My Visit to LACMA

I spent the holiday in LA this past December visiting my new niece, and my mom and two other siblings joined me in visiting baby Alexandra and her parents. There were many great laid back days full of morning audiences with her after her breakfast milk and poop, and cuddles as she took her nap, and cheering her on during tummy time, and playing the co-op videogame Overcooked. We also did some cooking, and take-out. As much as I adore baby cheeks though and the brief outings to get food, I knew I would get stir crazy. So there was one afternoon I also spent a few hours visiting LACMA, aka The Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Collaborative Art outside of LACMA from various people who had a visit to LACMA who left their admission ticket/sticker on various poles on Wilshire

I recommend this area for anyone and everyone. Even if you don’t pay admission to see the inside of the museum, there are lots of free sights in the park in the surrounding area – I went back to walk in the park several times staying in the free areas. Here are the details of my visit to LACMA and sights I recommend and which I saw during my visit to LACMA.

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Dim Sum in the SGV at King Hua Restaurant

As I covered in my other post, since my youngest sister lives in Los Angeles California, I tend to get down there at least once or twice a year. Every visit, there is inevitably a visit to Thai Town and eating Thai food, which I covered a bit in my last post with a look at Isaan Station. The other certainty is that I will get to the San Gabriel Valley, also known as SGV.

Located to the east of the Los Angeles area, Asian immigrants have been settling into this area for more than 150 years. In fact, SGV has the highest concentration of Chinese Americans in the US, and in general SGV is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the country. There are approximately 2 million people living in the 400 square miles that is the San area.

Besides the Chinese, other ethnic groups who call this area home include Vietnamese-, Korean-, Filipino-, Japanese- (notice all the hyphens) Americans. So yes, a super Asian-American area, but also the home to Armenian-Americans and Native-Americans and a large Latino-American contingent. Latino actually outnumber the Asians and together the Asian and Latino Americans outnumber all others in this area to be the non-white majority. There’s even a SGV For Life brand that celebrates this mix of the life here that is a mix of Latino and Asian American cultures.

The SGV boasts not only many minority ethnicities, but also multiple generations since the original immigration. After all, there are people descended from those have been settling here since the last 1800s and early 1900s, as well as newer settlers from a few decades to just arrived recently.

One of the side benefits of this area is the amazing food here. You can find food that is deep in its roots to its native heritage. Many times the dishes are almost exactly the same as if you have traveled to that country’s roadside restaurants, thanks to the ethnoburbs here that are built in demand and financial support for such food businesses (both in terms of groceries and prepared foods like bakeries and restaurants). People in the SGV are very proud of their strong cultural foundations that persevere outside their historical country.

Roast duck. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles. BBQ Pork. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles

At the same time, you can find new perspectives thanks to the large population of ethnic-Americans who take their history and culture along with their 1st and 2nd and 3rd generation American experience and update it to the 20th and now 21st century. Flavors and presentations and service evolve as they continue to pass it on to the next generations with better ingredients and bringing in new techniques and ideas from the culinary world.

An example of this is the intermingling of flavors such as the famous Kogi BBQ, which here in Portland is represented by KOi Fusion. The idea is mixing up burritos and tacos with marinated Korean grilled meats but without sacrificing the original strong and distinctive flavor profiles from which inspiration came from – no “Americanized” food here.

Another example is a newer updated dim sum experience that is emerging. The traditional dim sum has the iconic women and men, usually in little vests and bow ties (I don’t know why…) pushing carts through the dining room. As they arrive at each table, they pause to sell you their items from that cart, letting you peek at what mysteries they may have in their steamer containers and dishes. You get immediate satisfaction of taking that very container onto your lazy susan turntable on your dining table, and with a quick pick of your chopsticks, enjoying it mere minutes after seeing it.

There is no menu during traditional dim sum – just the adventure of ordering based on what you see and maybe a few ingredients that may be shared by the cart’s server.  It may end up being described as simply as “shrimp” or “chicken”… But buyer beware because what is described as “fried taro” turns out to not be vegetarian because it also has the surprise ingredient of pork throughout. Yes, eating dim sum is pretty much a vegetarian nightmare. You wind up accidentally eating meat or one of the few vegetarian options pointed out to you is the dish to the right below- “gluten”.
Taro cake. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles Taro filled sesame balls and Gluten dish (vegetarian). Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles

A few stamps or scratches of a pen onto your dim sum card to add those plates (which come in generally small, medium and large sizes and prices for S, M, L and SP -Special) and the carts move on. As you eat your eyes scan for the next cart. It means there may be no order to what you get to eat as it’s up to the whims of the pushcart timing and routes to where you are sitting. Some food may be fresher than others. It also pretty much means you have no idea what the final bill is until the head server comes does the math.
rice noodle rolls (cheong fan. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles Shrimp and pork dumplings, shu mai. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles

Newer generations don’t have this patience. I have seen some people get up and hunt down their desired dishes as they walk to carts they see, semi “cutting in” on the route – but also ensuring it doesn’t run out and is still hot and fresh by the time it arrives on our turntable.

