Lattitude Has the Right Attitude

Okay that title is a bit of a misnomer. The food at Lattitude was special, but not because of any perceived attitude. In fact, the appeal of the restaurant was because it lacked the bold in-your-face style of so many Thai restaurants nowadays. It was just too good/bad a title to pass up.

More after the jump...

A former intern at FoodDigger recommended Lattitude to me a few months ago but it had thus far stayed on my Try List. I complain often about the quality of Thai food nearby Westwood where I live, but in all honesty, I never really try to seek out good Thai. I think that my Thai palate is much more Americanized than my other Asian palates. I can order the uncommon, off-menu items at Chinese, Japanese, Korean and, to a certain extent, Vietnamese restaurants, but never Thai. Sadly, my knowledge of this Southeast Asian cuisine is usually relatively limited. Somedays I just feel like Thai, but only when I feel like being overwhelmed with food that's heavily sauced and often too sweet. I started with the crab rolls appetizer, served with a sweet relish dipping sauce and fried to perfection. Each roll tasted captured the essence of crab and built upon that flavor with a crispy shell.


Crab rolls

My impression of the food at Lattitude was a clear adherence to good judgment. Rather than serving what they think customers would like, they serve what customers should like--food that showcases the ingredients. I've heard that Thai cuisine emphasizes balance in the five flavors of savory, sweet, sour, spicy and bitter, but this doesn't mean that there should be an equal amount of each in every dish. The food at Lattitude didn't try to be everything at once. The balance was in the total meal and not each individual plate. My white seabass with plum sauce illustrated this point perfectly. Since seabass is one of my favorite fish, I knew I had to order it off the specials menu. The fish came steamed and served in the steaming broth. I only slightly detected a hint of plum, not the overwhelming flavor of it masking the fish. A light bed of ginger complemented the white fish nicely.


Steamed white seabass

The prik khing with stir-fried beef and tofu didn't taste like the usual green beans at most places. The chili paste wasn't nearly as thick and dominating. This was actually a case where I would've preferred more flavor though.


Prik Khing

My major disappointment with the dinner was my Tony Jaa inspired tom yum goong. I love this soup so much, it's a rare occasion for me to leave without ordering it. In fact, I almost forgot the soup but ordered it after finishing the rest of the dishes instead. Unfortunately, the soup I had was completely unrecognizable as tom yum. I don't know if it was due to error or regional differences, but my soup was undrinkably sweet. I couldn't taste any of the sultry fish sauce, mouth-puckering kaffir lime or tamarind. The waiter told me the soup was different depending on the area of Thailand. Despite his amiability, I didn't really trust his competence of Thai cuisine though. But even with an epic failure of a soup, I would still come back and try again. If only the soup could get a little bit of a Lattitude adjustment.

Too much? That felt a little forced.


Tom yum goong

Lattitude Thai
2906 Lincoln Boulevard
Santa Monica, 90405
(310) 396-4726
Around $10 a dish; small to midsized portions

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Los Angeles Barbeque Festival

Updated summary

This weekend is the Los Angeles BBQ Festival. I was originally just going to blog about my experience there afterwards, but I realized it would probably be a good idea to let my readers know too.

Click for details...

Saturday and Sunday (9/13-14) at the Santa Monica Beach adjacent to the pier.
Noon-6pm

Admission is $10 or $50 for VIP. As far as I know, VIP gets you cutsies in lines.
Use the discount code "YELP" buying tickets online to get $5 off general admission and $15 off VIP.
As if the admission is not bad enough, food is separately priced at $10 per bbq item, $4 desserts and $2-5 beverages.

