Fish tacos have always been a favorite of Angelenos and if you ask them, they will each have their go-to joint for fish tacos. In East LA, there’s Tacos Baja Ensenada which serves huge battered pieces of fish worth every bit of your money. In La Puente and Baldwin Park, there’s also El Taco Nazo which I’ve never tried but heard great things about. In Los Feliz, there’s Joseph Cordova’s Best Fish Taco in Ensenada which serves some tasty fish and shrimp tacos along with funky salsas made with fruit. In Silver Lake there are three spots: El Siete Mares, Tacos Delta and of course, Ricky Piña’s fish tacos. At El Siete Mares (The Seven Seas), you can get really tasty fish tacos for only $1 on Tuesdays. Tacos Delta is known for their chilaquiles but since the Jaliscan family started offering fish/shrimp tacos, I’ve been seeing more and more people eating them. Ricky Piña started as a one-man-taco-stand and was an overnight success through the help of social media. He really changed the game in the Eastside as far as serving authentic Ensenada-style tacos and gained a huge following. And the fish taco scene only gets better again. I’d like to introduce a new addition to the Ensenada-style fish taco scene, Pescaderos de Ensenada of the Atwater Village farmer’s market.

Atwater Village is a neighborhood located just north of Silver Lake, east of Los Feliz and south of Glendale. It has been said to be the area where people from Silver Lake or Echo Park move to raise their family since it’s mainly neighborhood homes versus apartments. Also because Lo$ Feli$ is too expen$ive. With the addition of a farmer’s market and the amazing Proof Bakery, this area has become part of my morning routine on Sundays. Though the farmer’s market is quaint and miniscule compared to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, I always find what I need and have a reduced chance of being trampled by the Stroller Mafia usually present in Hollywood. Food-wise, you’ll actually find enough to eat. I’ve been here enough times to know exactly what food odors will be present in the air. There’s Big Mista’s BBQ, where you’ll find smokey ribs and brisket. There’s a Salvadorean lady offering a wide variety of pupusas and refreshing jugos (juices). And there’s an Asian guy offering up some marinated grilled chicken. But on one of the Sundays, I smelled something new. Something being fried, but not like fried chicken. That distinct, light smell of hot oil and beer that could only be from one thing: fish tacos.

I walked up and was immediately greeted by this amiable gentleman named Pedro Montes. Before I could start asking him questions about his fish tacos he asked, “Would you like to try a sample of our Ensenada-style fish tacos?”  Who me?  Do I look skinny to you? Of course I’ll take a sample Mr. Costco!  He cut up a fish fillet and handed it to me on a napkin. “Go ahead and add some cream and salsa,” he said. I took a bite of the fish which was crispy and well-seasoned. I could tell he used my favorite fish used for fish tacos – basa. Basa is a farm-raised catfish native to the Mekong Delta area in Southeast Asia. This fish is also used by Best Fish Taco in Ensenada and Ricky’s Fish Tacos. It doesn’t have that sandy and gritty taste like most catfish and has a subtle sweetness to it that can only be tasted when the batter is light. I don’t like it when you can’t taste the fish in a fish taco (*ahem Rubio’s) or fish & chips.

I then asked Pedro, “Can you get angelito fish from Ensenada?” He smiled and right then he knew I was serious about fish tacos. “You know about angelito fish?” Though I’ve never tried it, I learned from Ricky Piña and Bill Esparza of Street Gourmet LA that the traditional fish in fish tacos is actually not a fish, but a type of shark native to the Baja waters called angelito. And I’ve been dying to try it. When I was in Ensenada years ago, I was too young to care that I was eating not a fish but a shark for breakfast. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard of any fish taco vendors driving down to Ensenada just to get that particular fish. But I thought I’d ask Pedro anyway.

I was reeled in by the samples. “Two fish tacos please!” Seeing that there were already a few pieces of already-fried fish, I asked for some cooked to order because I like maximum heat and crunch. I took the opportunity to hear Pedro Montes’ story. Pedro was born in Ensenada but his parents were originally from the Tequila region of Jalisco (about an hour drive outside of Guadalajara). He was raised on fish tacos and tells me all about the fish taco scene in Ensenada. Everyday, fisherman (pescadores) bring in their daily catch to sell at the Mercado Negro. The competition is fierce with over 25 different fish taco vendors selling fish tacos made with exactly the same fish and traditional frying-in-lard technique (manteca). I asked him then, how do vendors differentiate themselves. Do they do anything unique to the fish tacos? He declined and said, “No, when you’ve got fierce competition, you’ve got to split hairs and it all comes down to customer service.” He said many vendors will lure you in with free samples, throw in some free drinks or even offer you the “you don’t like, you don’t buy” deal. He said to me, “I believe in offering the best customer service and healthier options.”

Beautiful basa. Pedro does not use the traditional method of frying in manteca lard, but rather grapeseed oil which is healthier, more flavorful than Canola/vegetable oil and has a higher smoking point.

At Pescadores de Ensenada, you’ve got many toppings you can add to your fish taco. Though a traditional fish taco is angelito fish, cabbage, pico de gallo, salsa and mayonnaise, Montes offers a lot more for extra customer service points. In addition to the mayonnaise, you’ve got the slightly sweeter crema mexicana (Mexican sour cream), chipotle mayo, guacamole, red/green salsas and pickled habanero/red onions. The corn tortilla he uses is a brand called Diana’s which I think has great flavor for a tortilla. Pedro makes an excellent fish taco even though it is not fried in delicious, porky lard. Jeni and I could have easily eaten a third one.

But what I actually liked more than Pedro’s fried fish taco was what he calls his “naked fish tacos” (tacos encuerados). I really enjoy steamed meat tacos (tacos al vapor) and had to try these. Pedro takes the raw basa fillets, adds some Mexican seasoning (sazonador) and a few thin slices of habanero chile. He wraps them tightly in foil and his cooks heat them in a pan over the griddle for about ten minutes. The result is a nicely seasoned, fillet with all of its natural juices retained and it’s really delicious. Nice habanero kick too!

“Naked fish tacos” (tacos encuerados), awesome. Even more awesome if you yourself are eating it naked.

I’m really hoping one day Pedro will bring some angelito to fry up. Come say hello to this gentleman!

Pescadores de Ensenada
Owner: Pedro Montes
3250 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Sundays 9 am – 2 pm
Saturday 9 am – 2 pm (Downey Farmer’s Market on 2nd Street/Paramount Blvd.)

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At the end of the day, fish tacos are something I enjoy eating. Rather than bashing a restaurateur’s hard work, time and money saved up, I’ll point out the good things about each fish taco joint mentioned earlier. I believe in helping out those that deserve recogntion. We all have different tastes and you’ll just have to find the one you like best without putting a place out of a business. Right, Yelp? Just enjoy.

Ricky’s Fish Tacos, Silver Lake. Ricky is originally from Ensenada and one of the nicest guys and has been doing this for nearly 3 years. His fish tacos have a nice crunch and it’s always nice spending a weekend afternoon in his driveway location. Try his combo fish taco which contains both fish and shrimp. His crema mexicana is sweet and not too thick.

Pescadores de Ensenada, Atwater Village. Pedro’s best tacos are his fried and steamed fish. If you’re shopping at the farmer’s market, you’re in for a great snack. Grab a Mexican soda to go with this or one of the jugos from the pupusa lady right next to them.

Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada, Los Feliz. I like Joseph’s shrimp tacos more than his fish tacos. He also offers potato tacos now. He offers the sweetest crema mexicana for those that like that. When I make fish tacos at home, I make it slightly sweet like his.

El Siete Mares, Silver Lake. If you’re hungry and happen to only have four quarters in your pocket on a Tuesday, it is your lucky day.  Fish tacos for $1 is unheard of just try not to think about why it’s so cheap.  They are very good here.

Tacos Delta, Silver Lake. If you’re eating their chilaquiles here, make it a happy meal with a fish taco. The family that runs TD is super nice and they serve a good sized fish taco. The shrimp taco is worth trying too.

Tacos Baja Ensenada, East LA. If size matters to you, you come to TBE. The fillets are large, heavily-battered and tasty. They’ve been here for decades and are not going anywhere anytime soon.

Via Mar Seafood, Highland Park. On Wednesdays, you can get TWO fish tacos for $2.25 and they are tasty.

La Estrella Tacos #3, Highland Park. Just up the street from Via Mar is this place which is most famous for their al pastor tacos served out of a truck on York Blvd. But their fish tacos are huge and messy – in a good way.

La Cevicheria, Mid-City. Though not an official Ensenada fish taco, this Guatemalan family knows how to make a tasty fish taco using haddock. I like it here a lot.

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In San Gabriel Valley’s Asian restaurant scene, the rules, or lack of, are a bit different. There are no laws about having identical businesses within the same shopping center. You can pretty much find competing businesses within a few feet of each other and it’s no wonder that shops are closing down and opening up every few months. There’s no originality at times and there’s shameless, blatant plagiarism everywhere you look. When the once-unique tapioca pearl milk tea drink known as “boba” came to Los Angeles from Taiwan in the early 90′s, every one started copying it. The Vietnamese caught on to it and I’ve even seen it offer in Latino businesses. When the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich suddenly got attention, new sandwich shops were appearing almost instantly and overshadowed fast food chains like McDonalds. Things become mainstream very quickly in SGV. It’s competitive, tough, sad at times but its the wild west of the restaurant industry and how it is back in the Asian homeland.

An example of this “lawlessness” can be witnessed at the 300 block of Valley Blvd. in  San Gabriel Valley, what can also be referred to as the Dumpling Depot. If I remember correctly, there are now exactly five restaurants lined up next to each other that serve the most highly-coveted, juicy dumpling known as xiao long bao (literally “small basket buns”). Mei Long Village or Dragon Mark Inn (closed) may have been one of the first few places to offer delicious XLB, but the trend was soon spotted and each of those neighboring restaurants now offer XLB. Thus, the term, Dumpling Depot. To serious fans, a XLB is more than just a “dumpling” – it’s an experience. The filling for XLB consists of ground pork, vegetables and ginger. A cube of congealed, rendered pork fat is inserted into the center of the filling and then neatly wrapped in spherical form. The XLB is then steamed in a basket, usually on top of pieces of nappa cabbage which allows steam to perforate. But the magic doesn’t end there. Once it is steamed, that cube of pork fat takes on a new state – it turns into a juice or soup. But you can’t eat it right away or you will burn your tongue and mouth. Thankfully, the great health care plans of America treat XLB-related injuries. You have to let it cool off a little and at the right moment, eat the whole XLB in one bite with a little dip of Zhejiang black vinegar. The joy of having these pork grenades explode in your mouth is immeasurable. And in this plaza, the ultimate factor of success is based on one sole thing – does your XLB taste better than your neighbors?

On a weeknight, Jeni had a craving for XLB and we ended up at the Dumpling Depot. Although the places here may not be the best for XLB, we come here because they close pretty late. We started from the left side where Mei Long Village is located and began to walk along, like we were window shopping. Each of the places have large printed photos of their prized XLB and we eventually decided to try a place we haven’t tried before – a Northeastern Chinese joint called New Tasty Restaurant (民 俗 村，min2 su2 cun1, means “People’s Village). I believe this place replaced the once-popular Dragon Mark Inn (一 條 龍，yi1 tiao2 long2). It wasn’t empty and there were enough customers in there to let you know that the food didn’t completely suck.

We ended up ordering their beef noodle soup which is served with knife-cut noodles and of course, a basket of their XLB. Both were OK. The beef noodle soup was served warm and the noodles were a bit too starchy and chewy. The XLB was very dense and didn’t have that nice bite to them. The juice was adequate but lacked that rendered pork flavor. But what you have to know about the restaurants in SGV is that there are hidden gems on the menu. Although this restaurant is reeling you in with its printed photos of XLB and beef noodle soup, there’s more to be revealed. You either have to be able to read Chinese, go with someone who is familiar with this particular region’s food or like us, discover new dishes serendipitously. I’d skip both of these dishes and just order…

… the potstickers (鍋 貼, guo1 tie1). I always ask the servers at the restaurant what the Chef’s signature dish is and was highly recommended to try these. These are the long, rectangular style potstickers that I love. They are easy to grab with chopsticks and a lot of fun to eat. The first thing I like to do is take a bite out of the corner of the dumplings, and with a spoon or bowl ready in hand, tilt the juice out. I do this (a) to make it less messy to eat, (b) to check out the Chef’s skills and (c) because I’m bizarre. When I was in Shanghai, I was blown away by the XLB and potstickers, and ever since then, have used my experience with theirs as a litmus test for other dumplings I try. Looking at this photo, you can tell he’s incorporated the XLB magic “juice” into his potstickers. A fly would think its bathing under a waterfall in Hawaii. Mrs. Lu of Dean Sin World also does a great job with her juicy and flavorful potstickers, but they are not long and rectangular like New Tasty’s. These are excellent, juicy and the dough is rolled out perfectly. You don’t want the dough to be too thin nor too thick.

