If Only a Book Was Worth a Thousand Bites...

On February 4th, on our way to mom's birthday dinner I came across this book at the nearby Border's. It was simply irresistible and my husband could tell I had to have it. Who said men aren't observant? It's a good thing he took it from my grip before I had a chance to dent the cover with my teeth leaving it wet and chewed up like a brown leather shoe left alone with a puppy. Considering -- this is where the stereotyped Asian in me reveals itself -- it was on red-tag sale for just $9.99. At 80% off the cover price we should've taken all that was left and gifted them here on The Urban Epicurean, but considering the 10.75" x 14.12" palette of 192 pages of ridiculous deliciousness I was simply too one-track minded to make any decisions beyond where I could wrap my mouth around the next truffle. Or two.On a side note, did I ever tell you that 7 is my lucky number? Growing up I just loved the number 7, along with the number 3, and these days the number 11. I think 7 and 3 might have had a great deal to do with the three birthdays my sisters and I have in the seventh month known as July and just about a week apart from each other (with my Grandmother's, Uncle's, Nephew's, and numerous Friends' birthdays sprinkled in-between). With three birthday celebrations in a month for one household who wouldn't make the numeric affinity? Not to mention (and this is where I go a little crazy with this), there are three sevens in my social security number and birthday. Com'on! I was born to love 3 and especially 7. So I'm sure you could only understand when my eyes landed on The Seven Sins of Chocolate, as it sat at the entrance to Borders high atop the bookshelf, my heart simply melted, my eyes glazed over with admiration, and my saliva glands were demanding satisfaction. Forget dinner, all I could think about was getting to dessert. I did manage to get my hands on three truffles at the check-out counter, two milk chocolate for moi and one dark chocolate for the hubby - but I had to wait until I got home to read my book.Happy birthday Mom! Thank you for your loyalty to the Cheesecake Factory in Arcadia on this fateful night, otherwise I may have never crossed paths with The Seven Sins of Chocolate by Laurent Schott.

Panang Thai on Sushi: Expect the unexpected

Sushi. From a Thai restaurant.

Unusual? Unthinkable? Irresponsible? Indigestible? One could think so considering how different the two cuisines are but this is the megalopolis of L.A. after all and anything goes here.

Yes, I ordered sushi from a Thai restaurant that also advertises phở (next to sushi) and makes a highly desirable tom kha kai. Panang, if you are not familiar with it, is a large dinning room with an open kitchen on the corner of Colorado Blvd and Argus and adorned under large worn plastic signs advertising at least three different cuisines. The setting is behind walls of windows and stucco. The exposed powder blue pleather booths and an understated five-seater sushi bar with granite tops and a cool display of seemingly fresh fish, built into the northeast quadrant of the restaurant, communicates no match to the bustling stainless steel open kitchen that fires over 100 wok-fried, deep-fried, steamed and boiled dishes. If you are familiar with Panang, you might understand my surprise when a southeast Asian establishment this unorthodox has been in business for as long as it has I can't help but wonder...what if...

What if I didn't get ahead of myself and braved the menu with an appetite like a newborn epicurean passionately curious to taste the possibilities? Ignore the fact that I was desperately craving a spicy tuna roll and a seaweed salad this day, after being unable to timely lunch with friends at Yabu; and Mia down the street doesn't serve lunch on Fridays, so I really had no other choice. Be completely dedicated to the meal of my choice or eat anything while lusting after something else. My choice was clear: sushi or bust.

I'm happy to report that my carry-out sushi lunch at Panang was actually very, very good.

There, I said it. It was very good.

Yes, this is simply based upon one true sushi item and a seaweed salad, but I really think the chefs at Panang have had a lot more experience than meets the doubtful eye. Sure it might have been a lifetime ago prior to manning Panang but like an artist one never loses their touch. The flavors of my Japanese mid-day meal was familiar like those of most Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles: the seaweed was the perfect taste bud stimulant and sweet prelude to a generous serving of cold, spicy, creamy, raw tuna wrapped in sticky sushi rice and nori. The tangled pile of cool green strips of bright and dark green seaweed were perfectly tossed in the usual sweet and spicy sesame dressing and garnished with a sprinkling of black and white sesame seeds. Its satisfying crunch and firm center of the soft translucent noodle-like vegetable called for a moment of silence. But, of course, I had to snap out of it and open my eyes so I didn't stumble over my dish of wasabi soy-sauce to get to eight pieces of a well rounded spicy tuna cut roll.

