Mama Lu's or Mama's Lu Dumpling House!?!

Asian restaurants in the United States are funny. The name that's on their menu might differ from the name they had plastered on the front door or awning. When I was growing up we would frequent a Chinese restaurant that we called "Daniel's Place" and I'm pretty sure that's how they would answer the phone, but on the outside, the green awning clearly said "Daniel's Palace." Typo or not, one has to laugh a little.

We find the same little things here in Los Angeles. We were meeting some friends for lunch in Monterey Park, a city full of yummy Chinese food. I looked on Yelp so that we could try something new, and I was craving dumplings. I found 3 listings for what seemed like the same place: Mama's Lu, Mama Lu's, Mama Lu's Dumpling House. Turns out there are two locations, with conflicting names on both the door and the menu. It's comical. But either way, this place rocked. We went to the newer and larger location, and it wasn't even crowded at 11am on a Saturday, surprisingly.

Mama's Lu, or whatever it's called, serves up some delish Taiwanese specialties like pan fried rice cakes, which are like coin-sized rice noodles stir-fried with veggies and meat.

They have beef rolls or wraps - like a Chinese burrito made with a green onion pancake and marinated beef and green onions inside. Yum!

And, of course, lots of different styles of dumplings!

I didn't even take a picture of every dish we ordered. There were four of us, and we polished off seven dishes. A little excessive, but soooo good. And, on top of all the goodness in the tummy, it is CHEAP! We ordered 7 dishes and only spent about 45 bucks total, with leftovers to take home.

This place definitely satisfied my craving, and we will be back. Next time maybe with the baby in our arms. :) If ever in the San Gabriel Valley, try out Mama's Lu in Monterey Park!

Pink's Hot Dogs, Hollywood

There are quite a few historical food landmarks in Los Angeles. The number of celebrities that frequent a place, whether high-end or hole-in-the-wall, just might determine its legendary status. And, restaurants that name menu items after famous people, well, they always seem to make it big.


There's Sue (pointing at the sign), Pam, and Aaron holding our place in line. We waited for 40 minutes to order! Can you tell she's happy to be there?

Pink's is one of those landmarks. It's just a shack on La Brea Avenue heading into Hollywood that's been around since the 1940's. It's a grease pit serving hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, and onion rings. It's a heart-stopper. Cholesterol and calories are served there. And yet, in this west coast town of vegans and organic-fanatics, the line is most usually 20-50+ people long. And, they have hot dogs named after Martha Stewart and Ozzy Osborne, just to name a couple.

After living here for close to 7 years, I still hadn't been. But when my mother-in-law and friends came to visit before our Vegas trip, Pink's was our lunch destination before a day of shopping at the Grove. Needless to say, we really didn't need to eat for the rest of the day...

Here is our lineup of hot dogs...sauerkraut, anyone?

...and the burgers...Yes, that's a polish dog and bacon on top of the chili cheeseburger on the left. Wow. It was a bit much!

It was a good experience, though I wouldn't eat here very often, just for my body's sake. It's pretty tasty grub and it's fun to enjoy with friends, but...just looking at it puts you in danger of gaining 2 pounds. My favorite thing was probably the chili. So, a chili dog or chili cheeseburger or chili cheese fries are probably the best things to order.

Not sure if we'll be back, but at least I can check this one off my LA bucket list!

Indulging on the Island

Sorry for the long absence...I've been working hard preparing for our annual regional staff conference, which took place on Catalina Island over the past 5 days. When we go to Campus By the Sea, it means eating good food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, thanks to Chef D'Arcy and his crew. This cinnamon roll, for example, was consumed in a matter of minutes by little ol' me. Can we say, proposed calorie intake for the whole day?? It was a marvelous eating experience, nonetheless.

Since I have been indulging while away, I will be back soon with another post. One that will make you a little less jealous, but hungry, all the same.

Bruxie's Gourmet Waffles

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

If you're in Southern California this Memorial Day, or any time in the near future, check out Bruxie, an awesome new find in Orange County. They have three locations - Brea, Rancho Santa Margarita, and the City of Orange. We've been to the one in Orange two times now, and have NOT been disappointed. Everything we've tried is tasty and "crave-worthy." That is, it's food that I crave on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I'm a bit too far to go out there every time I want it, but it's been a treat in my recent life, and I like it.