Thankfully, some restaurants have updated the traditional dim sum process by offering menus when you are seated so you can also mark off everything and anything you want (taking a cue from filling out sushi and sashimi cards from the Japanese restaurants perhaps). Some of those menus even helpfully have photos to help you recognize items you want, just like when the cart lady lifts the top off a container.
Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles

Anything ordered from these menus is then made to order and delivered straight to your table, guaranteeing the desired dim sum dishes. You can imagine this is probably a great cost-savings to the kitchen as well in making things that they know people will definitely eat, rather than having some items get pushed around in carts, getting cold and tossed.

I certainly love the ability to see and get everything and anything among the offerings of they are all listed on a menu. But, I still like the adventure of cart service top, including not knowing what surprises lie under the lid, and I like the personal service of the carts rolling to the table and the cart lady pointing out items that you haven’t had that are new to her cart, or that she thinks you might like.
Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles

King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, one of the neighborhoods inside the SGV, was my stop with my family for Saturday lunch during my latest trip. King Hua bridges the divide between the traditional and modern dim sum by offering both of what I described above, so definitely the best of both worlds. Their dim sum menu is also massive, with more than 130 options. They even have six options for your tea to go along with your dim sum.
King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, dim sum menu.

With a mix of 5 of us ordering (my brother, who always over-orders, my new brother-in-law who at least had been to King Hua before, myself, and then 2 vegetarians peering a the menu on their own) and a total of 10 of us at the table, the photos you’ve seen throughout are some but not all the dishes that landed on our table. Several dishes as you can guess we had multiples of, and you can also be sure that there were times I had no idea what I was about to eat. There were familiar dishes that are staples of dim sum, and new dishes that I haven’t seen since being in Asia or just ever.
Roast duck. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles

My own favorites in ordering dim sum always include shimp dumplings (har gow), shrimp and pork dumplings (shu mai), rice noodle rolls (cheong fan), steamed spare rib, Shanghai soup dumplings if available, taro or turnip cake if available, wrapped crab claws if available, roast duck, crispy pork, and garlicky stir fried greens like ong choy or bok choy or Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) as usually the lone vegetable plate on the table.

As always, dim sum starts slow, usually with a few dishes picked off a cart, as the dishes ordered from the menu eventually begin to arrive. Then more and more of the ordered dishes come, and there are more carts visiting that you may pick some dishes here it there still. Now becomes a bit of a race and spatial puzzle in trying to fit dishes on the turntable and finish some dishes to stack or get the container off the table as you try to courteously spin the lazy Susan turntable to share dishes.

One thing I also really liked about King Hua is that several of the pastries they offered to cut into smaller portions for sharing. This is a great strategy as particularly the buns with that bread can be filling so you want to share so you can get more variety as part of your meal.
Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles. One thing I also really liked about King Hua is that several of the pastries they offered to cut into smaller portions for sharing Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles. One thing I also really liked about King Hua is that several of the pastries they offered to cut into smaller portions for sharing

I liked the touch of putting the soup dumplings in individual containers to make sure there is no sad loss when trying to roll these out of the steamer and accidentally breaking it, and watching that precious delicious soup filling bleed from the dumpling being lost instead of filling your mouth.
Shanghai Soup Dumplings. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles Shanghai Soup Dumplings. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles

Another particular favorite was that there were 2 versions of Egg Custard Tarts – a more yellow another orangish one (#67 and 69). Both were great, though I lean towards the King Hua egg custard version.

King Hua egg custard tarts. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles King Hua egg custard tarts. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles

A newly discovered favorite is a dim sum item that I’m sure is a special edition to showcase bringing together the old and new: King Hua Baked Chicken Salad buns. Yum. That’s not something you see at a dim sum usually!
King Hua Baked Chicken Salad buns. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles King Hua Baked Chicken Salad buns. Dim sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra, a mixture of push carts and being able to order off the menu for the best of both worlds in dim sum eating adventures in Los Angeles

Overall, a successful dim sum adventure for my family and I at King Hua. If you are in the Los Angeles area, I highly recommend you do a search for some good eats in the San Gabriel Valley and give the area a try: there are so many possibilities, including listings from LA Eater’s guide to the SGV, a list by LA Weekly of restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley, FoodRepublic’s 13 Best Dishes East San Gabriel Valley, Time Out Magazine did a listing based on whether you are looking for breakfast, lunch, or dinner among some of the many resources out there.

