Baroo

In 2017, I'm aiming for minimalism.  Less is more.  Because you don't need a ton of things to be accomplished or lead impressive lives.  This is a lesson I learned from Baroo when I dined there over a year ago.  And while this post is long overdue, I have a strong feeling the innovative and creative minds behind Baroo have not changed this theme, even with Chef Kwang Uh on indefinite hiatus in Korea.  

A table of Korean gentlemen appreciating innovative Korean cuisine.

Baroo, now enjoying national acclaim, is located in an unassuming strip mall off of Santa Monica Boulevard.  There is one table and the rest is bar seating, that is, if you can manage to find a free seat in the hole-in-the-wall establishment.  At the time of my visit, they didn't even have a website, but that has since changed.  You'll see many cookbooks and (I'm guessing) vegetables (or is it kombucha?) fermenting in various-sized jars.  Despite the somewhat experimental and minimalist ambience, the food is beautifully presented and even with some unusual pairings, surprisingly refreshing and unique.  Best of all, it felt like high-class dining in a hidden gem -- special, indeed.

Bibim Salad -- grains (oat, bulgar, quinoa), vegetable crudite (thinly shaved fennel, celery, asparagus, baby radish, heirloom carrots), toasted seeds (sunflower and pumpkin), gochujang, tomato dressing, herbs, coulis, Asian pear, passion fruit powder -- $9 (Vegan)

Kimchi Fried Rice -- pineapple-fermented kimchi, amira basmati rice, sous vide egg, gremolata, pineapple jalapeno salsa, purple potato chips, roasted seaweed, toasted buckwheat and quinoa, and micro greens -- $9 (Gluten-free, Vegan)

Baroo's Ragu-Style -- handmade pasta with spicy oxtail faux ragu, tendon puff, gochujang, gremolata with cherry tomatoes, aged parmigiano reggiano -- $15

Classic Shortbread -- 84% butter cacao nibs with citrus bursts -- $2

With each bite, you find yourself recognizing a familiar taste countered by something new.  The ingredients are familiar, but the taste is unique in a way that makes you want to try more.  All this to say, this type of food may not be for everyone, or may be for you when you're in that creative mood/ not ravenously hungry (food is not entirely filling).  But for those who appreciate innovation and can tolerate Korean fusion, visit Baroo.



cuisine: New American with strong Korean influence (fusion)
location: East Hollywood (Wilton + Santa Monica)
hours: Sun-Mon: closed; Tues-Sat: noon-3pm; 5pm-9pm
websites: { Baroo | facebook | instagram | twitter }
attire: Casual
notes: No reservations and no sign.  There's a 7-11 next door and a small parking lot.
other: Bon-Appetit article | JGold review

Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee

While people are resolving to consume less sugar, less carbs, less calories, I'm continuing to champion one of my favorite breakfast (lunch, dinner, and/or dessert) items: the doughnut, aka - donut.  Glazed, sprinkled, cereal-topped, baconized, twisted, jelly/cream-filled, cake, crumb, bruleed, whole, hole -- you name it, I eat it.  Thankfully, LA is home to a multitude of doughnut shops.  But if I'm ever on the Westside (specifically, Santa Monica), Sidecar is a must.

Doughnuts + Stumptown coffee = a piece of heaven on Earth

Their claim to fame is probably the Huckleberry, a huckleberry cake doughnut with huckleberry glaze.  For those unfamiliar with huckleberry, the huckleberry is akin to the blueberry and is the state fruit of Idaho).  As you can see below, each doughnut is handled with care.

Huckleberry -- $3.50.  It tastes as good as it looks.  

Cinnamon Crumb Cake -- a classic cinnamon cake doughnut with a slightly sweet and spicy cinnamon glaze -- $2.75

An obligatory cup of Stumptown coffee for a perfect pairing.

Sidecar has certainly stepped up the doughnut game in Santa Monica, but like most things on the Westside, be willing to shell out a couple of extra bucks above what you would normally pay for a doughnut.  That said, you'll be in for a delicious doughnut made with quality ingredients.  Plus, in addition to their regular flavors, they offering some interesting flavors on a monthly rotation.  So do I recommend Sidecar doughnuts?  The answer is always yes.




cuisine: Doughnuts
location: Santa Monica
websites: { Sidecar | yelp | instagram | facebook | twitter }
hours: Daily, 6:30am - 4pm, except on Fridays and Saturdays, they're open until 9pm.
attire: Casual
parking: Small lot behind the store or street meters
other notes: If you're craving Sidecar while in Orange County, you're in luck!  You can check them out at their original location in Costa Mesa.

BierBeisl Imbiss

Tucked away in a half-vacant plaza in downtown LA (aka, the historic Spring Arcade Building) is an awesome Austrian pub called BierBeisl Imbiss. It's awesome for several reasons.