Another minute detail you may or may not regard is the crispy, “spiderweb” (credit for term: C. Lander) on the potstickers. This “spiderweb” is created by the caramelization of sugar and the combination of heated fat and possible usage of soy sauce. I’ve experienced this effect a lot when cooking in a non-stick pan. The “juices” during the cooking process don’t evaporate and end up clumping together into a solid, crispy taste. Thank you chemistry! Like Zorro leaving his “Z” mark, the Chef has gladly placed pieces of this “spiderweb” on top of our potstickers, further whetting our appetite (first photo). All in all, this is the chef’s way of showing you just how juicy his potstickers are.

On this evening, there happened to be two large parties of older Chinese men chowing down. Both tables had soup served in a black, clay pot that was very reminiscent of the ones Koreans use for soon tofu (순두부, soon doo boo) and ox bone soup (설렁탕, shul lung tang). Hmm, strange. I then looked at the menu and spotted Korean cold noodles known as naeng myun (냉면). I asked the waitress where the chef came from and learned that he’s from He Nan (河南, he2 nan2) which is relatively close to South Korea. The neighboring province of Shan Dong is directly across the way from Korea and it is where you will see the largest mix of Chinese and Koreans. You may have had the Chinese-influenced Korean dishes such as black bean noodles (자장면, ja jang myeon), sweet & sour pork (탕수육, tang soo yook) and seafood noodle soup (짬뽕, jjampong), which are heavily present in the Shan Dong province. It all made sense. The soup in the black, clay pot wasn’t soon tofu or ox bone soup, but rather a lamb offal soup（洋湯, yang2 tang1)! I asked the chef if I could try a little since we were pretty full. Like shul lung tang, this soup is prepared by boiling lamb leg bones for hours, adding lamb tripe and stomach and ladeling a tiny bit of house made chili oil. These soups usually come unseasoned and the jar of salt suggests you do your own seasoning. For those that love shul lung tang AND lamb “menudo”, this is for you. Not the sexiest dish to share on an eHarmony first-date, but I find it very comforting and tasty.

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*Pointers for New Tasty Restaurant*

1. If you want XLB, go to Happy Garden or Mei Long Village. This isn’t the New Tasty chef’s forté.

2. The potstickers come with a really good dipping sauce but you can always start your own dumpling party with a 1:1:1 soy sauce, chili oil and vinegar mixture.

3. I spotted some other tasty looking dishes like Dalu noodle, Hot Oil Wonton, Crispy Beef Cake, Dalian Style Sauteed Pig Feet, Cumin Lamb, Dalian-style Yellow Fish and Yellow Fish with Tofu. Check them out.

4. If you get the lamb “menudo”, remember to season it with salt otherwise you’ll be drinking bland, hot water.

5. Don’t be afraid to get up and ask other diners what they are eating. Mainland Chinese menus are extremely vague, confusing and sometimes erroneous in grammar.

6. Green onion pancakes are complimentary, no need to order them unless you want the version with beef in it.

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New Tasty Restaurant (New Taste Dumpling House on Yelp)
301 W. Valley Blvd. Suite 110
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 282-5953
Mon-Sun 8 am – 3 am
CASH only

I can’t remember the last time I had a drink that made me, unregrettably, say “That was amazing. May I have please another glass?” We’ve all had good and bad times when it comes to drinking. But usually, it’s the bad that will forever be ingrained. To this day, there are some liquors, like Goldschlagger and Southern Comfort, I will not drink because of painful memories. There was that time in college when I was guzzling down beer from a two-story bong and nearly blacked out at the end of the night. There was that time at least 30-40 guys would get together attempting the Century Club, in which you had to drink a full shot of beer every minute until you hit 100 shots – which most people failed in. There was that time in Ensenada when some Mexican guy poured nasty Tequila down my throat while blowing a whistle to the beat of terrible techno music. There was that time when I got stuck drinking horrible local moonshine made out of sticky rice in Laos for nearly an hour until I couldn’t take it anymore. Or even that time in Bogota when one shot of anise-flavored Aguardiente (Colombian “ouzo” or “absinthe”) became nearly a dozen and led to major confusion and silly disputes over a bill with a local. And what about those birthdays that ended with a blurry view of some bushes and an unpleasant permutation of your dinner from a few hours ago. All of these events resulted in empty promises to God that I would never again drink this much. This was the phase in many of our lives where you would simply drink for the sheer joy of senseless intoxication. And for a while, it seemed like it was the only way to enjoy alcohol – in careless debauchery and miserable regret. Frankly, I was pretty tired of it all.

But that was until I had my first true cocktail by one of Los Angeles’ best bartenders, Julian Cox. One that didn’t come from a cheap, anonymous bottle and a fizzy beverage hose. “Make me something please,” I said, “I don’t know anything about cocktails.” I watched as he carefully poured some fine whiskey into a jigger, all the way to the top where it was ready to spill over. He added a sugar cube into the glass and doused it with 5-6 drops of a dark liquid I would later know to be Angostura Bitters from Trinidad. With a stirring spoon, he lowered a crystal-clear cube of ice into the glass of whiskey and sugar and carefully stirred. And stirred. And stirred. And stirred. This tedious process lasted for at least three minutes, but not for one second did Julian yawn or take his eyes off his glass. He then grabbed a black plastic straw and with one finger plugging the end of the straw, siphoned a few droplets of his newly mixed elixir and tasted it. He let out an audible mmmm in approval. With an orange in hand, he took a peeler and meticulously carved out a pith-less peel. Holding the peel by the outside edges, he pinched the peel hard enough to spray mists of aromatic oils into the cocktail, but gently enough where the peel did not break. One swipe of the peel along the rim of the glass and it was tossed into the brown liquid. Julian handed me the drink that I ordered nearly ten minutes ago and I asked, “What in the world did you just make me?” “It’s called an Old Fashioned and it’s made with Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.” Pap-daddy what? I took a sip and at first coughed because I was not used to the fumes of whiskey. But my next sip, I really let the whiskey rest on my tongue so that the taste registered. The combination of the spicy whiskey, sweetness from the sugar cube, herbal spike from the Angostura bitters and orange peel oils was simply harmonious. Versus taking the drink down like a shot at a college party, I drank it slowly and let myself enjoy it. This was 2008 and it was a revelation.

From there, we were hooked with the amazing cocktail scene happening in Los Angeles. And no matter how many bars we checked out, it never got old. Every bartender had something unique to offer whether it be made with whiskey, gin, tequila, scotch or mezcal. The more we visited, the more we learned about cocktails and the more we got to know the styles of each bartender. We eventually started our own home bar and mix at home. Jeni even won a Summer cocktail competition at Drago Centro. And I eventually decided to document the many bartenders that put Los Angeles on the cocktail map. We thought to ourselves, it doesn’t get any better than this. But when you say things like that, you know what ends up happening.

And a few years later… we found ourselves standing behind a metal cage. Through the wiry boundary, we could see a beautiful, minimalist kitchen – no wait… a laboratory to be honest. There were about seven nicely-dressed bartenders. Some moving around looking for spirits in unmarked liquor bottles, some were measuring their pours like chemists and some engaging in their own rhythmic cocktail shake. There was no talking, none – like they were worker bees quietly humming to themselves. Our eyes grew as we watched the “chefs” send out their “dishes”. Some plated in a way that we had never seen before. We’re standing in the area known as the “Gallery”, a space with about 8 standing tables that can accommodate 18-20 people, while the main “dining” area can hold up to 70. We’re here with our neighbors and we are all very excited for the unexpected cocktails made by these bartenders. The waitress quickly corrects us by telling us that they are not referred to as bartenders, but as “chefs”. And in a moment, we would understand why. We were standing in The Aviary.

When I think of Chicago, I think about Alinea. I think about the $500 for two meal. And I think about the three months advanced reservation that must be made in order to eat there. What an expensive headache. What about Grant Achatz’s other concept, Next. There’s virtually no chance to get reservations unless you get lucky or have a few hundred dollars to offer to that greedy bastard selling the reservation on eBay. But if you’re in a situation like this, the next best thing one can do is try for the Aviary, a cocktail concept by Grant Achatz and his former sous chef at Alinea, Craig Schoettler. At The Aviary in Chicago, it certainly runs like a restaurant, only the main courses are in a liquid form and provide an experience not to be missed. Imagine the culinary artistry of Alinea re-purposed in liquid form. Achatz is known for his custom plate, dishes and “gear” used for his intricate plating and we would learn that that approach is no different in the cocktails served at The Aviary. If a Willy Wonka candy factory really existed, then we had to be standing in one of the rooms. The 21 and over one.

You’re allowed to incorrectly call them “bartenders” exactly three times. After that, you’re thrown out. Just kidding, right?

Our waitress Charlette came by and handed us the menu, which was as extensive as any standard restaurants. She explained that, like a restaurant, The Aviary offers a prix fixe menu for $45 as well as a full 7-course flight for $125 which included bar bites. The bird icons next to each drink are actually more than just a design aesthetic. They actually symbolize the complexity of each cocktail – the further away they are from the words, the more unique it is. Wonder where a pump & dump Gin & Tonic would fall in place. We decided to go with the 3-course flight for $45 which isn’t bad considering these days, craft cocktails start at $11-12.

The four of us made our selections and decided to put a little food in our stomachs first. There are ten different “bites” you can order. They range from $3-$6 and are ordered in sets of three. The biggest mistake I have to say is coming here on an empty stomach like I did. There was no way I would be making a meal out of this so I ran really quickly in search of a Chicago hot dog, anything really. But in this former meatpacking area of Chicago, there was nothing to be found except for the Publican which we would be at in a few hours. Charlette was nice enough to come back with some bread as a temporary sponge. The “bites” came and they were beautifully plated, like little tasty gems. The “bites” are so delicious that you will go poor making them into a meal.

Bay Scallop with Ceviche, Cilantro and Sweet Potato.

Foie Gras with pomegranate, gingerbread and charred onion. Crab with avocado, mango and almond.

Smoked Salmon with cauliflower, egg yolk and caper. Duck Rillette with pumpkin, cranberry and hazelnut.

Potato with custard, malt vinegar chips and chives. Wagyu with smoked paprika, pumpkin seed and yogurt.

The “bites” were easily some of the best hors d’oeuvres I’ve ever eaten. After eating these, we could only imagine how much more amazing a full dining experience at Alinea would be. Time to start working hard right now! We looked through the fence into the kitchen and could see that our drinks were in the way. All four of us, again, became really excited like we had just turned 21 that day. And now The Aviary experience begins…

Orange – Smoked Cinnamon, Lemon, Cynar and Tequila
This drink was very refreshing. Slightly smokey from the tequila but balanced by the usage of Cynar, which is an artichoke-based spirit, and smoked cinnamon. One of Schoettler’s techniques is making alcohol-infused ice cubes. They are cut precisely this size so that the dilution happens over a longer period of time, allowing the drink to maintain its integrity and flavor. You’ve seen how fast a drink becomes watered down when crushed ice is used. At The Aviary, there are 1-2 guys in the basement, whose sole jobs are to make these special ice cubes. This wouldn’t be the last time we had one of Schoettler’s cubes.

Quince – Bottled, Ginger, Pisco
This is Schoettler’s take on Peru’s signature drink, the Pisco Sour, and “brown-bagged” for good measure. Probably an ode to his younger college days. The drink arrived “brown-bagged” and allowed us to unwrap the liquid gift. This drink was so well balanced it tasted like soda pop and there was almost no hint of alcohol.

