dineLA: RH at the Andaz Hotel

Restaurant Week (dineLA) started today with over 200 participating restaurants - some more exciting than others. I've been looking forward to trying RH Restaurant at the Andaz ever since S. Irene Virbila's glowing review in the LA Times; it sounded so delicious.

So, I grabbed a few friends for the special lunch prix fixe today. The service was wonderful - attentive and friendly - and we enjoyed a long, leisurely two hour lunch in one of their super comfy booths.

The beautiful open kitchen with lots of top kitchen gear - my dream kitchen!

Perigourdine Poached Egg with field mushrooms, foie gras and summer truffle.

This was not one of the choices for the prix fixe but I really wanted to try it so I paid $4 extra to substitute for it. Smart move because this was sooooooo good. The mix of rich flavors from the runny egg yolk, perfectly cooked foie gras and thin slices of truffles combined with the toasted chewy bread was heaven in my mouth.

I love that the dish came in a little cast-iron (porcelain outside) ramekin. I ate every last bit and had to resist every urge to pocket the ramekin and try to recreate "heaven" at home.

Homemade Crispy Petaluma Duck Confit with sauteed potatoes, green onions, garlic and parsley

Another hit for RH with this duck confit. I've never had duck confit where the skin was actually crispy AND the meat was still succulent. Paired with the potatoes, this was a delicious entree.

Rum Baba with fruit minestrone and whipped cream

This was a miss for me. The sponge cake was a bit dry and I don't think it was really soaked it rum because it tasted bland. The best part was the fruit minestrone which was a mix of sweet and tart mango and papaya. However, I tried some of my friend's lemon grass ice cream and I think she got the best dessert; I loved the strong lemon grass flavor.

I would definitely go back to RH again. I can't wait to have the Perigourdine Poached Egg again and try the terrines and the Perigord Tourrain Soup...and oh yes, having the Triple Fried French Fries again is a must (they're fried in duck fat).

RH Restaurant

8401 Sunset Blvd.

West Hollywood, CA 90069

(323) 785-6090

**Valet is $7 but everyone in my group found street parking nearby

Health Dept - Wake Up!

Just read this article in the LA Times ~ Food Fight Waged Over Refrigeration of Asian Noodles.

This is not just culture that is lost in translation; it's really plain ignorance on the State Health Department's part. They've been blindly applying archaic regulations across the board without bothering to really learn and understand that different foods require different storing and handling. And I mean really different foods. After all, this is California. This State has one of the highest concentrations of immigrants and (thankfully) has a rich diversity of foods. You just can't apply the same temperature rule to a hamburger versus rice noodles or mooncake. Wake up Health Dept and do your homework!

I'm rooting for the noodle manufacturers and we better win this one because I'm not buying cold, brittle rice noodles for my noodle soups.

Ham Ji Park ~ Delectable Pork Belly, Spareribs & Stew

The Pork Spareribs at Ham Ji Park make me seriously question why I bother to make ribs at home. HJP's Spareribs are tender, meaty and well-marinated in a rich salty sweet sauce with a gentle spicy kick.

I have a serious addiction to Korean BBQ; I need help. I've been on a Ham Ji Park binge lately (3 times in a month?) and super cheap certificates from Restaurant.com doesn't help me. Oh well, just got to workout more! The Core Performance Center is currently my best friend, 5 days a week, if not 6 :)

The Pork Neck Stew is full of spices and heartiness. The meat is soft and falls off the bone. It's absolutely delicious with a bowl of rice. Trust me, you'll want that rice to soak up every bit of that stew. It's comfort food at its best.

Black Pork Bacon. BBQ till crispy and the fat is delicious. Go workout before AND after you enjoy this.

Marinated Sirloin Beef. Fat is well-marbled and I like the light marinade. The onions and green onions are a nice addition to the grill.

The beginning of the carnage. Disclaimer: it's really hard for me to remember to take photos when the food arrives - it's exciting and I'm hungry you know...

There are two Ham Ji Parks in the Koreatown vicinity. I've only been to the 6th St. location so far because parking is so easy there ($2 valet and plenty of street parking on 6th or Catalina).

Ham Ji Park

3407 W 6th St
Ste 101-C
Los Angeles, CA 90020

(213) 365-8773

and

4135 W Pico Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90019

(213) 365-8773

Oxtail Stew: Comfort Food That Keeps You Warm

Ah. Been busy. Been sick. Had some fun in between.

This just means all the posts I've been meaning to write has been snowballing and I better tackle some before it drives me crazy in the back of my mind!

Oxtail Stew is one of my favorite comfort foods especially for the Fall and Winter seasons and I love to cook it for Sunday dinner when I have a couple of hours at home. My Uncle Ricky has taught me many important carnivore dishes over the years and he initially taught this to me as a Beef Short Rib stew so feel free to use short ribs if oxtail is not your thing. Both have become my favorites for Sunday dinners.