The meal continued to surprise me, I was delighted that an order was so generously served as eight plump and tightly wrapped pieces filled with finely minced tuna seasoned in a mayonnaise-less sauce with firm, cool, bright green pieces of avocado. Thank God for California avos. The taste and firmness of this fresh fruit was distinct in a mouthful of spicy tuna, nori and sesame oil. I the happiest sushi eater in all of Eagle Rock. Immediately full, I was as content as a kitten. Still there sat before me one more eight-piece roll in its unopened black and florid packaging just waiting to be enjoyed, but I had to set it aside for later. This was more than filling for one sitting. Next time I might dare to explore other sushi and sashimi items.

If you are familiar with Panang, I almost urge you to try it for yourselves to believe. I understand how one might doubt and wonder how this lackluster restaurant with dated furnishings and a reliable sticky stale scent of deep frying oil could possibly offer deliciously satisfying anything Thai/Vietnamese/Sushi (three cuisines categorized in two catalog style menus), let alone offer spicy tuna rolls and seaweed salad at competitive quality, flavor and prices. Heed my warning, they don't do all things well, heck they don't seem to do many things well, but making the mistake of judging a restaurant by its cover can mislead you from an enlightening experience for the body, mind and taste buds. If you're wondering how it is possible for a restaurant to offer such a spectrum of foods for as long as they have, with many dishes under $10.00, and still be in business then maybe it's time for a little food detective adventure of your own. This enjoyable and shocking experience really made me rethink my boundaries and my perspective on a restaurant's capacity to deliver quality - What form of fusion is acceptable? And does it matter how it's offered?

After all, a restaurant like Gindi Thai in Burbank, popular for its decor more than it's menu, continues to do well so it's no surprise that Panang has survived too. Though Panang chooses not to exercise the concept of tasteful in areas of aesthetic appeal or service (a couple of bitter staff members, and the tacky credit/debit card charge of $1.00 for tabs under $15.00), I think I've become a more adventurous diner because of this experience.

Cheers to new experiences and fearless dining!

Panang
www.panangrestaurant.com
1801 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock, CA
90041
323.344.3796

Vosages Chocolates: A Heart-to-Mouth Revolution

So, moving forward with my non-existent food blogging activities. Here with another tid-bit of information that I came across while surfing the website of Vosges Haut-Chocolate after I finally read through some of the back-logged Daily Candy newsletters that are now in the triple digits - in an email account I've "retired" from using as my main email contact - it's become a rather generous space to collect correspondence which fall into the categories of pure entertainment but not quite junk-mail (for the sole reason that the writing is good, the offerings intriguing, and the visual appeal very inviting) but are put aside long enough to start collecting cyberdust. I say, reasons good enough for me to not let these things go. See, I wasn't lying when I said I was a pack rat.

So thanks to my dedicated collection of back-logged Daily Candy newsletters I came across a nearly two-week old article (believe me, I have much older ones) for a bacon candy chocolate bar which piqued my interest with the immediate thought "now that's my kinda chocolatier!" I clicked on the image of crisp bacon and dark milk chocolate and before I knew it one click led to another and another and soon my hunger for knowledge led me to an inspiring video that I felt captured the truth, beauty and love in everything that is food.

I feel Katrina Markoff speaks for many of us who love food as deeply as we love the different realities that create this planet...



Yes! Yes! YES!! That's what it's about.

Vosges Haut-Chocolate
www.vosgeschocolate.com

Food | Chocolate | Society | Culture | Art | Exotic Foods

Event: Charity Bake Sale - No Cookie Left Behind!

Like I said, I still eat. I'll be here for sure! So bring a glass of milk and let's m-eat over baked goods and ice-cream! And, if you haven't already been to Scoops, the location for this special event, I highly recommend trying it! It's de-li-ciou-sooooo-good!