Horchata – Cinnamon, Rum, Tequila
As far as Chicago is from the Mexican border, you’ll be surprised by how strong their Mexican food scene. I’ve eaten at a few places and I can honestly say they are at the level of Los Angeles. I imagine Schoettler to be quite a fan of Mexican food and everyone knows that nothing completes a meal of tacos like a cold Styrofoam cup of horchata. This drink tasted EXACTLY like horchata, even a child could have drank this without knowing there was rum or tequila in it. And I loved the presentation. It was at this point that I started to understand what wanted Schoettler to emphasize: nostalgia and personality. I could infer from these two drinks that Chef is one, a brown-bagger and two, loves Mexican cuisine. I’d love to see if Craig can conjure up a liquid “Pad Thai”.

Cider – cinnamon, white verjus, apple brandy
This next cocktail we eyed since we first stepped foot into the Gallery. It’s a 6-inch-diameter cocktail aquarium called the “Porthole”. Looking at it, it really is a window to the makings of a genius cocktail, like looking at those plastic ant farm kits. Who doesn’t like cross section views?  The concept behind this “tea”, as Charlette referred to it as, is to be drunk in three different stages.

The reason for this is that the drink changes in flavor, color and intensity every 6-8 minutes. Most drinks become worse over time as they are diluted by ice or exposed to air. But Achatz and Schoettler amazingly reversed that theory. You can see that the cocktail is pretty much clear now, but by the last stage, the cocktail was a little bit more brown in color. I didn’t try much of it but my neighbor told me that the taste was different each time. Truly a beautiful concept.

Concord Grape with Angostura Orange, Port, Rum
Another cocktail concept using flavored ice. This time they came in the form of spheres. I took out a cube and was surprised to find that they tasted exactly as listed – angostura bitters and orange zest. The purple color comes from the port wine and the rum adds that nice smokey sweetness. Another refreshing drink that involves eating the ice spheres.

Chartreuse – Pineapple, Blueberry, Honeydew, Mint
I love Chartreuse, especially when its mixed with whiskey. But I have not had chartreuse as the base spirit in a cocktail because it is typically strong. Schoettler delivered his Chartreuse concept in a wine box filled with all sorts of herbal greenery. I felt like I was one with Mother Nature as I held this aromatic box. Because green Chartreuse (there’s also yellow) is a strong digestive, you don’t need to drink much of it. The genius flavored ice cube comes into play once again. This time, the Chartreuse cube is cut extra thick to prevent it from diluting too fast, which can ruin and overpower your cocktail. Each of the three drinks, pineapple, blueberry and honeydew were complimented by a Chartreuse cube.

Amaro – Rootbeer, Cocchi, Tequila
Things started to get even more interesting as Charlette arrived with the next cocktail, which came in two parts: a carafe and a glass filled with smoke placed upside down on a piece of wood. We all looked at each other and I could see Charlette’s excitement in telling us what this was all about. The cocktail consists of a house-made root beer that is in fact clear, not dark brown, and made with 13 ingredients including star anise, clove, vanilla and sarsaparilla. The chefs then take a piece of the whiskey oak barrels and burn it with a handheld torch until it is heavily smoking, covering it immediately with a glass to contain as much smoke as possible. Our very talented Chicago-based friends at Eat A Duck I Must have also used this technique on sashimi and it looks awesome. Charlette flipped the glass over, releasing all the smoke and quickly poured in the cocktail. This drink comes with no ice so that you can really taste the root beer, tequila and hint of bourbon barrel smoke. Genius.

In the Rocks – Demerara, Angostura, Bourbon
And then, we found the purpose in life. This is solely my thing, but whenever I check out a new bar, the first drink I will ask the bartender to make me is an Old Fashioned, the very same eye-opening drink that Julian Cox made for me. This is the most basic yet complex drink – ask any bartender. If they mess up on this, you can kind of gauge the skill level of a bartender. Charlette arrived with a glass with a ball of brown ice, which didn’t look so appealing. She stood there looking at us, waiting for some sort of reaction. I asked her, “Are you going to pour a spirit over this and let the flavored ice melt into the drink?”  She smiled and said, “No. Pick up the device and place it on the top.” My neighbor Justin fastened the device which was basically a wooden ring with a rubber-band and weight. Charlette instructed him, “Hold down the ring with one hand. Using the other hand, pull the weight back at least 6″ and let go.”  Justin pulled the weight back and we all looked at Charlette for one last assurance that this wouldn’t end up in a bloody mess. She nodded. One quick release and the weight snapped into the brown ice ball, and a beautiful liquid poured out of it, enough to fill up half the glass. Charlette then took an orange peel, squeezed a mist of orange peel oils into the drink, swiped the rim with the peel and dropped it in. “Here you go, an Old Fashioned.”  I took a taste of it and I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. An Old Fashioned that required no stirring. It was what you would call and Instant Old Fashioned. How inventive of them to use a syringe to inject the cocktail into a hollow egg of ice. I looked over at Schoettler through the wiry fence and gave him a nod of approval in which he smiled back. We had reached the end of the road and I was happy to go home on a high note.

The Master Chef, Craig Schoettler.

I have never been to Alinea but what I had heard from people that have is that Chef Grant Achatz isn’t so much about placing good food in front of you as he is providing an interactive and eye-opening experience. Chef Schoettler has successfully done all that with a liquid dinner and although this “dinner” was anything but affordable, I can honestly say it was well worth it. Jeni herself is quite a light weight but she was able to drink 3-4 cocktails. The cocktails here were extremely balanced with the intent of pleasing the palate and not sending you into hangover land.  For those that want to continue the search for liquor bliss can ask the staff if they are worthy of entering “The Office”, the bar downstairs in The Aviary which serves more traditional, but excellent cocktails. We had dinner reservations at The Publican so we were not able to visit “The Office”. Thank you to Chef Craig Schoettler and the wonderful Charlette for a truly amazing cocktail experience.  Thanks for reading.

Tips & Advice:
- Make reservations. We got turned down on a Friday night, but came back at opening time the next day and luckily got in.
- Ask for the standing “Gallery” area. It’s a lot of fun watching the chefs work.
- Eat a tasty Chicago hot dog or Italian beef dip before hand. Your savings account will thank you.
- Curiousity won’t kill you, ask your neighbors what they are drinking.
- Ask for the keys to “The Office” and continue the party.

Full Prix Fixe Menu from October 2011
Huckleberry – lemon, thai long peppercorn, gin
Honeydew – distilled lime, sparkling
Orange – smoked cinnamon, lemon, cynar, tequila
Quince – bottled, ginger, pisco
Amaro – rootbeer, cocchi, tequila
Concord Grape – angostura orange, port, rub
Vieux Carré – sweet vermouth, benedictine, cognac, rye
Sweet Potato – smoked paprika, orange, tequila
A Moment of Silence – barrel-aged, apry, averna, rye
White Russian – milk, ristretto, rum
Cream Soda – distilled, vanilla, rum
Cold Chocolate – ecuadorian chocolate, fernet, bourbon
Horchata – cinnamon, rum, tequila

Full Á La Carte Menu from October 2011
Hurricane – passion fruit, cranberry, seven layers, rums
Cranberry – orange, chervil, ginger, bourbon
Pear – sparkling, brioche, gin
2 in 1 – carbonated negroni, white lady, gin
In the Rocks – demerara, angostura, bourbon
Maraschino – barrel-aged, applewood, tequila
Cider – cinnamon, white verjus, apple brandy
Ginger – shiso, peychaud’s, vodka
Oolong – brown sugar, pistachio, pear brandy
Chartruese – pineapple, blueberry, honeydew, mint
Truffle – campari, sweet vermouth, gin
Blood and Sand – orange, cherry, sweet vermouth, scotch

Full Bar Bites Menu from October 2011
Smoked Salmon – cauliflower, egg yolk, caper
Brussel Sprout – goat cheese, dill, caraway
Bay Scallop – ceviche, cilantro, sweet potato
Crab – avocado, mango, almond
Duck Rillette – pumpkin, cranberry, hazelnut
Potato – custard, malt vinegar chips, chive
Wagyu – smoked paprika, pumpkin seed, yogurt
Foie Gras – pomegranate, gingerbread, charred onion
Apple – tempura, brie, thai long peppercorn
Chocolate – cherry, stout, peanut

The Aviary
953-955 W Fulton St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 226-0868
www.theaviary.com
Reservations: reservations@theaviary.com

This mix features…
Air, Apparat, Bahamas, Beach House, Bear In Heaven, Body Language, Cut Copy, Epic45, I Break Horses, Korallreven, M83, MMOTHS, New Order, Nouvelle Vague, Of Monsters and Men, Peter Bjorn and John, Phoenix, Poliça, The Radio Dept., Sbtrkt and Tanlines.

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Lucky Noodle King, San Gabriel
I have a hard time eating spicy Thai food as most people do, but for some reason, I can handle spicy Northern food just fine. I love this food and if you haven’t tried it, now is a good time to try all the Sichuan, Hunan and Yunnan restaurants all over the San Gabriel Valley because they are popping up all over. Lucky Noodle King has been around for a year already and its been one of my go-to Mainland Chinese restaurants. It’s a larger, more popping reincarnation of the dinky restaurant in Alhambra formerly known as Chuan Yu Noodle Town (closed). One day they were there, the next they were gone. This is exactly what I mean by ownership changes/chef departures. One day, to my surprise, I got a call from Mrs. Ho, the owner of Chuan Yu Noodle Town, telling me about her new restaurant – I had to try.

Chef Ho and his wife, from Chongqing, had built a following with their dan dan mian and many other Chongqing-style dishes. Chongqing is also written as “Chung King” for Westernization and you may have already been to Chung King Szechuan restaurant in San Gabriel. I also learned that Chinese hot pot is originally from the city of Chongqing. I’ve never been to the Sichuan province but for anyone into Chinese cuisine, know that they along with the Hunan and Yunnan provinces are notorious for using copious amounts of chile and red peppercorns in their dishes – like they were trying to rid the world of it. The red peppercorns, also known in powder form as prickly ash powder, when cooked with chiles and garlic, produce a numbing taste (ma2 la4) that is delicious with virtually all meats and fish. It was so aromatic that it was said to have drug-like effects, which forced the USDA to temporarily ban imports until further investigation had been conducted. Luckily, the peppercorns passed the test and we’re not stuck with Panda Express.

Deep Fried Intestines with Chili
If you’re a fan of deep-fried intestines, this may do it for you. Slivers of intestines are lightly battered, deep fried and tossed in last-minute into the glowing red heap of dried chiles, Chinese celery, garlic and green onions. It looks like Christmas on a plate. The intestines are fried beautifully with the perfect amount of red peppercorns and prickly ash oil. My only concern is that the actual amount of “meat” offered is very slim and you’ll find yourself scouring the pile of chiles like you’re at a yard sale. Even towards the end of the meal, my sister and I caught ourselves picking through the dish like vultures. It’s that addicting. If I recall, this dish isn’t on the menu, so you’ll have to request that the intestines are deep-fried.

Fagara Hot Pot (麻 辣 烫）
By far, this is the proud breadwinner at Lucky Noodle King. It is the 4.67 GPA, heart-throb Prom King/High School valedictorian in every single social club and athletic team. Hot pot is historically from Chongqing, so you can expect this dish to be delicious. The past few times I’ve eaten here, I’ve stuck with the fish version known as “Boiled Fish in Chili Pot”. The version at Chung King is what got me going on this and Lucky Noodle King’s is also delicious. But Mrs. Ho was tired of me ordering it and insisted that we try the Fagara Hot Pot instead. This is basically the same concept but with additional bonus ingredients like pork, shrimp, tofu, seaweed and vermicelli. Fans of the Korean army stew (부대찌개) may appreciate this solely because of the random sprinkling of hot dogs!

And I’m glad Mrs. Ho convinced us to switch over to the Fagara Hot Pot – it’s absolutely delicious. So good that we end up taking the broth back for a second meal. The assortment of goodies offers various flavors and textures, each one affected differently by the broth, which is your basic chicken stock loaded with red peppercorns, chili oil and prickly ash oil. The soft tofu acted like sponges and kept in all that flavor and heat, forcing us to cool out our mouths with our own breath.

More digging is required as you search for the tasty strands of vermicelli, beaded with dried chilis, spices and other delicious artifacts.

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*Pointers for Lucky Noodle King*

1. If you’re ordering the intestine dish, you’ll have to special request it as I don’t think it’s listed on the menu. Show Mrs. Ho the photo and she’ll know.

