happy august
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Nice pit stop at Little Mountain in Montecito, salt rim Summit.
Two words: rehydrated raisins. Didn’t ask much more besides the initial, were those raisins with the shelling beans? Seemed marinated in something or other, maybe a grape vin
Also this whipped passionfruit spread with fresh tomatoes and lemongrass. Grilled and chilled radishes, patatas bravas, sourdough ice cream and corn cake.
Hiramasa with some kick and pluot aguachile was a nice, quick start too. Food came off the line fast, maybe because I was an early order. Love that tho, going from bowl to bowl eating nonstop
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Angler?
Downhill alert:
Palms n’ Patties
The “grilled smash” is not as smashed as it used to be. Lacy edges largely missing. Fries way over-salted and darker without being crispier which I presume means old oil?
Like Pizzana, Palms n’ Patties is rapidly expanding…the pattern is clear though unsurprising 
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Men & Beasts (vegan Chinese in Echo Park)
W; not terrible neighborhood restaurant. Bump up to amazing neighborhood restaurant if you’re vegan. But I would say I made better vegan dishes on the first try using Fuchsia Dunlop recipes.
P: the chef does not have a Chinese palate. It tastes like American Chinese food. The “smashed” cucumber had very thick skin that was hard to chew and has no smash. Most dishes had sweet and sour flavor. The liang ban tofu has too big pieces; you want small bits. I liked the asparagus shu mai and corn ribs most.
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A culinary extravaganza in the amazing Montreal!
- Chicken and chorizo poutine at Portugalia
- Tiny incredible strawberries at Jean Talon Market
- St Viateur bagels
- Chicken plate at Omnivore (the best garlic sauce on earth)
- Fattoush at Damas (so many textures and crunches, pomegranate seeds are the highlight)
- The best Knafé I ever had at Knafé Stop
- A wheelbarrow of wild blueberries
- Beautiful tartes casually laid out at Premiere Moisson
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swan
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I didn’t get St. Viateur. The lack of salt, ugh.
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I have seen no reviews here of Tut’s Egyptian on Washington Blvd. in Culver City, so I will be the first. https://tutsegyptiancuisine.com/
Craving ful medames, I ordered delivery yesterday from Tut’s of a few fuls ($12 a pop) to keep in the freezer for breakfast (because I am much too lazy to make my own). Since I was ordering, I threw in a chicken kabob plate, house pickled cucumbers, spanakopita and molokhia.
Let’s start with the positive. The prices are so reasonable and I love their direct ordering app because you can customize almost everything.
The spanakopita (only $8.25!) was big enough for two. I ordered it cold and crisped it up in the oven (30 minutes at 350 degrees) and it was quite tasty.
The chicken kabob plate is only $18, and on the Toast app, you can specify how it want it cooked (medium rare, medium or well done) and for a small upcharge can sub out hummus for baba ganoush and add all kinds of extras. The hummus was not life-changing, but was fresh and definitely better than you would find at similarly priced restaurants. The chicken portion was generous and tasty, with a smear of garlic sauce and an included serving of spicy sauce on the side. The pita was store-bought and ordinary. I think what I like best about the dish, besides tasting very fresh, is that it came with a small side of warm cooked squash. Felt much more like eating home cooked food than what you find at a place like SoomSoom or Zankou.
I didn’t order them, but for some reason, they threw in 4 small containers of chopped tomatoes, cucumber and big chunks of feta cheese. (You can order this on the menu for $6.95). This made for a really tasty for a snack on a hot summer day. I have two left in the fridge and think I will throw in some olives to make it even better.
Then we get to the original point of my order – the ful medames. This I didn’t particularly enjoy. I prefer ful where the fava beans are not completely pulverized, and this ful was completely mashed. And it wasn’t that flavorful – lacked an oomph. I doctored it with some controne hot pepper which improved things, but wouldn’t re-order just because the pluverized texture made it more like a lentil soup than a true breakfast to me (unless you like lentil soup for breakfast).
The pickled cucumbers ($4.50 for 7 oz.) were tasty and make a nice snack.
Still have the molokhia in my fridge, waiting to be tried.
Not a restaurant to drive across town for, but if you are nearby or in their delivery area, worthy of consideration, especially because of the price point. I would order again, albeit not the ful. The search for ful goes on. Apparently there is a Yemini place in Westwood that serves ful. Next on the list. Before the Shef delivery app deteriorated there was an Egyptian woman who delivered ful through the app and her ful was not only very flavorful, but had huge non-pulverized chunks of fava.
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After a few months of skepticism (location), I tried Tropical Fiyah on Hollywood/La Brea. It was incredible. The jerk chicken was perfectly cooked and spiced. The jerk sauce was tangy and delicious. The ox tail gravy was so layered and complex. The rice and beans and plantains were excellent!
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Yeah, MTL bagels are definitely polarizing. They’re intended more to rip and dip into a tub of cream cheese than to house a sandwich. Like a chewy sesame-y hot pretzel… Unique, nonetheless!
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Thanks for this. I saw this place recently. Are the large plates enough for two? Is parking as difficult as it seems?
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This photo is of the large plate - 6 pieces of chopped chicken plus a hefty mound of sides. We also shared a chicken patty beforehand; so yeah, large should definitely be enough! Although next time, we might get two regular plates to really indulge…
As for parking, there’s a lot that should have spots! You can also park on Hawthorn a block south and walk up - definitely will be spots there!
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Sushi Studio Arts (OC)
Was offering hunks of tuna from a bluefin, so I picked up a 3 lb piece…
Turned it into poké and chutoro sashimi. My knife skills probably suck, but it was mighty tasty.
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Sons and Daughters. Not just good, special. It tastes like fine dining from a forest. Distinctive vinegar, herb, berry, and rich dairy characteristics in the dishes, very clear personality. Profound use of lovage in a couple of dessert dishes. Awesome local seafood quality, best spot prawns I’ve ever had. Some of the dishes are a bit challenging and don’t have that immediate sense of perfection. But it’s a special restaurant, not just an of course it’s good, it’s two Michelin star restaurant.
Hog Island Oyster Co. not quite on the same level.
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Agreed. Pretty amazing spot. New Nordic + California is a good combo to me. It was very bright, light, and clean tasting when I went
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Angler (SF). Not so impressive. Oversalted fish. I liked the salad but it was a tough too dressed and tangy.
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Kain - Oslo - Filipino 
- Binakol Broth
- Sisig
- Sinuglaw
- Beef Kulma
- Chicken Inasal
- Pinakbet
Went based on internet recommendations as a skeptic. Pleasantly surprised and had a wonderful meal. Not the only Filipino restaurant in the city either.
Thriving immigrant community north east of oslo central station. If I come back I want to try the Uzbekistan restaurant called Registan
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Nandao Rice and Noodle. A Singaporean Chinese restaurant in SGV (Garfield and Garvey). I’d go back.
Soy sauce chicken was good but not as good as Pearl River Deli’s used to be. A little grainy, not as moist. But good.
I don’t think I’ve had charcoal tofu before. It was good. I liked the soft, creamy texture of the tofu contrasted with the crisp exterior.
Smashed cucumbers were actually smashed well and used good quality cucumbers. Terrific!
Wood ear mushrooms were ordinary.
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