Tag: restaurants

Thursday News Chum

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

A few items of interest for today:

  • From the “Let’s All Call Up AT&T and Protest To The President March” Department: It looks like another area code is coming to the San Fernando Valley. Specifically, it looks like by Fall 2009, all new phone numbers will have the 747 area code. This will be an overlay code, moving everyone to 10-digit dialing (which is fine by me — I like consistency). The usual complainers are speaking up: Gerald A. Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino, still feels that other options need to be considered.
  • From the “Side Effects of Hairspray” Department: It appears Marissa Jaret Winokur is following in the footsteps of the first Tracy Turnblad, Rikki Lake: She’s getting her own talk show.
  • From the “Doing Good by Eating Well” Department: Today is “Dine Out Los Angeles 2008”, where a number of restuarants are donating 20% or more of their profits to Aid For AIDS to help prevent homelessness and hunger for individuals and families impoverished and disabled by HIV/AIDS. The day isn’t coordinated: in the Bay Area, it is next Thursday. You can do a Google Search to find out the day where you live.
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Restaurant Recommendation: Lum-Ka-Naad, Northridge, CA

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

This evening, with nsshere out with friends at the House of Mouse, we decided to continue our quest to find a Thai Restaurant to replace Khun Khao in Panorama City, which now is too far away.

Our search is over. We found a new place, Lum-Ka-Naad in Northridge, less that a mile from our house. They have great prices, great food, and an extremely wide menu. In fact, their menu goes beyond your normal Thai-Chinese restaurant menu to include specialty regional dishes from northern and southern Thailand.

Tonight we ordered our usual test dish, Phad Thai, together with a glass noodle soup (#49, Glass noodle soup with fish ball, ground pork, served with baby bog choy, and bean sprouts), and a southern regional dish, Kuah Gling (#140, Pan-fried meat marinated in Southern Style spices paste: fresh galangal, Kaffir lime leaves, turmeric root, Thai Chili, and shrimp paste. Served with fresh spinach, carrot, lettuce, cucumber, and cilantro leaves). This last dish was almost like a dry tum-yun, and was just a little spicy (3 on a scale of 10). All were excellent in both taste and presentation, and the prices weren’t that bad: with tip, just over $32. They also have a separate vegan menu.

This is definately a go back. ixixlix, we picked you up a “to go” menu.

Lum-Ka-Naad is located in Northridge, at 8920 Reseda Blvd between Nordhoff and Rayen. It is a few doors up from Morigi Pizza and Kabobs.

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A Question of Taste

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

The New York Times has an interesting article today on the flavor enhancer MSG. I’m sure we’ve all tried to avoid the substance, eating at oriental restuarants that are MSG-free, presumably due to bad reactions such as headaches. However, the article makes it clear that whether or not they add MSG directly, many food products contain it naturally, and it is hidden behind such phrases as “hydrolyzed soy protein”, “autolyzed yeast”. It shows up in canned chicken broth, packs of onion soup mix, cheese Goldfish crackers, and low-fat yogurts. It is the taste of Marmite in the United Kingdom, of Golden Mountain sauce in Thailand, of Goya Sazón on the Latin islands of the Caribbean, of Salsa Lizano in Costa Rica and of Kewpie mayonnaise in Japan. And yet, we all still seem to avoid MSG, thinking it gives us headaches (even though that has never been proven).

Why?

It is probably something similar to the placebo effect. This brings to mind the recent report that more expensive placebos bring better relief than cheap placebos. In the reported survey, 85% of those using the expensive pills reported significant pain relief, compared with 61% on the cheaper pills. I’m sure this extends to our view of politics, where candidates are often just different priced placebos.

Anyway, back to MSG. It (glutimate) is evidently a distinct taste from salty, sweet, etc., and evidently rounds out the taste of food (and evidently covers us weaknesses of poor quality food). Perhaps this is why No-MSG restaurants are better: not because of the lack of MSG, but because they use better quality food that means they don’t need the MSG in the first place.

So what’s your relationship with MSG?

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Because You Always Wanted To Know…

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

According to the New York Times, fortune cookies are a Japanese invention, imported to America, and then spread by servicemen who saw them in San Francisco (just like a social disease), then taken over by Chinese manufacturers after internment. Quoting from the article:

“The Japanese may have invented the fortune cookie. But the Chinese people really explored the potential of the fortune cookie. It’s Chinese-American culture. It only happens here, not in China.”

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The Red Viking (Solvang)

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

When my wife and I first met and got together, we took many the trip to Solvang, a Danish-ish community up in the Santa Ynez Valley. Back then we enjoyed walking through the shops, having pastries, and buying needlework. This evening I drove over to Solvang for dinner.

The town is no longer what it was in the 1980s. Many of our favorite stores are gone (although some are still there). There is perhaps one needlework shop. Many of the danish restaurants, such as Mollekron, are gone. They all seem to have been turned into wine-tastings or Mexican restaurants. I guess that reflects the changes in the valley, particular those brought by the Chumash Casino next door. However, some are still there…. and so, another restaurant review, because I’m feeling a little Posty McPosty tonight.

One of the surviving Danish restaurants in Solvang is a little place called The Red Viking. I’ve been there before: once on a business trip to Santa Maria with ellipticcurve (or was it Max), we stopped there for lunch. I remember having the Roast Pork, and finding it excellent. Tonight, I had the smorgasbord. It was quite good: the usual cold meats and salads, with excellent sausage, mashed potatoes, red cabbage, and meatballs. My tummy is happy.