2. Never wear light colors when eating spicy/oily Mainland Chinese food unless you want polka-dotted clothing.

3. The numbing sensation caused by the red peppercorns and prickly ash oil can be addicting, yet overwhelming. Eat as much as you can handle, give your tongue a break and drink water/tea. Repeat.

4. All dishes can be requested with less spice (少 辣)  and less oil (少 油). You should specify.

5. Few other dishes I recommend: to cool the mouth – cold cucumbers with garlic, cilantro and prickly ash oil (小 黃 瓜), twice-cooked pork (川 味 回 鍋 肉) and red chili oil wontons (紅 油 炒 手). The red chili oil wontons are excellent and compared to Sichuan-style, offers the same broth from the Fagara Hot Pot with chili oil dumped on top versus solely adding chili oil. Because the wontons are served in a broth, they will become soggy if you don’t eat them right away.

6. Dan Dan Mian (擔 擔 麵) is one of their more popular dishes, but I find the dish to be generally too heavy. You may like it though.

7. The menus at Mainland Chinese restaurants may be disorganized, in major need of spell-check or straight up elusive. If you see something delicious at another table, don’t hesitate to ask what it is. I always search for the most “authentic” group of diners and spy on their dishes. Hint: diners wearing fanny packs or facial sun visors are promising. It’s the only way to learn about hidden gems. Enjoy!

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Lucky Noodle King
534 E Valley Blvd. Ste. 10
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 573-5668
Monday – Sunday 10:30 AM – 9:30 PM (Closed Tuesday)
CASH ONLY, of course
www.luckynoodleking.com

(1) The flight is 2 hours 55 minutes from LAX.
(2) It is domestic.
(3) The destination has two syllables.
(4) Could be cold.
(5) My friend’s reaction to this destination: “Uh, what the fuck?”

She even had all of my friends guessing and we all came up with destinations such as Dallas, Phoenix, Denver and Boise. – only to find Jeni shrugging her shoulders with a smile every time. I didn’t find out where we were going until the LAX shuttle dropped us off in front of Terminal 6 – Alaska Airlines. Hmm. But you know, I have a good attitude. Even if it wasn’t the most popular destination for a weekend getaway – I’d have fun. And it turns out… she completely lied to me after I had originally guessed the destination right from the start. We were actually going to Vancouver! I loved Montreal and Toronto… chances are I’m going to love Vancouver as well. This list was compiled by trustworthy Vancouver and Los Angeles foodies. I was in San Francisco a few months back and did a round up of all the places we ate at and got a good response. Here’s a super weekend eating guide to Vancouver if you’re clueless on food and in a pinch for time!

We flew into Vancouver International (YVR) around 9:30 pm and most of the nicer restaurants were closing at 10. We happened to be staying at the Hotel Rosewood Georgia right in the Downtown area and luckily, one of more popular restaurants in Vancouver, Hawksworth, is located right inside. Chef David Hawksworth was formerly at West, another Vancouver favorite, and left to open up his beautiful, namesake restaurant highlighting local Vancouver ingredients with a French touch. I choose this over Chambar, another tasty Vancouver French restaurant.

The cocktail scene in Vancouver is just as hot as it is in the U.S. with bars serving creative cocktails made with American whiskey, Peruvian Pisco and even Mexican Mezcal. The bar at Hawksworth proudly displays the largest collection of American whiskeys in the city of Vancouver. I learned from the bartender as I ordered my Pappy Van Winkle 20-year Bourbon at $35 CAD ($22 in the U.S.) that Canada has to pay a shocking 75-80% tax on alcohol. A bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 20-year will cost you $110 in the U.S. (if you can get a hold of it), but in Canada it’ll set you back $190. The bartender also told me that it was common for people to drive down to Seattle to buy liquor and haul it back to Vancouver. Some cocktail/wine bars we didn’t get to check out: The Diamond and Uva.

Seared Qualicum Bay Scallops with Tomatoes and Chowder Foam
These scallops were delicious and subtly sweet. Whenever I’m visiting a city, I’ll go straight for the local seafood in hopes of trying something I can’t usually get. In Los Angeles, we can usually only get diver scallops from Maine which are great of course. These had a different sweetness to it.

48 Hour Braised Short Rib with Black Pepper Jam, Green Papaya and Thai Basil
Anything braised for this long is probably going to be pretty delicious unless it was a fast food hamburger. The sauce on the bottom reminded me of Chinese BBQ satay sauce. Really light and flavorful overall.

Pan-Roasted Sablefish with Chanterelle, Chayote and Tom Yum Broth
Again when it comes to seafood, you should definitely try anything local – sablefish being one of them. The texture is firm like halibut but since it was beautifully cooked, it was tender and moist. The crispy-like object you see was amazing – panko-breaded “hash brown” made from sushi rice. The sauce brought everything together nicely. This was our favorite of the evening.

After our first glimpse of Vancouver cuisine at the beautiful Hawksworth restaurant, we went to asleep to prepare for what would be some really amazing eating this weekend.

Hong Kong is a 12-14 hour flight from Los Angeles, but for those that live on the west coast, you could pretend you’re in Hong Kong in under 3 hours. Before coming to Vancouver, I had heard that Vancouver was considered a satellite of Hong Kong, second to Toronto, and I would come to agreement with it after eating dim sum here. Though, here in Canada, Hong Kong is also known as Richmond – which is only about 15-20 minutes south of Vancouver. Why this city? The joke is that when Richmond is pronounced with a Cantonese-English accent, it sounds like “rich man” (“weech mun”). And yes, the Chinese love good fortune, wealth and prosperity. You won’t find them moving to places like Death Valley, Brokeville or San Juan NoTengoDinero.  Silly people.

Historically, there have been several influxes of Chinese entering Canada and U.S. beginning with the gold rush and construction of the Canada Pacific Railway. But by far, the most crucial of them all was during the handover of Hong Kong to China by the British. Invariably, the Chinese brought along their hopes of prosperity and of course, culinary skills. The dishes we had at Kirin Seafood, although common, were just prepared at a higher level. Looking at their website, they list not one executive chef, but four chefs that each specialize in regional Chinese cuisine. Collectively, you get this massive menu of common, creative and amazing cuisine. Everything was cooked to order and nothing was over-steamed. These are just a few of the dishes we ordered but I remember seeing very creative, never-seen-before dishes such as geoduck porridge and steamed black bean garlic pork jowls on the menu. The hit of the day was the two-foot long, rice noodle-wrapped Chinese cruller – awesome. You could hit people in the head with it.

Chinese food, aesthetically, may not be as visual as Japanese food, but it’s all about the unique sauces and combinations in the seafood dishes. Most of us are accustomed to eating basic dim sum, noodles and common dishes. Exquisite Chinese seafood dishes on the other hand are on another level. As part of the laymen, I don’t get to eat the $200+ per person meals. The finest Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong even provide translations for their food in Japanese, Korean and sometimes French because they are internationally acclaimed. We’re not talking about kung pao chicken, we’re talking abalone, shark fin and Chinese ham dishes that can be as high as $400. And I think that’s where Kirin Seafood shines. I’m coming straight here from the airport on my next visit to Vancouver! Four locations in the Vancouver area.

After dim sum, we headed to Vancouver’s Granville Island Market which is basically a combination of Seattle’s Pike Place Market and San Francisco’s Ferry Building. You’ve got enough fresh seafood vendors and specialty food stores sure to make you jolly!

This seafood vendor sold all sorts of goodies: oysters, mussels, Qualicum Bay scallops (which we sampled at Hawksworth) and my favorite, live sea urchin (uni). Apparently, Canadians are as squeamish as Americans are when it comes to eating sea urchin right out of its shell. I got a lot of strange looks while holding my freshly-cracked sea urchin. But you know what, I’m going to eat my live sea urchin on the street and I could care less what they think haha. Notice the different colored uni in the photo. The seafood vendor noted that the lighter colored sea urchin has more exposure to the sunlight. This may or may not affect its taste.

This particular uni was extremely dense and rich (relax, Chinese people, not that kind of rich). There was a notable difference between this one and the Santa Barbara uni I’m used to.  The colder waters of Vancouver definitely have an effect on the taste. I enjoyed this. The old lady sitting on the bench next to me, not so much.

Our favorite store at the Granville Island Market is the Oyama Sausage Company. With exception to the jamon Iberico de bellota from Spain, everything was house-made! The selection of all-things-meat is amazing. It reminds me of the many Eastern European delis in Montreal. There were sausages, salamis, chorizos, pâtés and terrines. It was seriously a candy store for the meat lover and this man was more than happy to cut us generous portions of his goods.

The smoked beef tongue was delicious.

This was our favorite pâté – duck with Chinese spices! Had a nice dosage of five-spice powder in it. Man.

I’m going to repeat this again: when you’re in Canada, you have to take advantage of the seafood. Canada really has the best to offer because of its geography and cold waters. When I was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I could not stop eating the oysters and mussels from Prince Edward Island and delicious smoked salmon. There was even one place that had all-you-can-eat mussels with over six types of sauce to dip them in. So good! This morning I had sampled some live sea urchin but no oysters. And this place was highly recommended by people we had met while dining at Hawksworth. This brings us to Rodney’s Oyster House.

At Rodney’s, there’s a “Low Tide” happy hour Monday through Saturday from 3-6 pm. The low tide brings in delicious $1 raw oysters, mussels, clams, prawns, smoked salmon “candy”, scallops and on this special day, a school of drunk, horny Canadian “cougarfish” that had just come from a wine bar. Were it not for these loud, obnoxious fish, the 8 other patrons and 6 employees at the bar would have had a more enjoyable day. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw pieces of the oyster crates reserved for identification. I jumped for joy when I saw that they carried Shigoku oysters from the Taylor Shellfish Company in Washington. The plan was to stick with Canadian oysters only but this was an obligatory change in plans. Shigoku is Japanese for “ultimate” and it definitely is for me. By far, my favorite oysters for its light cucumber/melon profiles and slight nutty undertones. I ate a dozen of these. Definitely hop on these if you ever see them.

Another specialty at Rodney’s is the Haida Gwai Candy, which is salmon cured in Maple syrup & peppercorns with red pepper jelly. Basically a smoked salmon jerky with sweet dipping sauce. These weren’t my favorite – stick with the oysters.

Rodney’s also offers a whole artillery of sauces for you to use while you eat or for home usage. I’m an oyster purist and like to go raw or at most, lemon juice. I saw a lot of people ordering steamed clams and chowder and they looked great. Thank you Rodney, the oysters were excellent.

By far the most recommended restaurant was Vij’s, for modern Indian cuisine. And we were warned to get there before it opens. We should have listened because we were waiting for nearly an hour and a half. But thankfully, chef/owner Vij Vikram has carved out a nice waiting area with seating and a small beer/wine bar. Every few minutes, servers pass around various Indian hors d’oeuvres so that your blood doesn’t boil during the excruciating wait. And they are tasty! Note: the entrees are quite heavy and you are allowed to order half portions for any of the entrees. Because Jeni and I had more mini dinners this evening, we had to save our space. We ordered two 1/2-portion entrees and we were more than full. Plus those hors d’oeuvres too!

Lamb Popsicles in Curry Cream and Spinach. This was super delicious. Nicely grilled and slightly fatty. Mmm.

British Columbia Spot Prawns in Coconut and Fenugreek Masala with Pilaf. I liked the flavor in this more than the lamb popsicles. Both were excellent.

Next door to Vij is Rangoli – the chef’s more casual dining experience. Had I known the wait would be an hour and a half long, I would have gone here instead because the chef himself, said the recipes are basically the same. Plus it looked a little more happening in here with the ambiance.

Apparently Vikram Vij is a celebrity chef in Vancouver – an Indian Emeril Legasse if you will. In his small restaurant, Rangoli, you will find a collection of his cookbooks as well as a whole supermarket freezer section of Vij’s delicacies to go. Curries and masalas – he’s got them. A lot of visitors end up taking some bags back to their homes.

And one last taste of Vancouver sea urchin at Tojo’s. So good. This is one of Vancouver’s most popular sushi joints. Prices are quite high as you would expect from any good sushi establishment.