Have you been to dim sum? What would you prefer, push cart service or being able to order from a menu list? Are there any particular dim sum favorite dishes you have?

Did you know about the San Gabriel Valley, and have you been in that area of LA?

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Isaan Station in Los Angeles and Advice for ordering from a Thai menu

For today’s Travel Tuesday I am taking you to Los Angeles, California, and sharing you my strong recommendation when in LA to visit Thai Town. Have you heard of Thai Town? Located within central LA and centered generally on Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards and Western Avenue, this area is the only Thai ethnic neighborhood in the US. It’s basically a Thai version of what many metropolitan cities have as a Chinatown. LA is the home to the largest Thai population besides Thailand itself – it seems Thais have been immigrating and living in this other City of Angels (Bangkok, capital of Thailand, also translates to City of Angels) since the 1960s.

Whenever I visit LA and my sister, there is always inevitably a stop in Thai Town. It’s the closest thing to eating food in the same exact flavor profiles of flying 16-17 hours to the other side of the world (or alternatively getting a Thai mom or auntie to make what specific dish she is known for while hearing how you may have gained weight or need to exercise while simultaneously getting unasked for food put on your plate and encouraged to eat more).

A few weeks ago, when I was in LA, that stop in Thai Town for my trip was at Isaan Station. Ok, their location of which is probably technically in the bordering Koreatown, but let’s move on from geography shall we.

Isaan means “Northeast” in Thai, so this Thai restaurant specialize in Northeast Thai cuisine (most Thai restaurants serve Central Region food, with the other popular region being Northern Thai food). Isaan food is less Chinese influenced then Central and Northern Thai food and leans more towards Laos and Cambodia. Sticky rice and being very spicy are particularly recognizable as a common hallmark of Isaan food.

So no surprise when you look at the big laminated menu of Isaan Station and see the words “All Dishes Good With Sticky Rice” and a warning of “Please let us know what style of level of spiciness you prefer” along with “If you have allergies or fear please ask for a list of ingredients”.

Seriously though, be careful how spicy you make the ingredients because they really do make it spicy – what Isaan Station calls medium is the hot spicy level of most Thai restaurants.

When reading a Thai menu, my advice is to first read through and see what items you see that you don’t normally see on other menus. Sure, Isaan Station has Pad Thai and Pad See Eew and Pad Kee Mao and Pad Kra Prao, those common Thai dishes. But, the menu has a whole section called Som Dtum (also commonly seen as Som Tum) that offers 7 versions of this spicy but sweet shredded papaya salad. The additions in the various dishes include salted egg, pickled blue crab, fermented fish- lots of funky fun. That’s a sign.
Som Dum or Som Tum Thai, a green papaya salad with peanuts and dried shrimps, both spicy and slightly sweet from Isaan Station in LA

Isaan Station also has a whole section called Larb Nham Dtok offering 7 kinds beef, pork, and chicken dishes, though most of it is pork. Larb is a spicy minced meat salad (pretty much all meat, despite the salad term which is what the Thai word Larb means). Nham Dtok means waterfall, referring to the the juices running like a waterfall from the meat.

You should also not expect a traditional salad of greens from Isaan Station’s other section Thai Salad (Yum), as these are also all boasting meat or Seafood. Yum here is not am adjective meaning delicious but a Thai word that refers to a type of Thai dish that has lots of lime and chili in so it’s a bit more sour with your spicy food.

Below, Larb Woon Sen of spicy glass noodle with minced pork, red onion, mint leaves, lime, rice powder, cilantro, coriander and green onion. Larb is the minced pork meat, and Woon Sen is the glass noodles. So good!
Larb Woon Sen at Isaan Station in LA, a dish of spicy glass noodle with minced pork, red onion, mint leaves, lime, rice powder, cilantro, coriander and green onion