(1) Solid Austrian representation with a modern twist.

(2) Cool decor with the exposed beams, open kitchen, and big windows.

(3) Enough steins and glasses to cover (or fill) every beer or wine.

(4) This glorious sight of freshly-baked house-made pastries.

Additional reasons why you'll want to check out BierBeisl Imbiss:

5) They're open from 8am-2am, every single day of the year (that's right, Mon-Sun, 365 days).

6) Happy hour is daily from 3pm-5pm and 10pm-2am.  HH deals include all sausages for $6, all sides for $4 and 10 oz. draft beers for $5.

7) Their location is next to the best gelato shop in LA (according to me): Gelateria Uli.  So clearly, a gelato stop is necessary post-meal. Guisados is also a neighbor.

8) While I haven't had the pleasure of spending substantial time in Austria, a good friend who has confirmed that BierBeisl indeed provides an authentic glimpse of beautiful Austria and their meaty, carby, and delicious Austrian fare.

9) It's casual, it's fun, it's hip.  Chef Bernhard Mairinger, you're doing a very good thing here.

10) Lastly, it's LA's only Austrian restaurant.

If these aren't good enough reasons, let the photos do the talking/ convincing:

A few pastries to kick off brunch, served on a sturdy wooden tray.

Not pictured is a cup of Einspaenner (double espresso with a splash of water, whipped cream, and cocoa powder).  What better way to start your morning than with great coffee and fresh, flaky, buttery pastries made in-house?

Apple & Grape Strudel.

Apricot & Goat Cheese Strudel (Marillenstrudel).

Sacher Torte -- a famous chocolate cake with an infamous history/ "torte war" - Wiki)

Sampler Bread Basket.

Sampler Sausage Platter comes with 3 sausages and mustard options.  

For our savory selection, we opted for the Sausage Sampler, which comes with 3 sausage of your choice, 3 types of mustard, fresh horseradish, and three types of bread (pretzel, baguette, and whole grain).

For our meats, we chose Kasekrainer (pork and beef infused with Swiss cheese), Hungarian Andouille (pork and beef with chili and paprika) and the Weisswurst (veal poached in milk, hence the white color).  All of the sausages were perfectly cooked and packed with just the right amount of flavor.  I can only imagine how tasty they'd be paired with a pint of Grieskirchner or their house BierBeisl.

You must be thinking, I didn't have any beer at BierBeisl?!  Not to worry, as I knew the minute I stepped into the restaurant that it would not be my last visit. Beer, schnitzel, and hot crispy fries will be in my next order, which I suspect will be placed very, very soon.  See you there.

cuisine: Austrian
location: Downtown LA in the Spring Arcade Building
hours: Daily, 8am-2am
links: { website | yelp | facebook | instagram }
parking: Street meters or nearby paid lots
public transpo: Pershing Square Metro Station [Red and Purple lines]
attire: Casual
price range: $10-$20
notes: BierBeisl Imbiss is the more casual sister to the once critically-acclaimed/ now-closed BierBeisl of Beverly Hills. {eater LA}  But BierBeisl is expected to re-open on the Westside with a haute cuisine restaurant, patisserie, and a beer garden.  Stay tuned.

MidiCi Neopolitan Pizza

When I first learned that the CEO of Menchie's, the national fro-yo franchise, was venturing to the world of fast, gourmet-esque pizza, I expected another Blaze, PizzaRev, Pieology, 800 Degrees or Pizza Studio [all of which, by the way, I'm not above].  Although I embrace freedom of choice, given the recently influx of create-your-own, quick fire-baked pizza joints, my expectations for MidiCi were decidedly low.

. . . until I glanced at the extensive menu that reaches beyond endless toppings and a thin burnt crust.

 From charcuterie to four different burrata combos (with beets, purple kale, artichokes, or prosciutto), pizza to eight different salads, nutella calzone to spectacular gelato and sorbetto from Leo Leo Gelato, MidiCi has so much to offer it's almost overwhelming.

But the real olive tree that's chilling in the middle of the restaurant and the stunning interior decor will probably calm you down.  I can only imagine how breathtakingly romantic the restaurant would look at night.

Wood-fired pizza oven, imported from Italia.

All natural and fresh produce and protein to meet your every insalata needs.

A line of pizza chefs, hard at work.

Vibes.

Purple Kale (Cavolo Viola) -- purple kale, baby spinach, medjool dates, ricotta cheese, shaved parmigiano-reggiano, mustard vinaigrette, lemon zest -- $7.50

A and I ordered and shared a Purple Kale salad and the Devil's Pizza (Pizza Diavola).

First, the kale salad.  The good: visually stunning, healthy portion, fresh ingredients.  The needs-work: too much cheese.  Thankfully, I asked for my dressing on the side.  Had I not, I think my salad would be drowning in cheesy vinaigrette.  I ended up not using much of the dressing at all, as the ricotta was already rich.  Could have also used some cracked black pepper.