The first time my uncle showed me how to cook this, I was amazed that he was just eyeballing stuff and throwing them into the pot. After having made this many times, my "recipe" is not really exact because I eyeball everything now too. But that's okay. That's why sometimes cooking is more relaxing than baking because it doesn't always have to be exact.

Shop for your ingredients and have them handy on your kitchen counter.

Mix flour, kosher salt and black pepper in a large bowl and set aside. Or, use a large rubbermaid with a lid (useful later).

Rinse oxtails and pat dry with paper towels.

Use kitchen scissors to snip away excess fat and tough sinewy parts and discard.

Toss the oxtail in the flour mixture. I like using a large rubbermaid container and I just put the oxtail in in batches and put the lid on and shake - the oxtail comes out evenly coated every time.

Heat a large pot (or use a separate pan) and add canola oil. Sear the oxtail on all sides. Try not to crowd the oxtial because it won't sear properly. Sear in batches if necessary.

When it's pretty much seared, add diced onions if you like onions melted into the sauce of your stew. Or, you can save the onions to add last. I tend to do both.

Add chicken stock, stewed tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a medium boil and turn the fire on low and simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours total. Don't put a tight lid on the pot. Either tilt the lid to let out steam or use a lid that has a small hole for ventilation.

At the1.5 hour mark, add the cut carrots. After 15 minutes, add the cut potatoes and stew for 30 more minutes. Carrots and potatoes should have been peeled and cut (about 1 to 2 inch pieces) beforehand. Tip: If you can, get fresh carrots (with the greens still attached) at the Farmers Market - the sweet carrot flavor will really come through.

Check for doneness by inserting a fork into the oxtail; the meat should separate pretty easily. At that point, you can add mushrooms and sliced onions if you like - I did both here.

Stew for 15 more minutes after adding mushrooms and your stew should look like this. Do a quick taste test; add more kosher salt if you think the taste needs to be adjusted.

There you have it. Carbs, Protein and Veggies all in one pot :)

Oh, of course don't forget to plate it with a nice plate of steamed rice. Rice or a thick, crusty French bread is the perfect side dish pair with a stew because it'll soak up all the delicious, rich sauce. I cheat; I'm Chinese so I have two main entrees - rice and stew!

Shopping List for Oxtail Stew

(remember, measurements aren't exact but it's okay...it's cooking so eyeball it!)

• 1 Oxtail - about 3-4 lbs (Western markets will have it all cut up already; Chinese markets tend to have the whole tale at the meat counter so make sure you ask the butcher to cut it - you cannot do it at home!)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1.5 tablespoon kosher salt (have extra to salt stew later if necessary)
• 0.5 tablespoon black pepper (fresh ground if possible)
• 2 cans Stewed Tomatoes (I like Del Monte Original Recipe)
• 3 - 4 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 box/8 oz of crimini mushrooms (or any sturdy mushroom that'll be good at soaking up the sauce)
• 1 medium potato
• 1 medium brown onion
• 0.5 to 1 lb of carrots
• 1 - 2 tablespoon Canola oil - to coat pot/pan

To Parboil or Not to Parboil?

I am squarely in the camp of not parboiling pork spareribs when I cook ribs at home. A lot of recipes recommend parboiling to soften the meat but I think that removes a lot of flavor from the meat. So, my solution is to slooooooooow cook my ribs. It's not hard, it just takes time.

I live in an apartment with no access to a grill so I can't exactly make BBQ Ribs so here's my recipe for Apt Slow-Oven Baked Ribs. It takes at least 4 to 6 hours of cooking time and 24 hours to marinate but the results are worth it. Tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone meat that beats any ribs I can buy from a restaurant in LA.

I prefer spareribs over baby back ribs because it is meatier and less expensive. Choose a piece that's 3 - 4 pounds. A smaller piece is fine too but if you're doing all this cooking why not make more for friends or for a couple of meals?

The recipe will most likely give you extra dry rub. Save it in an airtight container so you can use it again in the future.

Wash and pat dry the ribs using paper towels. It is really important that you remove that tough membrane on the back of the ribs. Take a spoon and work your way under the membrane and slowly rip the whole thing off.

Ribs sans membrane. Use kitchen scissors to trim any leftover membrane and excess fat. As the ribs cook, fat will drip onto your pan so trim the excess fat or else you might have to take your pan out and pour out the fat.

Rub the dry rub all over the ribs (front and back). Wrap tightly in foil, put it on a tray or in a plastic bag in case of leaking and put it in the fridge to marinate for 24 hours.

After marinating, remove foil, pat away any moisture and excess dry rub and place the ribs on a rack on top of a tray. Bake at 275F for 4 to 6 hours. It may take the full 6 hours depending on the size of the ribs and oven temperature (I finally bought an oven temp gauge and found out my oven runs 25 degrees lower than what it's set for). Ribs are done when two ribs can easily be separated by hand (the ribs in the pic above are done cooking).