In Vancouver’s Chinatown area, not to be confused with Richmond, you’ll naturally find a plethora of Chinese restaurants. Some selling the typical BBQ’d goodies like duck and pork, some noodle shops and boba cafes. But there’s one place that we were directed to by many people to checkout. Something Chinese-y but not so Chinese-y – Bao Bei Brasserie (mandarin Chinese for “precious treasure”). If you watched Top Chef Season 9 this year, you might remember the challenge where the Cheftestants were paired up with a celebrity chef and took turns cooking in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant. This is the place. I was a bit hesitant to eat here when I could easily drive into the Richmond (“Rich man” for the Chinese) area for amazing Hong Kong-style, Taiwanese and mainland Chinese food. But once we walked in, we were drawn to the ambiance for once. We realized this is a great place to meet up friends for decent Chinese-themed cocktails and Chinese-y snacks.

Owner Tannis Ling has tastefully adorned her restaurant with icons of an antiquated Taiwan and Shanghai, with little hints of farmhouse in the mix as well. She even puts up black and white photos of her family photographed back in Taiwan. Executive Chef Joël Watanabe, although Japanese, uses his Japanese and French techniques to create these modern Chinese morsels. I like what Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese Food is doing up in San Francisco and I was definitely interested in seeing what Bao Bei Brasserie has to offer. For those that are too impatient with the wait, there is actually a Street Fighter 2 arcade machine right in the front! If you put your “authentic Asian food only” shield down for just a little, you might have a good time.  We sure did.

Cold Beancurd Sheets with Grilled Mushroom. Mantou – steamed buns with pork belly, bean sprouts and preserved turnip. Different from Momofuku’s but pretty tasty.

Steamed Truffled Pork Dumplings and Beef Tartare with Crispy Shallot, Ginger Root and Burnt Scallion Oil.
I don’t care much for truffle oil, especially over dumplings, but somehow these made sense and were pretty tasty. I enjoyed the beef tartare with the taro chips as well.

Duck & Mushroom Wontons in Duck Consommé
I like duck, mushrooms, wontons and broth as it is, so there is no way I wouldn’t enjoy this. I ordered two bowls of these. Very homey.

When we first walked into Bao Bei Brasserie, we were told the wait would be an hour. “Where can we go to kill some time?” we asked. And the manager directed us to a little bar down the block known as the Keefer Bar. Like Bao Bei Brasserie, they also feature interesting Chinese-influenced cocktails made with Bourbon, Chartreuse and Chinese plum syrup. This bar was great, very much happening and the cocktails were unique and tasty. I had my first glass of scotch imported from India.

We didn’t get to try any congee while at Kirin Seafood in Richmond, but our friends Gabe & Cornelia suggested this downtown dim sum restaurant right near our hotel. Walking in, I wasn’t thrilled about the many photos of ancient, washed-out celebrities like Bill Cosby and Wesley Snipes, but we trusted Gabe the first time and knew he wouldn’t let us down. The specialty here in addition to the dim sum is seafood congee cooked tableside, which includes fish, salmon, clams, shrimp and scallops. A waiter came out with a folding table and a portable burner and set the pot of boiling congee on it. Once it came to a boil, he slowly added the seafood and served them once they were perfectly cooked. Toppings included lettuce, peanuts, preserved veggies and jellyfish. This was super tasty. Gabe himself enjoys the lobster congee which literally looks like a lobster fell into the pot and died in the delicious goo. I’m sure it’s even better than the seafood congee. The dim sum here is also excellent.

New York has its snappy hot dog, Chicago has its Red Hot, Los Angeles has its bacon-wrapped Danger Dog and so Vancouver has its own. But it’s got a Japanese twist – Japanese mayo, kurobuta pork and seaweed. That’s what I ordered at least. For the more serious Japadog enthusiasts, there are hot dogs topped with yakisoba, bonito flakes and black sesame. This was tasty but I probably wouldn’t eat much of this unless it was 2 am and hammered. Ice Cube and Steven Segal apparently are big fans, in case any of you guys solely rely on Ice Cube and Steven Segal’s food recommendations. There are multiple locations that each have a different menu so check the website. I believe there is one location in New York as well. Definitely try this place out if you’re a hot dog head.

On our last day, we decided to finish off the Vancouver eating weekend in the Richmond area since it was only 10-15 minutes away from the airport. Gabe, Cornelia and the Bao Bei manager highly recommended checking out this Northern Chinese restaurant called Peaceful Restaurant. I told them, well we have a great selection of Mainland Chinese restaurants in Southern California, we can probably skip this. They grabbed us by the shoulders, slammed us against the cold brick wall and threatened to do damage if we didn’t try it. “Ok, ok, put your shanks away!” We showed up on a rainy morning only to find that there were a good 20 people in line before us. I went in to put my name on the waiting list and got hit with an amazing array of Northern Chinese/Muslim spices – tons of cumin and the smell of lamb. A good sign.

Spicy Chili Cold Cucumbers and Beef Pancake Roll
The cold cucumbers were different than the ones I’m accustomed to. They were drenched in this amazing chili, red peppercorn and soy sauce dressing. So addicting. And that beef pancake roll you see on the right is in my opinion, the most delicious one I’ve ever eaten. I’ve been used to the monster, burrito-size ones but this was all about texture and balance. With only a light spattering of sweet hoisin sauce and thin slices of braised beef, this was all brought together by the immaculate, crispy pancake roll. Each bite I took, a few pieces of the crispy roll fell on to the plate. Something I don’t usually see with the beef pancake rolls in Los Angeles. We looked at each other and debated ordering 2…3.. more for the plane ride back.

Cumin Lamb Stir-fried Noodles
This was loaded with cumin flavor and was absolutely addicting. The noodles are made literally a few minutes before they are cooked to ensure freshness. Every few minutes, we would hear the sound of the noodle man smacking the ball of noodle dough on the marble counter top – signaling the arrival of yet  another upcoming handmade-noodle dish. We brought this on the plane with us and could smell it throughout the whole plane ride haha.

I figured that since Vancouver is a satellite of Hong Kong, their wontons would also be solid. After doing some research, I decided to try Max Noodle out, which used to be called McNoodle and Mak’s Noodle before. This is not to be confused with the famous Mak’s noodle in Hong Kong. Probably just someone hoping to succeed off someone else’s name.  For $7 CAD, it was a rather small bowl of wontons but it was so different than the wontons I would get in San Francisco or Los Angeles.  The wontons were filled with shrimp and held together with beautiful translucent wrappers. The noodles were also cooked al dente and garnished with yellow chives as they are supposed to be, not with green onions. Though it was good, the broth was missing that nice umami-flavor that could only result from the usage of dried flounder, shrimp shells and pork/chicken bones. It was good and better than anything I’ve had in Los Angeles though.

*In the Richmond area, there’s also Tsim Chai Noodle, Wonton Mein Saga, Michigan Noodle Shop and Neptune Wonton Noodle if you want to go wonton hunting.

Our very last stop in Richmond was this popular Taiwanese beef noodle soup restaurant called Chef Hung’s Taiwanese Beef Noodle. In addition to the Northern Chinese food, Hong Kong-style dim sum and Shanghai soupy dumplings (xiao long bao), Taiwanese beef noodle soup is a must-eat in Richmond. Chef Hung’s is located in the Aberdeen Centre, which is one of the nicest and largest Asian malls I’ve seen outside of Hong Kong and Taiwan. I certainly hope Westfield doesn’t get a hold of it and plant crap like Sbarro’s in the food court. Looking at the menu, I remember seeing the chef, Hung Ching-Lung, in one of my Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup Festival guides I own. Yes, the Taiwanese are that serious about their beef noodle soup and Chef Hung has placed in Top 3 over three times. At this festival, Taiwan’s president presents the awards. Imagine Obama patting your back for making excellent tacos.

Man, this was an awesome bowl of beef noodle soup! The noodles are hand-made and cooked perfectly. You also get cubes of super tender beef shank and fine slices of shabu-shabu quality brisket that literally melt in your mouth. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Wagyu considering the $11 CAD you’re paying. The soup was so hearty and meaty yet not overly salty. This is a more modern take on some of the beef noodle soup I’ve eaten in Taipei. Fortunately if you live in Southern California, there’s a location right in Irvine.  And I’m sure it’s just as amazing.

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In all the traveling we’ve done, there’s never been a time where we felt we didn’t get enough of the food. As much as we love the food in U.S. cities, Central America and even in some parts of Asia, we’ve gotten pretty tired of it all and wanted nothing more than a simple salad back at home. But Vancouver was different. It is a perfect mixture of all the ethnic food we enjoy eating plus the local Vancouver cuisine and access to amazing seafood. I’m still thinking about my trip to Vancouver and I’m already planning out the places I want to eat at upon my return. As of now, this may be one of my top 5 places to eat in North America and I hope you’ll use this guide. Thanks for the calories Vancouver and “thank you” to my lovely wife for planning an amazing birthday weekend.

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Hawksworth
801 W Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC V6C 3G1
(604) 673-7000
www.hawksworthrestaurant.com

Kirin Seafood Restaurant (four locations)
7900 Westminster Hwy. 2F
Richmond, BC V6X 1A5
(604) 303-8833
www.kirinrestaurants.com

Granville Island Market
1661 Duranleau St.
Vancouver, BC V6H 3S3
www.granvilleisland.com/public-market

Oyama Sausage Company
126 – 1689 Johnston St.
Vancouver, BC V6H 3R9
(604) 327-7407

http://www.oyamasausage.ca/oyama_sausage_company.html

Rodney’s Oyster House
1228 Hamilton St.
Vancouver, BC V6B 6L2
(604) 609-0080
www.rodneysoysterhouse.com

Vij’s
1480 W 11th Ave.
Vancouver, BC V6H 1L1
(604) 736-6664
www.vijsrestaurant.ca

Rangoli
1488 11th Ave West
Vancouver, BC V6H 1L1
(604) 736-5711
www.vijsrangoli.ca

Tojo’s
1133 Broadway West
Vancouver, BC V6H 1G1
(604) 872-8050
www.tojos.com

Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie
163 Keefer St.
Vancouver, BC V6A 1X3
(604) 688-0876
www.bao-bei.ca

Keefer Bar
135 Keefer St.
Vancouver, BC V6A 1X3
(604) 688-1961
thekeeferbar.com

Imperial Chinese Seafood Restaurant
355 Burrard St.
Vancouver, BC V6C 2G6
(604) 688-8191
www.imperialrest.com

Japadog
899 Burrard St.
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K6
www.japadog.com

Peaceful Restaurant (two locations)
532 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1E9
(604) 879-9878
www.peacefulrestaurant.com

Max Noodle
8291 Alexandra Rd. Unit 185
Richmond, BC V6X 1C3
(604) 231-8141

Chef Hung’s Taiwanese Beef Noodle
2800-4151 Hazelbridge Way 2F
Richmond, BC V6X 4J7
(604) 295-9357
www.chefhungnoodle.com

Flavor Garden, Alhambra
Beef noodle soup is equivalent to a controversial discussion on the best pizza in New York or the best burger in LA. For some people that take food a little too seriously – tears may start flowing, blood will boil and cars will be flipped over. Completely unnecessary – you should like what you like. I’ve found that with beef noodle soup, there are so many different styles that it is hard to choose just one place. Both the Northern Chinese and Taiwanese make stellar beef noodle soups but in my opinion, none is better than the other, it’s really your preference. Northern Chinese beef noodle soup seems to be heavy with star anise and chili oil. For the noodles, you can get your standard skinny noodle equivalent to spaghetti (xi1 mian4), hand-pulled noodles (shou3 la1 mian4) or knife cut noodles (dao1 xiao1 mian4). Taiwanese beef noodle soup is typically more hearty than Northern China with the usage of spicy chili bean paste, tomatoes and in some cases, papaya for sweetness. For the noodles, I’ve seen most places offer wider noodles (kuan1 mian4) and if the chef makes it by hand, they are even more delicious. The Northern Chinese will typically use bok choy as a garnish while the Taiwanese like using spinach (buo1 tsai4) – I like both! Both regions will also offer noodle soups with different cuts of meat like shank, brisket and tendon. So it’s really your preference.