Pitmasters Include:

Parise Pit BBQ - Mac n Cheese
Gus's BBQ - Smoked Brick Chicken and Baked Beans
L.C's BBQ - Kansas City Spare Ribs and Baked Beans
Bristol Farms - Chicken and Vegetable Skewers
Mr. Cecil's California Ribs - Beef Ribs and Cucumber Tomato Salad
Southside Market and BBQ - Elgin Hot Sausage and BBQ Brisket
Baby Blues BBQ - Memphis Baby Back Ribs and Mac n Cheese
Bandana's BBQ - St. Louis Spare Ribs and Potato Salad

Desserts:

Leyna's Kitchen - Velvet Cupcakes
Essential Chocolate Desserts - S'more Brownies

There will also be some music entertainment. For more information, check out
labbqfest.com

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Josie and the FD Cats

Josie Restaurant
(310) 581-9888
2424 Pico Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90405
$80 for my appetizer, entree and dessert

When writing reviews for restaurants, I always run into the question of objectivity. Not in the sense that I might be receiving gifts or special service because I am reporting on these restaurants, but in the sense that I always try to judge a place regardless of my present company. It is much too easy to dismiss a great restaurant when my companions are less than cordial or to trumpet a mediocre restaurant because of the good company. Luckily, in the case of Josie Restaurant in Santa Monica, I'm happy to report both the company and the food made the night.

We booked Monday night because of their relaxed corkage policy. With a twelve person party, we'd be giving them plenty of business anyway. The exterior is unassuming, actually difficult to spot from the street. Even with the combined intellects of my friend and I, plus our arsenal of iPhone, GPS and other smart devices, we still had to call to find the place. Inside, the lighting was low and the waiters genial, all the amenities you expect to find in fine dining establishments. We took full advantage of the Monday BYOB with a Bordeaux, California cabernet, white rioja, champagne and a rather alcoholic petite syrah. We would be making our own wine pairings. (For pairing suggestions, consult me for the FD Tip/Pairing chart)

Each of us received a slice of wild mushroom and gruyere quiche to start the night as an amuse bouche. This French term, translates into mouth amuser, is a a chef selected bonus. While the quiche may not be a true amuse bouche because it consisted of more than a few bites, it certainly amused my taste buds. The firm crust held in a rich mix of cream and cheese with the flavors of mushrooms peaking over the top. The little slice I had was the perfect amount, but it may have been too rich to start the meal. I was amused, but it could've been more playful.

My end of the table split four appetizers and two entrees, so I got a wide variety of tastes. We were all slightly disappointed that they didn't have the advertised Elk steak special that night, but that didn't deter us from getting a solid selection of dishes. I tried out my new iPhone camera, which could not get very good pictures in the low light. To compensate, I will of course describe to the best of my ability the layers of flavors I experienced. The white sea bass salad was an unlisted special for the night. I've always considered sea bass one of my favorite fish, and this simple salad highlighted its flavors. The tender white flesh of the fish was smoked to give it much more complexity and balance. Also, the fish matched well with the bitterness of the arugula salad. My crispy Berkshire pork belly with accompanying watermelon, cilantro and red onion salad was decadent. I've heard that pork belly is the new "it" dish and I'm not surprised. Good pork is so flavorful that it really puts American commercial hogs to shame. By itself, it was a little salty, but paired with the watermelon, the sweetness cuts right through the meat. I used to be skeptical about sweet and savory pairings, but not anymore.


California white sea bass salad

Berkshire pork belly with watermelon salad

The other two appetizers I tried were the sauteed frog legs with over a celery root puree and bacon-wrapped grilled quail. Now I've had frog before in Chinese cuisine, but never with a Gallic slant. They failed to impress me. The flavor of frog always seems to be the same, that bland protein flavor of white meat chicken. However, what the frog legs failed to be, the quail stepped up. Though the meat may be scarce on that little bird, what was present was rich and satisfying. Barding, the process of bacon-wrapping, makes a huge difference in delicate meat that tends to dry out.