If you love waffles (like I do), then the thought of a sandwich made with waffles instead of bread is like heaven. This place is just a little shack. Seating is available outside only and you won't miss it because there's a line around the corner at any given time of the day.

They fill these folded waffles with everything from PB & J to a classic burger, from pastrami to prosciutto to pulled pork. It's glorious.


Here's the cheeseburger...simple lettuce, tomato, and cheddar, but so juicy and good.

Of course they have to have a fried chicken & waffle too - served with maple syrup and pictured here with a side of waffle cut fries.

Then, there's dessert...

You can do it simple with lemon cream & berries, or nutella & banana, OR, you can do it up in a sundae with frozen custard and the works...

This is what we demolished...a traditional Belgian-style waffle, the batter studded with sugar crystals so that they carmelize in the waffle iron, topped with frozen custard, peanuts, chocolate and caramel sauce, and lots and lots of whipped cream.

They also serve housemade old-fashioned sodas, lemonade, and shakes. There are always specials too...of course there are!

It's different, it's really good...and if I have to list a negative, it's that there's no onsite bathroom. But, trust me, it's worth the walk to the local Starbucks for a restroom just to have your tummy full of this goodness.

Try it. You'll like it.

Alpine Village: Another Great Local Find

When we moved to Torrance, California, we knew we would have no shortage of Japanese cuisine. Because of the Toyota and Honda manufacturers making a home in our hometown, there are Japanese markets and restaurants everywhere to serve the community of workers who moved here. Japanese-Americans all over LA know that good food can be found here.

What I didn't expect was to find a real authentic German restaurant in the neighborhood. I'd heard of Alpine Village as a place to go for Oktoberfest, but in the 2 years we've been here, we've missed it. So, when Groupon had a deal for this place, I jumped at the opportunity to go and check it out.

Alpine Village is an interesting place. It's got a restaurant and café, and a community center room that can be rented for parties. It even has a little business area with shops, a dentist office, a hair salon, and even a wedding chapel. Fascinating and a little kitschy. Let's just say, it opened in the 1960s and there hasn't been a ton of updatin', if you know what I mean. :)

The timberframe architecture takes you away to a tiny German village. The restaurant is dim and wood paneling covers the walls inside. The beer is ever-flowing, and the potatoes and sausage are
d-a-n-g-e-r-o-u-s-l-y scrumptious.

I don't remember what hubby had to drink, but mine was a heifeweizen...I can tell by the orange slice.

Hubby ordered a classic wienerschnitzel, which is served on top of the most amazing potato, bacon, onion, and parsley concoction I've ever had. So good.

I had a Hungarian sausage plate with sauerkraut, the wondrous potatoes, and a duo of mustard. You'll see in the picture, on the bottom left, there's a piece of bread with chicken liver paté. They give you a whole little pot of that with a basket of bread and butter before your meal. It's so yummy. I took the rest home to eat the next day.

After dinner, we checked out the market. Now that was like walking into a supermarket in the middle of Europe. It made this girl so happy. Especially when I wandered into this aisle...

Chocolate! All the chocolate that one can find in Europe. It was glorious. Lindt, Ritter Sport, Milka.

And they also carry a lot of products that can only be found in Germany...like Smurf soup mix. I love how it's translated - schlumpf. Hehe.

Needless to say, this is a fun place for Europhiles like me. I had a great time, and we can't wait to take our German relatives here next time they are in town!

The Standing Room

Los Angeles food trucks have gotten a lot of hype lately. They deserve it. There are some good eats coming out of those restaurants on wheels, no doubt. They are fun to chase too. But sometimes you just don't feel like chasing. That's when you go to the Standing Room.

Here are the guys waiting in the aisles to place our order. The neon menu is between them and Seinfeld is playing on the TV to the right. Love it.

Food truck food on the ground. In a liquor store. Behind the canned corned beef and Boston Baked Beans, and next to the refrigerator of sparkling water and Coca-Cola. Across from the shelves of Vodka and cigarettes...there is an itty-bitty kitchen with three dudes working their *!# off to make some really yummy food.

The Bull Burger. Korean bulgogi beef on a cheeseburger.

The Pulled Pork Sammie. Check out the bread!