I started frequenting Flavor Garden a few months ago and this is a perfect example of the constant SGV dynamics. I believe the ghosts of the former restaurants were also making Northern Chinese noodles and dumplings. For some reason, whether it is due to the heavy competition (there are 2 other Northern Chinese noodle places next door) or bad feng shui, the restaurants in this Wendy’s plaza swap out quite often. But I really hope that this place is here to stay because they have some really tasty food. The poster outside gives you a nice idea of what they serve – fiery red bowls of beef noodle soup and plump dumplings that resemble pork grenades ready to devastate the palate. The chef hails from the city of Chongqing, which according to Wikipedia, has separated from the province of Sichuan. It is now a municipality under Beijing and roughly the size of Austria with 30 million people. Chongqing is also written as “Chung King” for Westernization and you may know of the dearly loved Chung King Szechuan restaurant in San Gabriel Valley. I also learned that Chinese hot pot is originally from the city of Chongqing. If you’re a fan of Lucky Noodle King (previous owner of Chuan Yu Noodle Town) in San Gabriel, you’re eating Chongqing-style cuisine.

Sichuan Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (川 味 牛 肉 面）
For the first time in a long while, I’ve found a bowl of beef noodle soup I like. I was pretty frustrated with what was offered over the last few years in SGV and after eating it in Taiwan, I lost all hope and just started making it at home. Hao’s Kitchen in San Gabriel serves a pretty tasty Taiwanese version but I think I’ve come to like Flavor Garden’s more because the soup has just enough beefiness to it yet it doesn’t feel like it’s too watery. The soup is a beautiful dark brown and covered with what seems to be a very spicy chili oil but is actually very tamable. At first you don’t see any steam because the chili oil has created a shield but once you dip the spoon in for a taste, the steam is out. All bowls of noodles should be this hot.

I think the best part of Flavor Garden’s BNS is the beef brisket and flank they use – so rich, melty and fatty. Maybe even too fatty. There wasn’t one piece of beef I had to gnaw through but rather break apart with my own tongue. I made the mistake in ordering the thin noodles (xi1 mian4). I would highly recommend ordering the BNS with the chef’s wide hand-made noodles (kuan1 mian4). I also recommend NOT wearing a white shirt or you’re in for some orange polka dots all over.

Spicy Beef Roll Cake (川 味 牛 肉 卷 餅）
This is not spicy at all, but it is massive. You are served two burrito-like objects that may counter those in size from 101 Noodle Express. I was a bit disappointed in the size and construction of this. I couldn’t pick this up without leaving meaty debris all over the table. The meat is tasty but because there is so much meat, you can’t even taste the sweet hoisin/chili sauce which leads you to believe the meat is very dry. The pancake also was not fried crispy enough so it was a bit droopy. I really hope I came on a bad day.

Shrimp, Pork & Sea Cucumber Potstickers (三 鮮 鍋 貼）
But for every negative, there is a positive – and it comes in the form of juicy, pudgy dumplings that are beautifully fried. I had eaten here with my parents a while back and we simply ordered the pork potstickers. By accident, the chef had pan-fried the shrimp, pork and sea cucumber dumplings which were meant to be only served as boiled dumplings. Good things happen by chance… these were excellent. Biting into the potsticker, you can see the chef’s skill in creating a beautiful dumpling skin that is not too thin or too thick. After I bite into a dumpling, I like to tilt it into the spoon to see how much juice comes out. There isn’t as much juice as you would get out of a Shanghai soup dumpling (xiao long bao) but it’s good enough. The mixture of shrimp, sea cucumber and pork is actually the Chinese version of surf & turf and it makes total sense. They are addicting and I think I may have a hard time ordering other dumplings over these. The vinegar dipping sauce they serve with these works nicely too in cutting through the pork fat. These are good overall, but Dean Sin World in Monterey Park probably makes the best juicy potstickers but they are filled with pork.

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*Pointers for Flavor Garden*
1. Ask for wide noodles when ordering the beef noodle soup. It “picks” up the soup/chili oil nicely. I know it doesn’t make sense but the thin noodles can clump together and feel a bit more dense than the wider noodles.

2. Never wear light colored clothing when eating spicy beef noodle soup.

3. If you order the pork, shrimp and sea cucumber dumplings – ask if they can pan-fry them versus boiling. Again, we ordered this by mistake and it turned out to be awesome. Either way, you’re going to get something tasty.

4. Side dishes are OK but if you feel your food is spicy, some garlic seaweed or cold cucumbers will cool the palate down.

5. I’ve seen a lot of people order the Ton Ton Pan-Fried Bun which is basically a large pan-fried bun stuffed with pork called shen1 jian1 bao1. And they are massive. Too doughy for me and sometimes dry but give these a shot.

6. A good dumpling needs no more than hot sauce and vinegar to compliment it. If you must, make a sauce consisting of soy sauce, vinegar and chili sauce. Never just soy sauce – that’s a no no. Enjoy!

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Flavor Garden
1269 E. Valley Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 284-3549
Monday – Sunday 11 am – 9:30 pm
CASH ONLY, of course

Jeni and I had just spent four days in the southernmost part of Japan, known as Kagoshima, which is known for its active volcano Sakurajima, a few hot spring spots, the distilled potato spirit known as shochu, delicious Berkshire pork (kurobuta) and Black cow beef (kuroushi). The city, the people and the food were all very memorable, but it was the simple things such as relaxing in a natural, hot sand bath and an outdoor spa that we really treasured. As a child growing up in Southern California during the 1980s, deprived of a standard pool, an above-ground-pool, a kiddie pool and even a Slip & Slide, there was always one thing that I begged my parents to take me and my sister to: Raging Waters in San Dimas. Never mind the millions of gallons of chlorine-filled and urine-tainted water, this was the ultimate aquatic paradise with lengthy slides, high altitude drop-out slides and giant lagoons with inner tubes – like Disneyland H2O.

Our parents never saw the point of it when they could simply hose us down with the garden hose for nothing, so we never got to go there. But compared to our time in Kagoshima, our next destination in Japan actually places the spas and bath houses of Kagoshima in the category of “foreplay”. And for me, this is what I considered to be the grown-ups version of a more relaxed Raging Waters minus the arm floaties, crazy slides and nasty water. This is Kurokawa Onsen – Japan’s ultimate hot springs resort town.

About Kurokawa Onsen
Extracted from the Kurokawa Spa Association site:
“Kurokawa Spa Resort is a part of Minami-oguni Town, located just about in the center of Kyushu, at the base of Kuju mountains. The spa resort is built along the upper stream valley of the Chikugo River, the longest river in Kyushu, at 700 meter elevation. Because of the landform, large hotels were never built there. Most hotels have ten to twenty-five guest rooms. This is one of the unique characteristics of Kurokawa Spa Resort. There are about 230 households in the town. Currently there are twenty-five association member hotels. Well coordinated efforts by the town to maintain a pleasant, traditional atmosphere have kept Kurokawa free of the massive concrete hotels, neon advertisements and loud colors that are encountered in many of Japan’s other resort towns. ”

Because this is a resort town, it is recommended that you stay in a traditional Japanese inn (or bed & breakfast) known as a ryokan to get the full experience. As stated by the Kurokawa Spa Association, there are 25-30 ryokan in the town, each with anywhere from 15-30 rooms available (singles, doubles, family rooms). The whole town of Kurokawa Onsen (Black River Hot Springs, literally in Japanese) is built upon the Mt. Aso volcanic area with plenty of geothermal heat to “power” the entire region. Each of the ryokan has its own public/private bath (onsen) and an outdoor, open-air bath (rotenburo) with gorgeous views of mountains, rivers and waterfalls – you know, nature stuff Bob Ross would’ve painted. There are a few standard concrete block hotels but I wouldn’t bother as they seem to be geared more towards businessmen. Do you really want to stay in a Holiday Inn-like place when you’ve got amazing, boutique hotels all around you?

There are some ryokan that are more traditional, while some seem to be more modern depending on when it was constructed/renovated. The rooms range anywhere from $150-400 a night. This may sound steep but this includes breakfast and dinner. And as you’ll see in a moment, we’re not talking about Holiday Inn’s complimentary breakfast of dry English muffins and ice-cold hard-boiled eggs. This is bed & breakfast hospitality on another level. Everyone that comes to visit is here for two things: “spa-hopping” and relaxing in a Japanese inn.

Kurokawa Onsen isn’t the only spa resort town in Kyushu. There’s also the nearby Beppu (Oita prefecture) which we’ve checked out as well, but Kurokawa really, is in a league of its own.

Getting to Kurokawa Onsen
From Kagoshima, we took the JR speed train to Kumamoto which took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. At Kumamoto, we took a local train to the Aso Station (as in the active volcano, Mt. Aso) and boarded a bus that would take us to our final destination – Kurokawa Onsen. The red box area on the map is the town of Kurokawa Onsen. Those goofy looking mountains at the bottom of the map represent the Mt. Aso volcano region and the Aso Station is just north of it. The bus ride from Aso station to Kurokawa Onsen is anywhere from 45-60 minutes. The drive up can be a little dizzying due to the curvy, mountainous roads but the beautiful surrounding scenery seems to make everything better. I was a little concerned about Mr. Old Bus Driver because he seemed to be falling asleep at the wheel…

But… we made it alive. On the way up here, I realized that this place we had traveled thousands of miles to was in fact a holy city – we were embarking on our own little pilgrimage for spiritual enlightenment.  We were seeking a safe-haven from our otherwise hectic and stressful lives back in the U.S. The Japanese “salary man” or “office lady” typically works 6 days a week, clocking 65+ hours on average and at some point he or she will need to release the stress. And place likes Kurokawa Onsen are a place for both men and women to release themselves. This is the entrance into the spa resort town of Kurokawa Onsen.

We hopped off the bus and there we were met by a driver from the ryokan we were staying at. Most ryokan will offer a pick-up and drop-off at the bus stop. From there, it is only a 5-10 minute drive into town. We were quite impressed with the charm and character of Kurokawa Onsen. They’ve really kept this a serene, non-commercial resort town with no more than 20-30 businesses – no Starbucks, bail bonds or nail salons. The town is so small that you can walk through all of it in under 20 minutes and be one with nature!

As you can see, the streets are small and wide enough for one car. The only things going through the tiny streets really are shuttles from the ryokan and packs of Japanese visitors. There are no street names, only signs that point you to the 25+ ryokans you can indulge in. Kurokawa Onsen was made for “spa-hopping”.

This map actually makes the town look larger than it really is (click to enlarge). The two red boxes are the ryokan we chose: Kurokawaso and Yumutoso. Because our trip to Japan was planned so late during the winter break, we really lucked out with these two ryokan as most of the others were either booked or way out of our league. I only have these two ryokan to compare. The way we booked these was with an English speaking representative from the Kurokawa Onsen Association (KOA). The photos online, although beautiful, can be misleading, so I would highly recommend calling/emailing the KOA and let them know what you’re looking for.

Kurokawaso had a traditional Japanese feel with a futon (mattress only) and tatami floors (straw). Yumutoso on the other hand looked very traditional on the outside but was a bit more Western with three levels. The rooms were very large with a separate dining/living area and Western beds. Comfort wise, I preferred Yumutoso. It was quite painful sleeping on Kurokawaso’s futon – like I was couch surfing in college again.

Both photos: Yumutoso

Left to Right: Kurokawaso‘s traditional style room. You sleep on the floor with a futon. Yumutoso‘s Western-style beds. Winner: Yumutoso.

Both photos: Yumutoso. Loved the bathing/spa facilities more than Kurokawaso‘s.

Both photos: Yumutoso. One of three private/family bath facilities. Kurokawaso did not have a private bathing facility.

After we got settled into our room, we were given a care package that included bath towels, shampoo/conditioner, toothbrush and the official uniform of Kurokawa Onsen – Japanese robes (yukata), Japanese sandals (geta) and thicker yukata “jackets”. Each ryokan has its own yukata style, like gang colors.

And… we’re ready for the naked pilgrimage in to 130+ degree water!

Because spa-hopping is the main attraction here, the KOA has created a three-spa pass for 1200 yen. The three stickers are placed on a piece of cedar (nyuto tegata) with string for hanging around your neck. The ryokan entrance fees range anywhere from 400 yen to 600 yen so if you plan on going to more than three spas, this pass is for you and can be purchased at the KOA office right in the middle of town.

