Cobras and Matadors

Cobras and Matadors (323) 932-61787615 Beverly Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90036Adequately Fed: $30Green Lentils Sauteed with Jamon Serrano**Bacaolao Salt Cod Cakes with Aioli***Roasted Game Hen in a Catalan Sweet and Sour Sauce***Paella****Flan****French Toast*****(Out of Five Stars)As part of Los Angeles'...

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Gardens of Taxco

Gardens of Taxco (323) 654-17461113 N Harper AveWest Hollywood, CA 90046Adequately Fed: $25Quesadilla****Tortilla Soup***Chicken Enchilada***Shrimp in Cilantro Cream Sauce***Banana Cream with Cream Sherry*****Margarita****(Out of Five Stars)The Aztec city of Tlacho is the modern Mexican city of Taxco...

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Father's Office

(310) 393-23371018 Montana Ave.Santa Monica, CA 90403Adequately Fed: $20Office Burger***Frittes*****Sweet Potato Frittes***Red Seal Pale Ale****(Out of Five Stars)When Joel Stein mentions you in a TIME Magazine article, you know you've made pop culture status. This week's TIME had an article about famous...

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Sanuki no Sato

(310) 324-918418206 S Western Ave,Gardena, CA 90248Adequately Fed: $30Octopus Salad****Udonski*****Green Tea Ice Cream***(Out of Five Stars)Sanuki is an area of Japan famous for its udon, hence the name of the restaurant Sanuki no Sato. As such, I expected their udon to be extraordinary, and on a cold day like tonight, I was not disappointed. The walls around the entrance are plastered with pictures...

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Electric Karma

(323) 653-64458222 1/2 W. Third StreetLos Angeles, CA 90048Adequately Fed: $23Samosas**Lamb Tikka**Lamb Curry***Tandoori Platter***Lamb Makhni***Naan****Rice Pilaf**(Out of Five Stars)Electric Karma truly has an electric atmosphere. Unfortunately, the food is not quite so lively. The restaurant itself was tastefully furnished and appealing to the eye and ear. It helps to have a projector playing Bollywood...

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Fisherman's Outlet Restaurant and Market

(213) 627-7231529 S Central AveLos Angeles, CA 90013Adequately Fed: $15Lobster Bisque***Charbroiled Sea Bass (Garlic Butter)*****Charbroiled Atlantic Salmon (Garlic Butter)****Coleslaw***Fries*****(Out of Five Stars)Following a lead on the Yahoo homepage, I found Fisherman's Outlet, one of the highest ranked seafood restaurants in Los Angeles. Although I frequently complain about living in LA, the...

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Taix

(213) 484-12651911 Sunset BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90026Adequately Fed: $21 (sans wine)Clam Chowder****House Salad, Vinaigrette**Braised Short Ribs****Roast Chicken*****Orange Sherbet**(Out of Five Stars)I'll admit it. I'm a foodie who has very limited experience with French cuisine. In my lifetime, I can only remember going to two exclusively French restaurants, besides my trip to France. Even worse,...

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Hide Sushi

2040 Sawtelle BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90025Adequately Fed: $25Omakase-Maguro****-Hamachi*****-Toro****-Salmon*****-Hotate Special*****-Spicy Tuna**-Ume-shiso maki**-Uni****-Bin-Naga****-Hirame****(Out of Five Stars)First off, I'll note that the items I gave low star ratings to are only because of my personal dislike for that item, but in reality, everything was excellent. This was my first opportunity...

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New York Food Fest List of Meals and Addresses

8/28 Mangia e Bevi (800 9th Ave, Cross: 53rd) - Veal Saltimbocca, White Sangria8/29 Kossar's Bialys (367 Grand St, Cross: Essex) - Onion Bagel w/ chive cream cheese8/29 Turkuaz (2637 Broadway, Cross: 100th) - lamb w/ yogurt8/30 Mamoun (119 Macdougal St, Cross: Minetta) - Chicken kebob pita8/31 Four Dishes and a Soup? - Chinese fast-food8/31 Klong (7 St Marks Place, Cross: 2nd & 3rd) - Klong Pad...

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New York Food Fest 2007

Hordes of hungry people lined up along the sidewalk against the backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge. The door swung open with a deliberate forcefulness. A muscular arm shot out from the door beckoning seductively towards the crowd.Thinking about my two week trip to New York, the one image that stands out...

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Spago

(310) 385-0880176 North Canon DriveBeverly Hills, CA 90210Adequately Fed: $90Ordered:Crispy Soft Shell Crap with Indian Spices****Pan Roasted Maine Monkfish*****Apricot Soufflé**(Out of Five Stars)Spago is the flagship restaurant of Wolfgang Puck, the famous Austrian freezer chef. I had heard of Spago...