Scoops
712 N. Heliotrope
Los Angeles, CA 90029

No Cookie Left Behind
myspace.com/nocookieleftbehind

Food | Baked Goods | Dessert | Charity | Los Angeles | Ice-Cream

BitBox Baking

I just had to.

I understand some kitchen enthusiasts might not be able to try this at home, and yes, for others this might be an acquired taste. But this unusual b(re)aker is serving yummy and maaaad "electro-funk-daddy-superstar" beatboxing skills hot from the oven!

What can I say? I'm just an urban epicurean who's a beat junkie at heart.

Europane - Comfort in a Small Brown Bag

There is something immediately soothing and comforting about being around food that is handled with Love. I enjoy very much going to the grocery store, there are two near my home that I could spend hours in, and the smell and layout of a bakery practically makes my body beg to be in side standing between bakery cases ogling over shelves of sweets and breads, taking my time to read each hand-written line on the menu that's usually hung from the ceiling, and taking in deep, slow breaths of air filled with the aroma of coffee, baked sugar, flour and butter...it's aromatherapy for the epicurean I tell you.


So a few weeks ago I was feeling a need to break from the stale air my head was in and took a drive to Pasadena one morning not sure where I was going but trusted my morning craving for fresh baked goods and coffee to navigate me to the perfect spot. Not knowing where to go I got in the car and drove east on Colorado Blvd hoping something would inspire me to pull over. Already heading opposite of Swork's I knew I wouldn't go there for coffee today so I continued along the boulevard hoping it would just be moments before I found something in Pasadena to fill my tummy. It began to look dim...having already driven through Old Town, the Theater District and coming up to Lake Ave. I had yet to find that sweet spot. But before I grew too disappointed - or raging hungry - I realized Europane was just one more street over and that if all else failed it would have to do.

Europane. Up until today it was one of my least favorite bakeries since the first year it opened many years ago in the late nineties, in a shopping complex that is ironically painted mint green but far from cool. I never cared for what came from its kitchen at that time, and there was just something in the air that made me feel the bakery was more just a means to bring in the dough rather than putting love into the dough. The once predictable menu of items in what use to be a tiny establishment that couldn't hold more than ten people comfortably as soon as one got past the front door was a disappointment in a city where coffee shops with bakery cases were rising every month. However, in recent visits Europane has risen to the top of my favorite places for fresh foods and genuine service. Walking into this place today I can actually feel the difference from when they first started once upon a time when I lived in my first apartment, a condo just blocks from the bakery on Union Ave.


The Europane of today has since expanded to the width of two store fronts and offers much more than just your average loaf of sourdough and biscotti. Europane is about serving fresh foods throughout the sunlit day and offering a cozy place to eat along a busy boulevard. They have light breakfasts until late morning, a full-on bakery all day, sandwiches made to order, and a cold case stocked with foods like chickpea salad, green salads, fruit salads, sandwiches and desserts. And the bakers, well, you can tell from the way they serve you that they love to be there and that kind of love goes into their creations.

What I came for was something both sweet and savory this morning, I wanted something "brunchy in a bag." A few of their morning items were already sold out - no cheese danishes or cheese croissants were in sight. Muffins in general are too heavy and tarts too sweet...so what was a girl with a heartache soon to become a bellyache to do? My eyes drifted just a bit across the soft olive and rosemary focaccia bread sticks, past the dense dark brownies and over to the left at a perfect display of macaroons like pastel crayons in a box. This macaroon pause is very odd if you knew how I felt about macaroons: i don't really like them; at least I didn't up until this day.

Europane has the best French style macaroons to cross my lips since I began doing the macaroona a few years ago. Ironically, my first taste of this delicate cookie sandwich was unmemorable and led me astray from seeking out other macaroons in the future. When I'd see a macaroon no more than a second's look my eyes would wander the other way in hopes of discovering another treat. I remember last summer giving macaroons a try at Pazzo Gelato in Silver Lake and clearly remembering the disappointment when chomping into the brightly, almost neon colored sandwich of a cooking only to discover that behind all that food coloring and perfectly rounded mound was nothing more than a bland creation with an unappealing chewy exterior glued together by a sugary and gum like marshmallowy filling. Frowny faced and disappointed I wasn't into the macaroon. However, at Europane their macroons are simply divine. Really, they are. It was like tasting macaroons for the first time and thinking "this is exactly how I pictured you'd taste like, my little sweets."