You can see where the thicker robes come in handy. We were actually hoping for more snow, as we’ve seen so many times on TV and in brochures/magazines. The geta sandals made me walk 50% slower and took a little getting used to. The only thing saving me from being a full-fledged cross-dresser was the fact that I was in a mountainous village in Japan.

Onsen Etiquette
To really enjoy yourself and respect other’s naked space, here are a few rules of etiquette. There are three areas within any spa/bath house: changing room, showers and public bath (indoor & outdoor).

(1) Enter the correct changing room and remove your clothing and jewelry and store in the locker. This is Japan, and they are not interested in taking your belongings. Some ryokan have lockers and some merely have cabinets with baskets. We did not have any issues of theft.

(2) Bring a small towel with you and head to the shower first to cleanse yourself before entering the public baths. Most of these showers are “sit down showers” meaning you sit on a plastic stool versus standing. Make sure not to spray anyone around you. Shampoo, conditioner and soap are always provided. Remove suds before entering the public baths.

(3) In the bathing area, submerge yourself completely and either set your towel on your head or place it outside of the bath. Each ryokan spa should have pools with different temperatures for those with higher thresholds for burning pain. Take short dips as the water can be extremely hot. If you feel nauseous, get out of the water immediately and drink some water or something. Do not go into a bath/spa if you’ve been drinking.

(4) It is perfectly normal to take 2-3 dips in the hot water and 2-3 showers during your session. Think the longest we stayed in one onsen was an hour.

(5) No photos allowed. Well I didn’t actually abide by this rule but I made sure I was by myself before taking photos (well except for one photo).

Below are photos of over 10 different indoor and outdoor baths we we visited over two days. The number of baths in each ryokan can vary depending on how long it has been around. One of the oldest ryokan we checked out only had one outdoor bath, while some of the newer ryokan had a good 3-4 outdoor bathing areas including piping hot waterfalls. My favorite was the outdoor spa with the clear view of a flowing river.

Left: Hot, bamboo pipe baths are built for massaging the neck and back. You simply stand underneath and let the water pressure do the work.

Left to Right: To the naked man on the rock, I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings by posting this photo. Outdoor bath with view of a running river. The sound of the running water is so serene.

Right: Clay pot bath in Yumatoso’s private facility. Jeni and I jumped in there and jumped out .008 seconds later.  We now understand what it is like to be in a pressure cooker. Hot hot hot!

The walks around town are just as relaxing as the hot water baths. It is so quiet in Kurokawa Onsen that you’ll hear the sound of your own geta on the concrete – maybe even the sound of your own breath. There’s also the sound of birds chirping and the light rumbling of a river constantly flowing in the background. Even as I look at this photo, I can remember leaning over the side rail to look at the river. I can also remember how it also made me want to use the restroom so frequently.

The town itself is tucked in at the basin of some karst-like peaks, but not once was there a feeling of being trapped or enclosed. The sky is still very open and yours to gaze upon.

Is this picture a little disturbing?  It is to me because before you start getting aroused by the beautiful legs, know that those are mine – not Jeni’s! Like I said before, I’m “this” close to cross-dressing. But hey, who cares, I was VERY comfortable.

Throughout the town, there’s fresh water being offered. It’s amazing how refreshing the water is. Even if there was a fox, bear or even another human upstream doing his thing in the river, I wouldn’t have known. Not many places in the world where you can stop for a fresh drink of water. You definitely wouldn’t do this in the Los Angeles river.

Mmm, fresh water – slight undertones of fox and hints of furry bear.

If fresh flowing water isn’t your thing, Kurokawa Onsen provides some happy juice as well. On the left is a non-alcoholic cider, similar to what we had in Kagoshima’s Sakurajima Island. Cider seems to be the traditional, post-spa beverage – love the package design. On the right is a Hefeweizen produced right in Kumamoto – tasty. There’s also one store that sells sake, shochu and yuzu wine.

The whole island of Kyushu is known for black cow (kuroushi), black pig (berkshire pork/kurobuta) and horse meat. And even in this tiny, mountainous town, there seemed to be no shortage of delicious food. We tried this steamed Berkshire pork bun which was really tasty. In this cold weather, a hot steamy bun is everything you’d want. The black color comes from squid ink and frankly looks pretty cool.

Horsemeat
If you’re sensitive to common “taboo” foods, then please skip this portion. But if you’d like to learn more about a very delicious, under-rated food, do read on. If you’re from Australia, China, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Tonga, Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and Canada – then horse meat probably isn’t a new thing to you. These are the countries that have historically eaten horse meat in raw, cooked or smoked form due to cultural tradition or as a means of survival during periodic hardship. Most of these countries, also produce horse meat mainly for pet food. According to Wikipedia, after horses are past their prime as workhorses, they are slaughtered (using stun guns like cows and pigs) for monetary value – this includes famous racehorses. Horse meat is said to be low in fat/calories/cholesterol and has higher protein than beef.

The two countries that consider horse meat taboo are the United States and the United Kingdom because like dogs, they are valued as pets/companions. Just a reminder that countries like India, who deem the cow sacred, actually don’t crave hamburgers or juicy steaks like Americans do.

We were recommended by many ryokan staff to check out this curry restaurant called Warokuya. Once we stepped into the restaurant, we knew why – the smell of curry was eye-rolling and overwhelming in a good way.

Warokuya offers three different curries and since most curry-lovers would have a hard time choosing just one, they thankfully offer a sampler. In the image on the left, going from top down: herbed white chicken curry, kurobuta curry and horse meat curry. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you which one I liked the most as they were all so different and delicious.

The horse meat curry was slightly spicy and had a nice sweet taste to the meat. The kurobuta curry had such a deep flavor, almost like a New Orleans roux and coffee grinds had been used. The chicken curry was probably my least favorite because it was a bit too creamy but still excellent. I had tried raw horse meat (basashi) back in 2006 and found it rubbery, but horse meat in stewed form was something else. Jeni and I looked at each other after the meal and nodded in approval. We found a new protein to love!

And we were craving it the following day. We found this quaint restaurant known for their rice bowls (donburi). I ordered the tonkotsu pork soup with mushrooms and root vegetables. J ordered the horse meat donburi and let me tell you, we both should have ordered it. The horse meat was beautifully marinated in a sauce similar to that of yakiniku/teriyaki, grilled to medium doneness and topped with a garlic/ginger sauce. We were told by the waiter that this is neck meat – notice the beautiful marbling. It was here that we got to really savor the taste of horse meat. It is in between beef and venison – slightly sweet and deep in beef flavor. I would eat horse meat over steak any day – it really is delicious.

After lunch, we stopped by this amazing tea house that is known for their mochi desserts. The set above isn’t the cheapest at 1500 yen, but the quality and taste of the desserts is well worth it. Our favorite one was the one in the middle: gooey, blacks sesame paste (kurogoma). I grew up eating black sesame paste dessert as a kid, but this was on another level. The tea served was thick, foamy and full of flavor.

After visiting nearly eight different ryokan, we had come to the conclusion that this was indeed a very unique type of vacation. We’re situated out in the middle of nowhere over over naturally hot land, walking around in nothing but a Japanese robe. We go spa-hopping anywhere from 30 mins. to 60 mins. and we leave for the next spa. We check in to traditional inns and we sleep on floors. Just when I thought this couldn’t get any better, Jeni reminded me that we haven’t even experienced a ryokan meal just yet. In Kurokawan Onsen, the party doesn’t stop there. The Japanese know how to complete the whole experience and it’s a blessing that at any of the ryokan you stay in, you will be treated with the best customer service and temporary royalty.

We learned that Kurokawa Onsen was not only a destination for spa-loving guests, but also for highly-acclaimed chefs. In one of the ryokan, the kitchen was headed by an older Japanese executive chef and the kitchen crew included cooks from Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Indonesia. In a sense, Kurokawa Onsen is like Ferran Adria’s El Bulli, with chefs from all over the world flying in to stage (French for “work in a kitchen for free”). As you will see, this is nothing on par with El Bulli nor is it a ramen or katsu curry meal. But it is rather a ridiculous smorgasbord of intricately conceived dishes. I personally have never been so excited for a meal until I stepped foot into Kurokawa Onsen.

Dinner at Kurokawaso Ryokan
At about 6:00 pm we heard a light rapping at our door and our waitress, Nakagawa-san, entered to start setting up our dinner. She made sure we had taken one more bath before dinner to really make this an enjoyable evening. With over 15 years experience, she was quick and nimble. I took a look outside in the hallway and saw a cart with servings for at least four other guest rooms. While one group was eating, she was off at another room serving food or busing plates. She was good! Here are a few of the many dishes we had.

Left to Right: Red snapper (tai) and squid sashimi (ika) – unbelivably fresh. Horse neck fat is prized like the belly of a tuna (toro). Rubbery but so buttery.

Left to Right: Yuzu stuffed with egg custard and crab. Oyster in porridge-like dashi broth.

Left to Right: Appetizers including yuzu/duck breast, egg, vegetable roll. Delicious. Japanese hot pot (nabe).

Left to Right: Grilled rice ball added to nabe stock and broken up with chopsticks.

Left to Right: Ground chicken balls (tsukune).

I was so tired from the day’s spa-hopping and all the eating and completely lost track of time. I just remember eating something delicious and lying down any chance I could get. Oh yeah, I also had a little too much shochu.  What I would do to eat this again!

Breakfast at Kurokawaso Ryokan
The next morning, we were told to meet in the main public dining area. There were two breakfast times and we chose the latter. There were at least 5 other groups eating the same time. Everyone was wearing their yukatas and looking refreshed from a morning dip in the spa. Breakfast included miso soup, fried eggs, salad, natto, tofu and broiled salmon. So simple yet so good.

Dinner at Yumatoso Ryokan
The next day, we left the traditional ryokan Kurokawaso and headed over to the more Western (not by much) ryokan Yumatoso. In addition to the Western beds, this ryokan had great amenities like private bathing facilities for young lovers or families. After having great meals at Kurokawaso, we were even more excited to see what Yumatoso would serve. Dinner was served in a public dining area versus our room. Our server was a guy young enough to be Nakagawa-san’s son, maybe he IS her son. Kazu spoke pretty decent English and his first question for us was, “Do you eat horse meat?  It’s OK?”  Which tells us that there must’ve been many non-Japanese guests that have made a big deal out of it. We laughed and told him to give us extra if possible. Here are a few of the many dishes we had.

Kazu then handed us the dinner menu which was neatly printed on a sheet of paper. The menu is read from right to left and stamped by the Chef personally. If I remember correctly, it was something along the lines of twelve courses. Party time.

Left to Right: Yellowtail (hamachi) and Red snapper (tai) sashimi platter – again super fresh. Steamed sea urchin custard with caviar – wow.

Left to Right: Seared horse meat and neck fat – yes! Shrimp broth served in a kettle… mmm shrimp tea.

Left to Right: Local broiled fish. Mini black cow beef nabe.

Overall, we enjoyed the more traditional Japanese meal at Kurokawaso. The food was unique enough to showcase the Chef’s talent yet really stay within the theme of bed & breakfast. The nabe hot pot portion was ridiculously good and just perfect for the cold weather. The meals at Yumutoso were definitely tasty and more modern as far as technique but there wasn’t that nice “homey” factor. Maybe it was because of the servers. In any case, talk to the KOA about the best ryokan chefs. You won’t be disappointed.

Kurokawa Onsen Tips
• Call/email the KOA to find the best ryokan fit for you. All of them are different and unique in its own way.
• We found that TWO NIGHTS were more than enough time to relax and go spa-hopping.
• Some of the ryokan offer Wi-fi. Don’t think there’s an internet cafe.
• Most ryokan accept credit card but the small business may not, so bring cash.
• The whole town of Kurokawa Onsen pretty much shuts down around 9 pm. There’s no night life scene.
• Enter the spas with an open mind and respect others space. TMZ isn’t trying to post naked photos of you, or are they?

On the last day in Kurokawa Onsen, we made sure to visit one more spa. We tried to savor every last minute and looked at everything around us. For once, we were forced to relax and move around slower. We owe it to ourselves to take a breather once in a while. To be quite honest, I don’t know if we’ll ever see this place again because it really takes some energy getting here. But for those that do the make the pilgrimage out to Kurokawa Onsen, there will inevitably be some sort of personal achievement. Whether you’re escaping from the hectic city life, doing some soul searching or vacationing with friends and family – this place has all the answers and you will return home as a better person. I can’t tell you how clear-headed we were even after a 30 minute soak. It wasn’t until I came here that I realized the importance of onsen time for the people of Japan. It’s not a coincidence that they are typically the longest living human beings on earth – so they must be doing something right.  Thanks for reading.