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Sawtelle Kitchen

2024 Sawtelle BlvdWest Los Angeles, CA 90025Adequately Fed: $24Ordered:Umeshu (Plum Wine)****Croquette**Fried Yams with Plum Mayonnaise*****Penne with Tomato, Garlic, Eggplant and Shiso****Lamb Shank**Blackberry Champagne Sorbet*****(Out of Five Stars)I had been waiting to go to Sawtelle Kitchen for...

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Electric Lotus

4656 Franklin AveHollywood, CA 90027Adequately Fed: $15Ordered:Vegetable Samosas***Fried Calamari*****Chicken Vindaloo***Lamb Mint Curry***(Out of Five Stars)I'm always suspicious of restaurants that are darkly lit. Regardless of the romantic mood of dinner by candlelight, I wonder what imperfections in their food they're trying to hide. Electric Lotus, located on Franklin and Vermont has just the...

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Pinocchio

3103 W Magnolia Blvd.Burbank, CA 9150Adequately Fed: $8Ordered:Garlic Bread*****Greek Salad*Veal Parmigana**Chianti***Gelato****Cannoli*****(Out of Five Stars)First off, this is more deli than restaurant. You go up to a counter and order from items placed out in steam trays then bring your food to a table. This restaurant is actually attached to the Monte Carlo deli. From what I understand, Pinnochio...

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Typhoon

Scorpions on Shrimp Toast3221 Donald Douglas Loop SSanta Monica, CA 90405Adequately Fed: $18Ordered:Singapore Style Scorpions**Garlic Noodles***Mongolian Beef***Fried Banana****(Out of Five Stars)Approaching the restaurant, my companion makes an astute observation, it definitely felt like I was in the...

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Fassica - CLOSED

10401 Washington Blvd.Culver City, CA 90232Adequately Fed: $15Ordered:Fassica Special****Honey Wine***(Out of Five Stars)Ethiopian cuisine has yet to hit mainstream stomachs for the most part, but this quaint little restaurant across from the Sony Pictures Studios is quite a find. This Mom and Pop establishment has a homey feel to it with the tacky decor, but the ambiance is hardly enough to deter...

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Musha

Black Sesame Ice Cream(310) 787-73441725 W Carson StTorrance, CA 90501Adequately Fed: $20Ordered:Harusame Salad****Hamachi Sashimi*****Tofu Nuggets**Takana Meshi (mixed rice)***Kabocha (pumpkin dip)*****Kurogama (black sesame) ice cream with kinako*****(Out of Five Stars)Japanese Tapas-- that is how...

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Gaby's Mediterranean

10445 Venice BlvdCulver City, CA 90034Adequately Fed: $15Ordered:Leban* (yogurt drink, not sweet at all if that's what you expected like me)Jillab****(raspberry date drink, tastes like you're drinking a Bath & Body Works)Baba ghanoush** (resembles eggplant hummus, too intense without sufficient pita bread)Lamb Kabob****Chicken Shawarma****(Out of Five Stars)First impression: "where the hell's...

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Bossa Nova

7181 W Sunset BlvdHollywood, CA 90046Adequately Fed: $18Ordered:Guarana Soda***** (The waiter described this as a mix of ginger ale and cream soda, but I don't think that does justice to this. It's fruity and delicious)Fried Cheese Shrimp Appetizer** (I forgot the actual name of this, but it tastes a little like a cheesy crab cake. Only drawback is that they give you one per order. Not worth it)Grilled...

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Yai Restaurant

5757 Hollywood Blvd.Hollywood, CA 90028Adequately Fed: $12Ordered:Crab Rolls***Fried Tofu**Papaya Salad**Red Chicken Curry****(Out of Five Stars)I'm not going to pretend to have any expertise in Thai cuisine so I won't go into the authenticity of this hole-in-the-wall restaurant. However, speaking as someone who loves food, the cuisine at Yai Restaurant will leave you heartily satisfied, whether or...

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Heat Transfer and Browning Foods

Yesterday, in one of my lazy moods, I succumbed to the microwave pizza dinner. Opening the box, I noticed the instructions mentioned placing the frozen pizza on a shiny, metallic disk but only if I used the microwave and not the oven. This got me thinking about the effect of the disk on the pizza and...

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Proper Frying Technique

In today’s fast-food society fried foods have become ubiquitous. Although it is still much more convenient and relatively cheap to get fried foods from restaurants, proper frying technique at home will greatly expand your food preparation range. The common misconception is that frying, cooking food in oil (i.e. sautéing, deep-frying, pan-frying, stir-frying), is unhealthy and greasy. Now while I have...

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