An unexpected surprise at Isaan Station is that they also serve Thai Street Food. I’m always drawn to this section of a menu if I see it in any Thai restaurant. Here at Isaan Station this refers to a lot of charcoal and deep fried meat dishes you can find in the Grilled and Deep Fried section of their menu – you probably have not seen some of these dishes before listed. On Thailand these were grilled on the street, enticing you from many blocks away like those aroma hands that tickle your nose and float you towards them, like in Looney Toon cartoons. I was most thrilled about the Kohr Moo Yang, a charcoal grilled pork neck (we also had  the Crying Tiger charcoal grilled beef and the Khai Yang Ob Oong charcoal grilled tumeric marinated chicken).
Kohr Moo Yang, Charcoal grilled pork neck. From Isaan Station in LA Crying Tiger, Charcoal grilled beef tenderloin from Isaan Station in LA Khai Yang Ob Oong, a charcoal grilled tumeric marinated chicken at Isaan Station in LA

But we were all taken aback at the table by how delicious the Mhu Daad Diew, a marinated pork sirlion that is first air dried (almost like jerky in chewiness) and then deep fried to crispiness. We ended up ordering and finishing 2 dishes of it, no problem. Definitely must order again and again.
Nua Daahd Diew, a marinated sirloin dish air dried and deep fried from Isaan Station

When ordering the Khao Niew sticky rice accompaniment, you generally want 1 basket for every 1-2 person, depending on how much rice each person is planning to eat. The rice is going to usually come in a little steamer basket as shown below (behind the Sai Grok Isaan, a homemade sausage of fermented pork and glutinous rice – the sausage is not something I would order again as other dishes had more flavor). When you open the little basket, you’ll find all the sticky rice balled in a little plastic bag that you then squeeze out the portion of rice you want onto your plate.

I like eating sticky rice with my hands where almost like a combination of sushi, I smush the grilled meat of my choice with the morsel of sticky rice in my fingers and eat them together. Another option is to eat a forkful of meat, in your fingers with the rolled morsel of sticky rice dip it into the chili sauce the shared plate, and then pop that in after chewing the meat.
Sai Grok Isaan, deep fried sausages of fermented pork and glutinous rice eaten with a basket of sticky rice (behind) at Isaan Station in LA

For fun, consider the sweet Honey Toast dessert. You have to order it ahead of time as it takes 30 minutes to prepare in the kitchen, but it’s a mix of doughy softness inside the toast with crispness and sugar and honey along with cold ice cream (your choice of vanilla and or chocolate – we went with all vanilla). This is enough for 4 people.
Honey Toast dessert from Isaan Station in LA Honey Toast dessert from Isaan Station in LA

Isaan Station is unfortunately Cash Only – there is an ATM outside to use if you need it. There is a very small parking lot since they are in a strip mall, but that lot can get full (and it’s only valet in that lot, not self parking, but it’s free) so you might have to do street parking. They have dine in, take out, online ordering off their website and free delivery within a 2 mile radius.

One last tip: follow the crowds or particularly in LA Thai Town or any of its great ethnic neighborhoods what restaurants have people waiting and parking is full as that’s also usually a sign. Go where the locals are lining up!

Have you ever had any of these dishes or been to Thai Town in LA? What is generally the go to Thai dish you like to order, or the Thai dish you sometimes crave?

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Jinya Ramen Bar in Los Angeles

Shortly after arriving at LAX and being picked up by my sister/bride to be, we grabbed a quick and very satisfying lunch at Jinya Ramen Bar before we went off to pick up her wedding dress in Koreatown and then off to check into the house we selected to rent for the bridesmaids via VRBO. Before picking me up, the car had already gotten filled up at Costco with muffins, croissants, OJ etc to help stock our rental home.

But, we needed a little more fuel before we continued on, and Jinya Ramen provided that warm tummy to help us out.
Jinya Ramen Bar, at Mid-Wilshire in Los Angeles Jinya Ramen Bar, at Mid-Wilshire in Los Angeles Jinya Ramen Bar, at Mid-Wilshire in Los Angeles

It was ironic that I had just written a post about takoyaki and how it had been a couple years since I had it, but then within just this past few weeks I had an opportunity to have it twice!

This Jinya is in a small strip mall so there are several parking spaces you can grab right in front of the restaurant. If you come when it is busy, there will be a sign up sheet for you that you should add your name and party size ASAP. We arrived around 1:45, so after the lunch rush had already subsided, so we were seated within 5 minutes.
Jinya Ramen Bar, at Mid-Wilshire in Los Angeles

The service is quick, with us quickly placing our orders for their classic and best seller ramen, the Jinya Number 1 of Tonkatsu Black which includes pork broth, pork chashu, kirukage, and egg along with the regular expected ramen flavorings like green onion, dried seaweed/nori, garlic chips, fried onion and a ramen special that was a bit spicier with jalapenos. There are additional toppings you can also add to your ramen, varying from spinach to tofu to corn, wonton, chicken, bok choy, etc. They have 9 other ramens, such as those with chicken if you don’t eat pork, and even a vegetarian one.