Kurokawa Spa Hotel Association Information Center (KOA)
Kurokawa Sakura-dori, Minami-oguni-machi,
Aso-gun, Kumamoto Pref. 869-2402 Japan
Phone: +81-967-44-0076 FAX: +81-967-44-0819
Website

Kurokawaso Ryokan
Yumutoso Ryokan

(1) The flight is 2 hours 55 minutes from LAX.
(2) It is domestic.
(3) The destination has two syllables.
(4) Could be cold.
(5) My friend’s reaction to this destination: “Uh, what the fuck?”

Hmmm, where could we be going?

While we’re all wondering, enjoy this mix featuring:
9 Lazy 9, Atlas Sound, Beach House, Blouse, Brothertiger, Deptford Goth, Desire, The Do, Electric Guest, Heavenly Beat, Metronomy, Phantogram, Poolside, Porcelain Raft, Princeton, Real Estate, Teen Daze, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Young Holt Unlimited and Youth Lagoon.

Thanks for reading, guessing and listening.

Download WonderTune XXX.
Listen to WonderTune XXX on Spotify.

The Silver Lake Meadows is located on the northeast end of the reservoir, just north of the dog park and about two blocks before you hit Glendale Blvd. Parking can be tricky since you’re on a curved street with pretty fast traffic, so just make sure letting people know you’re looking for a spot. Luckily, they’ve installed a crosswalk so you can get to your grassy destination safely.

And here we are… Silver Lake’s playground for all walks of life. When we first started coming here, people were pretty scattered out. Few people chucking frisbees, kids running around, a random guy with guitar pretending he’s Bon Iver, people reading, people sleeping and people drawing other people. Now it’s become more crowded and seems to be the ideal spot for a hipster kid’s birthday, but so far no sign of any obtrusive jumper tents. All in all, it’s still very easy to claim your own patch of land and relax.

There aren’t really any signs that prohibit drinking but it’s pretty expected that people will bring a little boozy booze. Does the city really expect people to bring bottles of Squeeze-it and Capri Sun and play patty cake?  Not in this neighborhood.  But still, it’s recommended to conceal your goods just in case you get that one tattle-taling adult. My friend BL decided his shoes would hide the evidence, not to mention, tamper the taste of the evidence as well.

A bird’s eye view of our picnic. As you can see we’ve gone through a lot of trouble to pack up our kitchen and move it to a public area for a mere three hours, only to repack and put everything back in our kitchen.  But it’s well worth it!  Going outside and getting some Vitamin Sun is very good for you.

Right between the reservoir and the Meadows, there’s a trail that runs through for people to do healthy stuff like ride bikes and stare at us while we gain weight. I know they are talking crap. But at the same time I can’t help but feel bad for them because they are working so hard on such a beautiful sunny day. Next time, I’m going to offer them something good like chicken liver mousse and a Pimm’s Cup.
I’ve put together a quick list of things you may or may not need for your next picnic. Print it out and stick it on your fridge for future reference!

A. Parasol   I recommend going to the SLM from 2 pm – 5 pm. If you go anytime earlier than 2 pm, it’ll be pretty bright so you’ll need this or at least some sunglasses. It starts to get cold around 4:30 pm, so bring a jacket.
B. Pillows  Critical. The grass may be soft but you’ll need some neck support. There’s nothing better than taking a nap after eating. $50 fine for pillows with bird prints.
C. Blanket  Sometimes the grass is still wet from the dew so I suggest bringing one thick blanket, or two thin blackets or even bringing a rain tarp to put under one of the blankets. Nothing worse than having wet ass while you picnic.
D. Basket  Plastic Bags. Coolers. Boxes of Popeye’s fried chicken. All welcome!
E. Fun juice  Whatever your vise may be, just remember to keep it concealed. There are also no restrooms, so these may come in handy a la Dumb & Dumber style.
F. Fun juice flask  For those that want to make Old Fashioned or Negroni’s at their picnics.
G. Corkscrew  Get one that opens both wine and beer.
H. Wireless/Bluetooth speakers  I can’t go anywhere without these. You can turn any boring moment into a dance party. I like the Bluetooth ones because you can let anyone play DJ off their iPhones.
I. Hand drums  I have yet to witness a real drum circle in effect but I can imagine it must be insane. Grown-ups with nappy hair gathered in a circle channeling their inner weirdness into each beat of the drum. I’m sure this will happen sooner or later. Come on, it is Silver Lake!
J. Ghetto Blaster  If that drum circle gets too crazy, it’s time to lay out some cardboard and “jam on it”. Anyone remember Aziz Ansari walking through NYC with shitty music playing on his boombox? It needs to happen here.
K. Bocci Balls  Or Giant Skittles, which sounds more fun to me. This is the kind of game you play on lush green grass. This game is a combination of Shot-put and Tiddly Winks and it can be played in any state of drunkenness.
L. Frisbee Football  I heard that there could be a ban on tossing the frisbee on a beach. But they can’t be talking about this sport. No, this isn’t just frisbee, this is the National Frisbee League – a true profession. This is an intense match-up of helmet-less guys chasing after a plastic disc, sometimes injuring themselves for 7 pts. Super Frisbee Bowl Silver Lake coming soon!
M. Boomerang  This is a crazy thing to rock at the SLM, but it’s not as crazy as showing up with a parrot and boa constrictor around your neck.
N. Slingshot  All that delicious food you’re eating has the potential to attract the critters of the meadows. Beware of opossums, raccoons, skunks, squirrels and the occasional PBR-leeching hipster. Use the slingshot only when threatened.

Here’s the food I made for a few of our picnics. These are meant to be quick and easy recipes and I hope you get to try them out. I get a lot of inspiration from the farmer’s markets.

Roasted Red & Yellow Beets with Burrata Cheese & Pistachios

Red and yellow beets
Burrata cheese
Pistachios
Fresh mint leaves
Olive oil
S&P

(1) Turn your oven on to 350 degrees. Wash the beets and cut off the leaves (these are also known as Swiss chard – save these!). Mix them in olive oil, some salt and wrap 3-4 in a foil packet – roast for 35-45 minutes.  It takes a while for beets to become mushy so roast them until they are very fork tender.

(2) Once the beets are done, let them cool down and remove the skin. Use a paring knife if necessary.

(3) Cut the beets into quarters or eighths (or slices) and season once more with S&P if necessary. Add the burrata cheese (we got ours from the Silver Lake Cheese Store – they use Giaoa of South El Monte), ripping them into shreds over the beets. Add some crushed pistachios (any nut really), fresh mint, some good olive oil and a last touch of S&P. Enjoy!

Harissa Orzo “Fried Rice” with Hedgehog Mushrooms and English Shelling Peas

Hedgehog mushrooms (your choice of mushroom)
English shelling peas
Garlic
Cooked orzo (very al dente)
Harissa spice
Chicken broth (optional)
Lemon juice
Olive oil
S&P

(1) This is my American take on Chinese fried rice, minus the delicious Chinese sausage (lap cheung). Orzo isn’t actually rice but it looks like it. Cook your orzo in boiling water and make sure it’s al dente. Mix olive oil into the orzo so that it doesn’t stick together.

(2) Sauté some garlic and add the mushrooms and cook until they are browned. Add the orzo, harissa spices and S&P. Do this in a skillet so that you can get those nice burnt bits of fried rice which have a nice texture.

(2) When the orzo is done, add the shelling Peas at the end. Add a tiny bit of chicken broth if the whole dish is a bit dry. Squeeze a tiny bit of lemon juice. I’d recommend adding something like Merguez sausage to this for something really tasty. I just chose to go vegetarian.

Sauteéd Soyrizo & Swiss Chard

Swiss chard (the leaves/stems from the beets)
Soyrizo or real chorizo
Chicken broth
S&P

(1) Picnic food is about using whatever you can out of the pantry and fridge. I had some left over Soyrizo and if you haven’t tried this, it’s a great alternative to its meatier counterpart. I started using this more because of our vegetarian friends and have grown to love it.

(2) In a hot skillet with oil, sauté the Soyrizo to really bring out the spices and leak the orange oil out, this will be part of your “broth”. Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves and sauté them until the bitter taste of the leaves is rendered out. Add a tiny bit of chicken broth or water to do a little steaming action. This will also form a “broth” with the Soyrizo’s spices and oil. This was a very beautiful looking dish and also Jeni’s favorite.

The Crack Dealer’s Egg Salad Crostini

Soft-boiled eggs
Mayonnaise (Japanese Kewpie mayo is best)
Real dijon or brown mustard (not French’s!)
White onions or celery (something crunchy)
Capers
White wine vinegar (red works too)
Smoked paprika
Shichimi togorashi (Japanese 7-spice pepper) or cayenne pepper
Furikake
S&P
Baguette
Crack (optional)

(1) Everyone fell in love with this dish. Such a simple yet comforting dish. They don’t know that I, in fact, used crack in it.

(2) The key to this is making sure your eggs are soft-boiled, where the yolks are still a little bit melty and oozy. If you use overcooked eggs, the dish is over with. The yolk will be too chalky. In a pot of hot water from the faucet, I boiled 6 eggs (can feed 2-3 people) for about 10-11 minutes and immediately shocked them in an ice bath.

(3) In a mixing bowl, add about 5-6 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Mix in about a 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of mustard – all to your liking. Add 2-3 teaspoons of smoked paprika (more if you like), small handful of roughly chopped capers, minced white onions (or thinly sliced celery) and a few dashes of vinegar. Mix it all up. What does it need? There should be a nice balance of mayo with a nice kick of mustard and nice crunchy textures from the capers and onions/celery.

(4) Once that’s set, roughly chop up the eggs. There’s nothing more than tiny-ass pieces of chopped up eggs – the key is to have texture upon texture. Mix in a few dollops of the mayo mix and make sure you don’t drench the eggs in the mayo mix. Do not DUMP the eggs into the bowl of mayo mix! Season with a kick of shichimi togorashi and some furikake (Japanese seaweed seasoning). Serve on sliced baguette and find the nearest drug rehab clinic. You’ll understand the difference in having a melty yolk versus a dried out yolk. So good!

(5) Thank your local crack dealer but don’t blame me once your teeth fall out and you’re no longer able to eat this tasty dish.

Roasted Beet “Hot” Farro & Melted Goat Cheese

Roasted beets
Goat cheese
Pedro Ximenez balsamic vinegar
Mint
S&P

(1) Using the roasted beets, you can make another simple dish. Boil some farro until they are al dente. In a very hot skillet, sauté the farro and mix in the beets. The key to this dish is using Pedro Ximenez balsamic vinegar – it’s not cheap but it’s the best. I treat this vinegar like soy sauce/Chinese vinegar. When you use PX in a hot skillet, it caramelizes and takes on a nice flavor profile different than using it straight from the bottle.  Once you’re done, turn off the heat, and mix in some goat cheese. The heat will melt it right away.

Soy Sauce-Creme Fraiche Green Beans & Yuzu Kosho

Green beans (haricot vertes)
Creme fraiche
Soy sauce
Yuzu kosho
S&P
Olive oil

(1) One of my favorite things to use is soy sauce and creme fraiche. For me, they go really well together on vegetables. Simply sauté your green beans with olive oil and S&P and make sure they aren’t overcooked. Once they are cool, simply make a mixture of creme fraiche, a few teaspoons of soy sauce and mix it into the green beans. At the very end, add a little bit of yuzu kosho (Japanese yuzu relish) to brighten up the dish.

Burnt Garlic Broccolini

Broccolini
Lots of garlic
Chili de Arbol (dried)
Lemon juice
Olive oil
S&P

(1) In a hot skillet, add some olive oil, sliced garlic and chili de Arbol. The key is to sear this for no more than 15-20 seconds. Once the garlic starts to turn dark brown, take everything out and set it aside.

(2) Add some more olive oil, sauté the broccolini to your liking and season with S&P. Lemon juice to balance out the bitterness of the broccolini and slightly burnt garlic.

Hope you’ll check out the Silver Lake Meadows sometime. It’s a great way to spend a weekend. Thanks for reading.