing fishing?

morro bay dockC & Ptay

breakfast baguette sandwich la parisienne bakery morro bay Spinach, mushroom, goat cheese, egg sando from La Parisienne

If you ever find yourself waking up in Morro Bay, walk down to La Parisienne on Front St. for breakfast.  The bakery serves all kinds of tasty breakfast sandwiches on baguettes and croissants.  Given the choice, I say stick with the baguette.  The bread is really light and airy, more like a Vietnamese banh mi baguette than a French baguette.  It’s an excellent vessel for breakfast fillings, like the one I got last Sunday with spinach, mushroom, goat cheese and egg.  Mmm, I really do love a good breakfast sando.

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post-vino burrito | los robles cafe, paso robles

los robles cafe menú paso roblesal pastor los robles cafe paso roblesal pastor los robles cafe paso robleslos robles cafe paso roblesSometimes, all you want after wine tasting is a big ol’ burrito and nachos.  Heading out of Tablas Creek Vineyards, we asked where we could find the best Mexican food in town.  We were told to head over to Los Robles Cafe on Spring St. for their al pastor.  Burritos, nachos and then some!  Total gut-buster, oh yeah.

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wine tasting | tablas creek, paso robles

tablas creek vineyard paso roblestablas creek vineyards paso robles grapevine seedlingstablas creek vineyard tasting room paso roblesAfter a day spent hiking along Rattlesnake Flats & Coon Creek in Montaña de Oro State Park on Sunday, Ptay, C and I drove up the 101 for some wine tasting at Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, an organic estate and sister winery to Château Beaucastel in France that specializes in Rhône-style wines that strongly feature gamey Mourvèdre and melony Rousanne grape varietals.  I liked the blends so much that I went a little crazy and filled up two boxes with some bottles to drink and some bottles to hold, including Panoplie 2009, Esprit de Beaucastel 2009, Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc 2010 and Rosé 2011.  More than I planned to walk out with, but definitely worth having a stash.  I mean, might as well, right?

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southern italian | sotto

sotto restaurant no mames guey single village mescal lime friarelli pepper amaro rhubarbaro sangria soda egg white“No Mames Guey” with Single Village mezcal, lime, friarelli pepper, amaro rhubarbaro, sangria soda, egg whites

sotto restaurant fresh juicesFresh squeezed juices for cocktails

sotto restaurant mixed greens and shaved beet salad wheat berries lemon vinaigrette fiore sardoMixed greens, shaved beets, wheatberries, lemon vinaigrette, Fiore Sardo

sotto restaurant grilled pork meatballs with snap peas pecorino bitter greensGrilled pork meatballs, snap peas, pecorino, bitter greens

sotto restaurant tomaio braised octopus ai ferri chickpeas preserved lemon chard bottargaTomato-braised octopus ai ferri, chickpeas, preserved lemon, chard, bottarga

squid ink fusilli lunghi pistachios bottarga mintSquid ink fusilli lunghi, pistachios, bottarga, mint

sotto restaurant whole grilled orate braised artichoke acquasale olive pistachio vinaigrette Whole grilled orata

sotto restaurant whole grilled orate braised artichoke acquasale olive pistachio vinaigrettewith braised artichoke acquasale, olive-pistachio vinaigrette

sotto restaurant cannoli Cannoli Siciliani, ricotta, orange marmalade, pistachios, chocolate

Tonight, I finally made my way Sotto, and I LOVED it.  C and I walked in and sat at the chef’s counter in front of the Ferrara pizza oven and watched the kitchen in action.  The restaurant is cozy, the cocktails are clever and the Southern Italian dishes are exuberant yet so pleasantly unfussy and fresh.  The fusilli?  Terrific inky twines of sea and pasta.  The orata?  A beautifully prepared fish, enrobed in a bread salad with tender, braised artichokes.  I must say, this meal exceeded my expectations.  I can definitely see myself coming back here often.

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vegetable pot pie | next door by josie

next door by josie 'remi' goat cheese and tomato brûlée‘Remi’ goat cheese and tomato brûlée

next door by josie farmer's market vegetable pot pie Farmers’ market vegetable pot pie

For today’s lunch, met up with Jana and crew at Next Door By Josie, the casual sister to the fine dining establishment connected through the kitchen doors.  I started with the goat cheese and tomato brûlée, then dug into a veggie pot pie.  These were decent, but I wish I had ordered the spicy shrimp and grits that some of the others got.  Now that plate looked tasty.  The service was a bit unpolished with a few awkward “uhhh” moments.  First, we were only allowed to order in a clockwise fashion around our table of five, with our waiter explicitly pointing out who was to go next, as in, “No, now you go because you are #3.”  WTF?  Apparently, there was also some “miscommunication” in the back, causing a delay in service, even though we were only the third occupied table in the entire restaurant.  (OK, it happens).  But it really annoyed me when an eager beaver runner picked up my unfinished plate of food which clearly had some bites left on it and left it hovering in front of my face before asking me whether I was done with it.  Pfff.  No good.  But maybe it was just an off day.  I’ll try anything twice, so I’m willing to give NDBJ another shot some day down the road.  Til then, don’t pick up my plate until you are certain that I’m done, you mofo!

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sweet potato pretzel | coffee tomo

sweet potato pretzel coffee tomo sawtelle west los angelesChristina was right.  The sweet potato pretzels at Coffee Tomo in Little Osaka are hot n’ fresh!  A super plush, horseshoe-shaped pretzel, stuffed with molten mozzarella and a subtle sweet potato puree.  Oh, hello!  New snack attack!!  I gotta go back now and try the other red bean and jalapeno flavors.

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spam musubi

Post-LACMA food truck find: spam musubi.  Yessss!

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kal gook soo | ma dang gook soo

Friday’s lunch at Ma Dang Gook Soo on Western: Chewy, slurpilicious, hand-made knife-cut noodles in a simple chicken broth.  Korean comfort food at it’s best.  I love this stuff!

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