Okay, final stretch. To finish, add BBQ sauce. I like to use Bull's Eye Original Barbecue Sauce and for a spicy kick, I mix in a little tabasco sauce before I brush it on the cooked ribs (tabasco optional). Of course, brush sauce on both sides of the ribs.

Set the oven to broil and place ribs in for about 5 to 7 minutes. It will look bubbly as the fire heats the sauce. Then, take it out and flip and broil the other side. Monitor the broiling very closely by looking through your oven window. You don't want the ribs to burn; you just want the sauce to soak into the ribs. So, if it looks like it is burning, take it out immediately even if the time isn't up yet

Apt Slow-Oven Baked Ribs done! I served it with fresh corn from the farmers market and rice. I'm Chinese so I must have rice :)

Recipe for Dry Rub

(I mixed and matched dry rub recipes I've used in the past)

• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup salt (I prefer Kosher which I think brings out the meat flavors better but regular salt is fine too)
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of black pepper (fresh ground if you can)
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Store extra dry rub in an airtight container for future use.

In the Kitchen with Julia & Jacques

Score!

After strolling through the Mar Vista Farmers Market yesterday and sweating buckets, I was ready to leap into my air-conditioned car when I realized I was parked right in front of Sam Johnson's Bookshop. I'm addicted to browsing bookstores and I can spend hours in one and I've always wanted to visit this secondhand bookshop but their limited hours made it hard. It was finally open yesterday and boy am I happy I stopped by.

I snapped up hardcover copies of Baking with Julia based on Julia Child's PBS series and written by Dorie Greenspan and the 1976 edition of La Technique: An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamental Techniques of Cooking by Jacques Pepin.

Isn't this Danish Braid lovely? I can't wait to try and bake something out of Baking with Julia.

Baking with Julia has a really good intro to baking basics and there are huge sections devoted to breads, cakes (including instructions for a wedding cake), sweet and savory pastries & tarts and a smaller section on morning pastries & breads. Croissants, Brioche, Chiffon Cake and Pecan Sticky Buns here I come!

Oh, and French Apple Tart of course. I've tried making this in the past and I've never really succeeded. I hope Julia will provide me the magic touch.

La Technique is a practical and comprehensive guide to the techniques of cooking. Every technique is accompanied by extensive photos and instructions.

It'll teach you everything from how to hold a knife, how to decorate butter and fruits to trimming a rack of lamb. And Pepin illustrates different ways you can prep fish, chicken, beef, vegetables and even desserts.

With this book, I feel like I'm in good hands. When I come upon a recipe in the future that calls for deboning a whole chicken, I won't be as clumsy anymore and I just love the step-by-step photos. I don't think there's a book on the market right now that has such good illustrated instructions.

Go check out Sam Johnson's Bookshop. It has a great selection of secondhand books and a sizable cookbook section and David, the guy who runs the place, truly loves and breathes books. I had so much fun chatting with him about cookbooks and restaurants, both of which he knew a lot about.

Sam Johnson's Bookshop

12310 Venice Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90066

(310) 391-5047

Open Mon-Sat 11am to 6pm and Sun 12pm to 5pm

Road to (My) Seoul

Is the way to a man's heart really through his stomach? I'm not sure about men but I do know food is one way to my heart and soul. And all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ at Road to Seoul is a new road to my soul.

I'm very lucky to live so close to Koreatown in LA. I find so many new Korean restaurants I want to try that my "To Eat" list is always growing faster than I can eat or should eat. Luckily, I have friends and colleagues who indulge me; I formed a "Eat Drink & Be Merry" group at work and the names speaks for itself and below are pics from our recent outing.

Beef Sirloin (well marbled fat!), Beef Brisket, Black Pork Belly

Baby Octopus - it comes with a separate red spicy sauce for dipping

Bulgogi, Marinated Chicken, and half-cooked Baby Octopus

Pork Neck and Cow Tongue (a must!)

Except for the baby octopus, everything above were crowd favorites. It's definitely better to go to Korean BBQ in a large group in order to try more meats.

At Road to Seoul, the AYCE is $16.99 per person and that gives you nine meat choices to choose from and an order of steamed egg, Korean pancake and tofu soup is split amongst 3 to 4 people. In my experience, sometimes in a large group, it gets a little chaotic and the waitress will forget the soup or the steamed egg so remind them if they forget because that steamed egg is delicious. Of course, you will get banchan (a decent selection), rice wrappers for the meat and a huge bowl of salad with vinaigrette to go with your meat.

Last tip - In addition to the bean paste and hot sauce, you get a small plate of salt to dip your meat. If you like sesame oil, you can ask the waitress to add sesame oil to your plate of salt for a richer and more fragrant dip.

Road to Seoul

1230 S. Western Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90006

(323) 731-9292

*Takes reservations, good for groups big or small, pretty comfy, spacious seating, big-screen TVs usually showing sports and the mandatory blaring of English pop music.