Halfway into our dinner, Jono figured out a better way to take pictures. We combined the flash from his camera phone with my iPhone camera to get some much nicer photos of our entrees and desserts. Him and I shared the dry-aged farmed venison chop and the special cap steak. Now although we came hoping for the elk, which I've heard is the best kind of deer meat, I was not disappointed by the venison. The meat had the qualities of a good steak, rare and tender on the inside and seared on the outside. A poached pear paired with the chop to cut through the gaminess. Now when I heard Josie served wild game, I was expecting wild game. This venison was unfortunately farm-raised, thereby lacking much of the leaner flavor I expected from a truly wild animal. It definitely had a more complex flavor than beef, but it was not as unique as I had hoped. The cap steak on the other hand, elevated beef to another level. Granted, Josie is not a steakhouse, but I'd put money on that steak against some of the other chain steak places. Cap steak is taken from the same area as the rib-eye, which is my favorite cut of beef. It surrounds the "eye" next to the fatty tissue. The crust conveyed so much flavor deep into the meat that I would've been perfectly happy to sit there all night chewing on it. Luckily for me, the meat was tender enough that hardly any chewing was necessarily, and unluckily, it was soon gone.


Venison chops with wild rice

Cap steak

Discovering our cool new trick to photo dining, we eagerly took pictures of three of the desserts that arrived. My flourless chocolate hazelnut cake with a cookie crust and chocolate ganache filling was so dense that I could stick a heavy fork in it. Makes me wonder if the missing flour would have made it any lighter. But I was soon dwelling on the sinfully delicious cake instead. The pots de creme brulee, a collection of chocolate, orange and espresso creme brulees was a cute idea and tastefully presented. I only tried the orange one, and it was indeed robustly flavored. Finally the lemon sabayon cake resembled more of a strawberry short cake than a light custard as the name implies. The summer berries were refreshing.


Chocolate hazelnut cake

Three flavor creme brulee

Lemon sabayon cake

As our three hour meal came to an end, our group had scared everyone else out of the restaurant. The food may have been the draw, but the company was the focus. We had all worked hard to get our site up and running, and how else can foodies celebrate but by indulging in some quality cuisine. On our site, you can rate restaurants based on "food, service and vibe," but those three small words come way too late; I know now that a true rating is about the experience and that will always trump those three apart.

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The Counter

(310) 399-8383
2901 Ocean Park Boulevard,
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Adequately Fed: $15
2/3 lb. Beef Burger**** topped with:
Gruyere
Grilled Onions
Lettuce
Sprouts
Tomatoes
Sauteed Mushrooms
Horseradish Mayo
Fifty-fifty Sweet Fried and Onion Strings****
(Out of Five Stars)

After my trip to Father's Office, I've been meaning to explore this Santa Monica upscale diner to try their famous burgers. Having already been overwhelmed by the Office Burger's lavish toppings, the Counter proved its burgers could be just as elaborate.

Located near the Santa Monica airport, this restaurant actually has very little around it. This means ample street parking and even a lot. With the state of Los Angeles transit, parking is the little necessity far too often overlooked. The decor is a modern take on a Fifties diner, the eponymous counter running along the side of the restaurant. Paintings by a local street artist adorn the walls, images of street art graffiti and Nikes. Apparently, there is a monthly featured artist, as well as monthly special shakes and burgers. One wall consists of an innovative glass-paneled garage door allowing outside dining inside. Arriving at 1:30 on a Sunday afternoon, there was a wait of about twenty minutes. Once seated, our server did not come for another 5-10 minutes. Be aware that this place is busy.

This place's claim to fame is the customization of your burger order. Each diner receives a clipboard which lists the burgers and available toppings. Beef, turkey, chicken, and vegetarian burgers are available. The list of toppings is exhaustive, filled with common items such as tomatoes to the more unconventional grilled pineapple. Along with an extensive list of sauce, this menu makes the diner feel in control.

The sweet potato fries were thick and fried to a crisp, delicious exterior. Onion strings were mediocre, reminiscent of the Awesome Blossom at Chili's or any other casual dining restaurant. A deep fried onion has the highest ratio of delicious first bite to greasy, bloated feeling afterwards. The fifty-fifty comes with three sauces, barbecue, horseradish mayo and buttermilk ranch. All three tasted fine, the barbecue especially outstanding. The ranch was too thin for a sauce.