Just short of a palms width wide and every bit as delicious as they appear these fun treats have turned a doubter like myself into a believer. I took two different flavors of macroons, savory focaccia bread, side of chickpea salad, and a cup of coffee. As I drove home I consumed the focaccia right away, mmmm - what a wonderful start to my day. Wiping salty olive oil from my fingers and thinking about what was left in the bag, it was just seconds later I couldn't resist diving into one of the macaroons: the first piece to touch my fingers as I reached into the little brown paper bag that sat beside me in the passenger seat was the almond colored and brown speckled macaroon that at first glance reminded me of cookies-n-cream. As soon as my bite broke through the crisp exterior right through the surprisingly contrast of chewy, even creamy cookie I tasted hazelnut all the way! Hazelnut macaroons...who would've thunk a non-hazelnut-fan like myself would enjoy them this much?

It was so delicious I had to refrain from snatching the chocolate macaroon before it had its photo op at home.

As soon as I set my camera down it was all over. Consciously making an effort to leave at least half the macaroon for my husband, I slowly chewed and enjoyed every bite. To my surprise the vanilla cream colored filling was a perfectly sweetened caramel filling so rich in taste I thought it was a sure tie between toffee and butterscotch. I couldn't decided if it was one or the other as the flavors seemed to morph on my tastebuds into both! But upon a bit of research the baker at Europane confirmed that the filling is actually caramel, which was the perfect compliment to the sea salt sprinkled chocolate cookie it was sandwiched between. I had found my savory and sweet breakfast treat. Europane - I brought home comfort in a small brown bag.

Already, I was feeling much better.

Europane
950 East Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91106
626.577.1828

Food | Bakery | Pasadena | Breakfast | Lunch | Coffee

Too Lazy to Post, but Never Too Lazy to Eat...

After about a year of food-blogging the inspiration to eat-and-tell comes and goes for me, and lately it has gone on extended vacations quite often. However, I still look forward to my first meal of the day, dining out as often as possible, shopping for kitchenware, gadgets and groceries, bookmarking eateries, gourmet/unusual/exotic food web stores, and photographing everything I eat. So what's the deal?

I wasn't so sure myself why I was growing less and less inspired to regurgitate my experiences. Have I become jaded to the point that the process of food blogging had nullified my once ambitious habit?

Am I just lazy? Too dull for words? Have I...

...outgrown food blogging??

Maybe. But, not in the sense that I've outgrown food blogging like someone outgrows a pair of skinny jeans (well, sometimes but that's just in the winter. Usually.). But, in the sense that I have grown out of the desire to use food blogging as an energizer or a daily therapeutic outlet. Instead, I went back to my roots and brought dance back into my daily life by reinventing my creative outlet in the form of an interpretive dance movement called hoopdancing. It's been about a year and a half that I've poured my heart and soul into this wonderful thing blog, though I still eat plenty - believe me - I now find more satisfaction in sharing my energies through hoopdance [performances, classes, Sundays at the park, at home with the sound system blasting, and customizing handmade hoops].

But before you think I'm bidding adieu to food blogging, sincerely I am not, this is merely the truth behind my lack of completing any drafts backlogged on the server and completing anything on time though I have embarked upon many following a vast list of culinary experiences. Instead, this is a peek into the person behind the Urban Epicurean. The kind of person who still has tantalizing trips to Ireland, a 30th birthday consisting of a road trip to San Francisco with my husband to blog about. Yep, I know, at the rate I'm going - or, not going - by the time those get posted it will have already been so 2007.

Now, please allow me to draw the curtains and reveal some of my back-logged posts. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did when I tasted every morsel as it was enjoyed as an inspiration in those very moments.

New Kitchen, Old Comfort Foods - Farfalle in the Fall
Mia Sushi: Diversifying Eagle Rock's Palette

Bon App!

Food | Los Angeles | Review | Restaurant