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Dining Out in Lompoc, CA

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

This morning, I got in the car and headed out towards Lompoc California, as I had some testing in the vicinity. I made pretty good time (around 2.5 hours, with brief stops). Being in Lompoc for a few days, I got to go out and hunt dinner on my own. As I have a preference for finding local joints vs. chains, I decided to try The Lompoc Restaurant at 925 N H Street. It was housed in an obviously converted old IHOP (the roof is a dead giveaway), and claims to specialize in steaks.

How was the food? Reasonably good. I had a tri-tip steak, which came as three medallions of meat, with garlic mashed potatoes and nicely cooked veggies, together with a tasty tortilla soup. Everything seems obviously hand made, and it appeared that my waitress was one of the owners. Next time in the area I may try some of the other menu items.

Tomorrow night, as I don’t have to worry about being back in time for Heroes, I’ll probably drive out to Solvang for some yummy danish food. What good is being in the area if I can’t have my red cabbage and pork loin? Alas, Mollekron is no more. Any recommendations?

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Just Luvin’ Those Golden Arches

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

According to a CNN report, kids thing anything tastes better if it comes in McDonalds packaging. Even carrots, milk and apple juice taste better to preschoolers when they were wrapped in the familiar packaging. The argument, of course, is that this is the power of advertising.

But I wonder…

I’d love to see the following comparisons:

You get the idea. Luckily, long ago I convinced my daughter the tastelessness of McDs, and that she should love In-N-Out (or for your southerners, Steak ‘n Shake). She also eschews Dennys and other purveyors of mass blandness.

In other McD’s news, McD’s is selling Boston Market to Sun Capital. Most people don’t realize it, but McD’s has owned Boston Market since 2000. McD’s at one time also owned Chipolte Mexican Grill, but sold at least part of it in 2005-2006. Apparently, McDonalds may still own a majority interest in the Chipolte parent company, although some articles imply otherwise.

Speaking of burgers, a post by zarchasmpgmr reminded me of one of my favorite burger joints, Flakey Jakes, which went out of business in 1992. When I worked at SDC, we used to eat at the West LA location all the time (I believe they were at either Olympic and Sepulveda or Pico and Sepulveda)… although there may still be an Anaheim location. Fuddruckers was never as good.

And speaking of dying (or dead) LA restaurants (and I know you were), Mark Evanier (mark_evanier) has an interesting article on the apparent death of Loves BBQ. I remember a number of Loves locations, including one across the street from Panns in Westchester, and one out in Woodland Hills… neither of which exist anymore. In fact, the only existing Loves BBQ may be in Jakarta Indonesia. They are a style of western BBQ you don’t see that often anymore (and don’t get me started on Tony Romas, bleh!). Give me Arthur Bryants any day. And a PS to the celiacs out there: over the weekend, we learned that almost nothing at Famous Daves is gluten-free. Although two of their sauces are safe (Mustard and Texas Pit), the “natural flavors” in the rubs they use contain gluten.

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Sweetened Chicken and Tea Fingers

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Today’s observations on the news are particularly timely in the sense that I’m writing them while my lunch digests, as they have to do with food:

  • From the “And Would You Like Fries With That” Department: The New York Times has an interesting piece on the effect of kid’s meals on kid’s palates. The article notes that kids meals seem to be independent of restaurant, and always seem to be the same: chicken fingers of some form (do chickens even have fingers?), mac and cheese, burgers, hot dogs, or pizza. The claim is that such bland uniformity discourages kids from trying the really great food that is out there, and learning to have a broad palate of food tastes and experimentation. It also, the article claims, encourages bad eating habits, being low on vegetables and high on fat. I would tend to agree — luckily, my daughter eschews kids meals, and even is insisting on a single menu for both kids and adults at her upcoming Bat Mitzvah.
  • From the “Tea, Earl Grey, Hot” Department: The Daily Breeze has an interesting article on the regional differences in Iced Tea. In the North and West, is it unsweetened, but in the South, it is sweetened. I remember this from growing up–my grandmother (from St. Louis) loved her iced tea sweet and strong. I did too… until as an adult I started drinking my tea black and unsweetened. I now cannot stand the sweetened stuff. I’m sure I’ll be innundated with sweet tea in Nashville, so I’ll need to remember to ask. I should note that in some places, iced tea is a completely foreign concept… and in Europe, it isn’t sweet or not, but whether you want your tea white or black. I’ve only found certain teas that are appropriate white, such as some of the real smokey ones… and to bring the discussion full circle, Thai Iced Tea, which is both sweet and white.

P.S.: Reminder: Nobel Middle School in Northridge (corner of Tampa and Lassen) will be presenting The Wizard of Oz… and Then Some on Thursday 5/31, Friday 6/1, and Saturday 6/2 at 6:30pm, with a 2:00pm Saturday matinee. This musical combines Arlen’s The Wizard of Oz, Small’s The Wiz, and Schwartz’ Wicked into an interesting amalgam. These 85+ kids have been working their little fannies off (as well as working Fanny’s fanny off), so if you’re in the area (or have friends in Southern California) come on out and support them. This is the first big show of the new Nobel Drama Department. Donations at the door.

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