I ordered the 2/3 lb. burger topped as listed above. In retrospect, 1/3 lb. would have been more than generous and a whole pound would be suicide. With all the toppings, the burger was a mountain of beef and accompaniments. The bun had a crunchy, lightly toasted consistency and the toppings were fresh. I admired that the sauce was served on the side to dress how you please, a good way to avoid oversaucing, a plight so common in American restaurants. I'm always suspicious of any dish which relies on sauce to convey flavor. The Angus beef itself was juicy and superior to the beef used at Father's Office. Grilled to medium doneness, I savored each bite before letting it slide down my throat. With beef that good, the burger should really be simpler. Too many toppings detract from the beef, which is really what makes a great burger.

Besides the burgers, there is a wide selection of beers and wines for a burger restaurant. Admittedly, it is an upscale restaurant playing up cheap food as gourmet, but nonetheless, the drinks are impressive. For the non-alcoholic, they serve shakes and malts.

Recommendation: Order the 1/3 lb. burger with simple toppings. Anything more is just excessive.

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Father's Office

(310) 393-2337
1018 Montana Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90403

Adequately Fed: $20
Office 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 chefs new focus on gourmet burgers. Chef Sang Yoon of Father's Office treats his burgers seriously.

Father's Office is a bar, with elements of a restaurant. You must be twenty-one to enter the tightly packed room with over thirty beers on tap. Overwhelmed? I was. That's why I asked my bartender for a recommendation. The Red Seal that she gave me was very drinkable with a fruity after taste which I enjoyed. For the uninitiated, the scene is rather intimidating. Once you go inside, find an unoccupied bartender and ask for a menu. They have their beers listed along with their food selections. Order directly from the bartender, pay for your food, and take your plastic number placard to whatever free space you get.

Stein's article describes Yoon's $12 burger as having caramelized onions, Gruyere, Maytag blue cheese, bacon compote and arugula. Frankly, I could not taste much beyond the sweetness of the compote and the occasional leaf of lettuce. Combined, the sauce just tasted like a simple barbecue sauce and not much more. The meat was tender and cooked to order, but it lacked the meaty taste that I expect when paying so much for a burger. It went down well, but having no ultra distinguished tastes made it not worth my money. In my opinion, burgers should be simple. Made with wholesome ingredients of the finest quality, just a patty, bun and cheese can beat all the other creative things people put on ground beef nowadays.

The Office Burger

"A la Cart" Fries and Sweet Potato Fries

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Typhoon

Scorpions on Shrimp Toast

3221 Donald Douglas Loop S
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Adequately Fed: $18

Ordered:
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 middle of some rampage-driven video game and this was one of the stops for the next mission. Typhoon is located on the second floor overlooking the tarmac of the Santa Monica airport. Its location is unique but provides a great dining experience with a wide view of planes taking off and landing. The bar and the tables are also furnished nicely with an open-view kitchen.

This is one of the most diverse pan-Asian restaurants that I have encountered. The menu heavily favored Thai and other Southeast Asian cuisine and even incorporated Filipino food, a cuisine typically unseen in restaurant fare. Most of the menu items however, were typical of any Asian restaurant with the particular stand-out of a section labeled "Insects." Among the scorpions, which I ordered as an appetizer, there are waterbugs, sandworms and ants.

Paying $10 for an order of scorpions, I asked the waiter what the portion size was for that item. He responded that there are only two scorpions and they are not too filling. When the dish came, I was disappointed by the barely visible scorpion sitting on a bed of bland shrimp toast. The scorpions were fried beyond recognition and so tasted as such. It is a nice novelty, but certainly not worth the money.

To supplement my scorpions, I ordered the garlic noodles. The noodles were not as heavily flavored as I would have liked, but the addition of chile peppers helped. The Mongolian beef was over-priced as well for a dish I could have enjoyed at the mall for six dollars. It came with some toasted buns, but they still do not add that much value to the dish. The portion was large however.

The dessert, fried banana by a name I cannot remember, was excellent. It was fried in an egg-roll wrapper, making a crunchy texture balanced by the soft banana. The addition of the whipped cream was also a welcome change of texture and a slightly different flavor emphasis.

Recommended: Do not succumb to the hype; certain dishes are not worth the money. If you recognize a dish as something you can order in Chinatown for half the price, you are probably better off ordering something else.

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