Looking at this photo now, with the cooler weather and cold rains, I can’t help but crave some more ramen right now!
Jinya Ramen bar at Mid-Wilshire, their classic and best seller ramen, the Jinya Number 1 of Tonkatsu Black which includes pork broth, pork chashu, kirukage, and egg along with the regular expected ramen flavorings like green onion, dried seaweed/nori, garlic chips, fried onion

You can also get combinations with your ramen, such as adding on pork gyoza and salad, or california roll and salad, or a curry rice… At the Mid-Wilshire location, we opted not only for pork gyoza but brussels sprouts tempura.
Jinya Ramen bar at Mid-Wilshire, pork gyoza that you can get with salad in addition to your ramen to make a combo Jinya Ramen bar at Mid-Wilshire, brussels sprouts tempura

And we got takoyaki, or octopus balls!
Jinya Ramen bar at Mid-Wilshire, takoyaki or octopus balls Jinya Ramen bar at Mid-Wilshire, takoyaki or octopus balls

Besides the 3 location in Los Angeles, you can also find Jinya Ramen in Las Vegas, Houston, and Vancouver Canada, and I think there might be one in Seattle (Bellevue) as well?!

Do you ever crave ramen on a cold rainy day? Where do you get your ramen fix at?

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Son of a Gun in Los Angeles

On my last trip to Los Angeles, when I had been throwing my sister’s wedding shower, we had driven by Son of a Gun on the way to Dry Bar and I vowed to return on my next visit. I made good on that promise to myself on this most recent trip to LA.

My main focus was to try the shrimp toast sandwich and their famous lobster roll. Besides anything with cheese, I would say a lobster roll tops my list that if I see it on a menu, I will order it. And, I am willing to travel and do what it takes for a good version of a lobster roll. The one at Son of a Gun has been listed as one of the top 5 lobster rolls in LA, which further fueled my motivation. The signage is not that obvious, but look for the red door.
Son of a Gun, in Los Angeles Son of a Gun, in Los Angeles

Son of a Gun is mostly a seafood restaurant, which is why the large sections of their menu are divided into Raw, Shellfish, Fish, and only 2 options for Meat and 3 seasonals which are salads. But, one of those options for meat is their famous fried chicken sandwich. The other, which we did not have room for, is the Country ham sandwich they offer.

Unlike the shrimp toast sandwich and lobster roll, this thing is massive, served with a buttery roll and spicy b&b pickle slaw and rooster aioli.
Son of a Gun, fried chicken sandwich, spicy b&b pickle slaw, rooster aioli Son of a Gun, fried chicken sandwich, spicy b&b pickle slaw, rooster aioli

Meanwhile, the shrimp toast sandwich and lobster roll are more palm sized, so like me, you can order 1 of each. The shrimp toast sandwich with herbs and sriracha mayo is small for the price tag, as is the lobster roll, but are intense in flavor. The shrimp toast sandwich you can conceivably cut in half to share a taste as it is a bit greasy, but you will want to eat that lobster roll, with its very buttery roll that is melt in your mouth, all by yourself.
Son of a Gun, Shrimp Toast Sandwich with herbs, sriracha mayo Son of a Gun, Shrimp Toast Sandwich with herbs, sriracha mayo

Remember, the lobster roll is only palm sized, unlike many other lobster rolls that are hoagie sized, so set your expectations accordingly.
Son of a Gun, Lobster Roll with celery, lemon aioli Son of a Gun, Lobster Roll with celery, lemon aioli Son of a Gun, Lobster Roll with celery, lemon aioli

One disappointment during our visit was that service was slow. We arrived there a bit later to avoid the lunch rush, around 1:45 pm. It took almost 10 minutes before someone finally took our order and bring our waters, and so we didn’t see any food until 2:10 pm (verified by the timestamp on my pictures). Only shortly after receiving our food, while still eating, the waitress came over to ask if us if we wanted dessert or anything else as they were closing the kitchen (the restaurant closes at 2:30 to complete lunch service), not that they had the menu in hand when they asked so we could look. There were literally only a handful of tables occupied in the restaurant, so I’m not quite sure why they were slow to get to us. We paid cash in order to get out of there quickly. Hopefully, this was just a one-off experience on a waitress’ bad day.

 

Similar to how I will journey to find a good lobster roll, is there certain food you will go out of your way for when you travel?

 

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