Devil's Pizza -- crushed Italian peeled tomatoes, whole mozzarella, housemade all natural spicy sausage, spicy Italian calabrese (salami), Fresno & Italian chilis, parmigiano-reggiano, extra virgin olive oil, organic sweet basil -- $11.50

The Devil's Pizza -- yummy with a spicy kick!  Everything was great -- the flavors, the level of spice, the right balance of ingredients.  If you like your crust doughy, you'll absolutely love this.  For those who want a crispier Neopolitan crust, ask for the pizza to bake a bit longer.


My favorite part of the entire meal?  Unsurprisingly, gelato.

Hazelnut and Lemon sorbetto with fresh mint.

Vanilla & Chocolate with Nutella.

While the price point may be higher than other fast pizza places, the ambience and substance make it worthwhile a visit.  Check Midici out, especially if you find yourself on Ventura Boulevard, hungry for something quick and delicious!






cuisine: Italian
location: Sherman Oaks (San Fernando Valley)
hours:
websites: { MidiCi | yelp | facebook | twitter | instagram }
attire: Casual
parking: Street
price range: $5-$12
notes: They serve weekend brunch (breakfast pizza and mimosa) and happy hour (beer/wine) on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8pm-1am.

Cookies & Cream

Pasadena is home to many delicious ice cream/ frozen yogurt places.  There's 21 Choices, Carmela, and classic Fosselman's.  Then, there's Cookies & Cream, which not only churns its own ice cream, but bakes some of the most delicate, delicious cookies that your inner fatty could imagine.  Similar to CoolHaus and Diddy Riese, but in my opinion, better than them both, we have a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop called Cookies & Cream.  You must go.

For under $5, you will get generous scoops of your choice ice cream -- you can choose from many interesting flavors such as: earl mango amaretto, lychee green apple, minty thai tea, taro nutella, honeydew green tea, amongst other conventional flavors -- with a chewy, homemade cookie.  YUM.

Taro Nutella Ice Cream with Lemon Bar cookie -- $3.25

You can opt to get a made-to-order ice cream sandwich or an open-faced sandwich like I did (see above).  They are also very generous with their ice cream sampling (I think I tried them all) and there's usually a tray for cookie samples, too.  Also, not only is service ultra friendly, but flavors change on a weekly basis, so go, and go often.  When you do go, say hi to owner, Mr. Cheng Liu for me!





cuisine: Ice Cream
location: Pasadena
hours: Mon: 1:30pm-10pm; Tue-Thur, Sun: 1:30pm-10:30pm; Fri-Sat: 1:30pm-11pm
websites: { yelp | facebook |
attire: Casual
parking: Street meters
price range: $3.25/scoop
notes: Cash only!
other review: { hometownpas }

Eat, Drink, Americano

The Arts District of Los Angeles has been in existence for many years, but only recently has it revitalized to a place that attract people from near and far (mostly east LA-ers).  In the mid-1800s, a man named Jean-Louis Vignes, for whom Vignes Street (in northeastern edge of the Arts District) is named, planted Cabernet and Sauvignon Blance vines on 104 acres of land, irrigated by the then LA River.  By 1849, the Vignes vineyard was the largest producer of wine in California!  Now, the grapes and LA River are gone, but the San Antonio Winery is a reminder of the Arts District's original roots.  { wiki }

Although the Arts District may not produce its own wine anymore, there is plenty of wine served and enjoyed, such as at the gastropub, Eat Drink Americano.  Although I visited happy hour recently, these photos were taken almost a year ago, so slight changes may have been made.

Mondays-Fridays: 4pm-7pm

Workin' the kitchen.

Bar.

Entrance is on the side of the building and can be easily missed.

Ooh. Wine bottle chandelier.

Rose Sangria -- $6

Fish Crisps -- mini red snapper tacos topped with Sriracha -- $5

Pastrami Sandwich -- $5

Veggie Sandwich -- eggplant, tomato, squash pesto -- $5

The Pilgrim -- slow-cooked turkey with stuffing and corn foam -- $5

The food is fresh, the service is friendly, finding parking isn't too much of a pain, and ambiance is good.  Come early to stake out a spot because space is limited.  Enjoy!

Eat Drink Americano.

Locally Grown • Artisanally Produced • Globally Inspired.

cuisine: American

location: Arts District, downtown LA

hours: M-Th: 8:30am-midnight; Fri-Sat: 8:30am-1:30am; Sun: 8:30am-5:30pm

websites: {EDA | yelp | facebook | twitter }

parking: Valet or free street 

attire: Casual

happy hour: Yes; M-F: 4pm-7pm

price: $$

notes: Check-in on Yelp and get 1 free glass of wine with $10 spent