The Shortie. Braised short rib on a french roll

Korean-influenced burgers, "sammies", plate lunches, and fries. Kim chee aoili. Bulgogi on a beef patty. Braised short rib, pulled pork, grilled salmon, roasted brussel sprouts. Flavor-packed food. In a liquor store. Check it out if you ever find yourself in the South Bay. Lucky for me, I find myself in the South Bay everyday. :) This is a new favorite spot. Come and visit. I'll take you there!

The Ultimate Banana Cream Pie

A couple of months ago, we took a friend out to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants, Depot, right here in Old Town Torrance. The meal was excellent, as always. Chef Michael Shafer knows his stuff. And he definitely knows about banana cream pie.

We ordered it to share among the three of us that night, and this is what we got...

The thing was massive. It had a shortbread crust, filled with milk chocolate ganache, topped with heaps of cream bearing chunks of fresh banana, raspberries, toasted pecans, and a sprig of mint. Oh, and caramel dripping off the heap of cream onto the plate. Yep, that's what you're looking at. Heavenly.

After I indulged, I thought...I could make this. I really could.

And after I posted this bad boy on Facebook, I got a lot of 'likes'. I also told my Aunt Lucy that I'd make it for her someday. And that day came this week.

For her 60th birthday, my cousins and I threw her a party and I got to make her (one of the) dessert(s)! She's made at least 18 cakes for me, including birthdays and my wedding cake, so it was time to honor her with some sweet stuff. This is how I made it:

Cut up butter in chunks and place in a microwave safe container to melt it down to liquid,

Add the butter, flour, cornstarch, and sugar to a mixing bowl and mix until it all comes together,

Press dough into a tart pan or several individual ones, being careful to get it about 1/4 inch thick all around and bake it in the oven. 

Start your ganache on the stove top, pouring in 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 cups of chocolate,

Stir with a whisk until it gets smooth and glossy,

and pours thick, like this into the bottom of the tart shell.

Then whip the cream for the topping, adding powdered sugar to sweeten it slightly,

cut up the bananas in big chunks,

and start dishing up the cream,

add a layer of banana,

more cream, and raspberries,

and finally, the nuts and caramel syrup! 

The Ultimate Banana Cream Pie, inspired by the pie at Depot Restaurant

For the Crust:

1 cup butter, melted

1 cup flour

3/4 cup corn starch

1/2 cup sugar

For the Ganache:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 cups chocolate (semi-sweet, milk, or dark, whatever you prefer)

For the Cream and Toppings:

1.5 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

4 medium-large bananas

1/2 pint raspberries

1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans

3-4 Tbsp caramel syrup (I used Smuckers Caramel Flavored Syrup)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, blend the melted butter, flour, cornstarch, and sugar until the dough comes together (about 1-2 minutes). Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan for the scalloped edges (or several individual ones). A regular cake pan or glass dish would work too, but for presentation, I like the pretty decorative crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

In a saucepan, add 1 cup heavy cream and chocolate (chips or chopped up). Heat on low-medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture looks smooth and glossy. It should also be thick like syrup.

Once the shortbread crust is cooled, pour in the chocolate ganache, and let it set on the counter top. In the meantime, cut up the bananas into large chunks (1-1.5 inch pieces). Whip up the remaining heavy cream and powdered sugar with a mixer until fluffy peaks form.

When the ganache has set, spoon half the whipped cream on top, then add the bananas in one layer. Add the rest of the cream to cover all of the bananas to prevent browning. Then decorate with fresh raspberries, pecans, and caramel syrup. Share this dessert with friends and/or family! 

It's Nice to Be Home

I've been away from Blogland. Over the past two weeks you would have found me running around town like a headless chicken, working the biggest event of my career to date, then jet-setting to Washington state for a looooooong and needed weekend break with hubby, tossing my friends' kids in the air just hear them giggle, wine-tasting in the middle of nowhere, and eating a lot more calories than I was expending. Life gets busy sometimes.

But, oh, it's nice to be home. 

One stop I made in the middle of the madness was at a place that's one of the reasons I fell for Los Angeles. I wasn't always a fan of this place I've called home for almost 6 years since I left Paris. When I arrived, everything in me wanted to hate it. The traffic, lack of lush green parks, (little to) no public transportation, crowded parking lots...but then I started visiting lovely little holes in the wall, like Amandine: a French bakery run by Japanese in the middle of Wilshire Boulevard. Love.

Quiche du Jour, the simplest side salad of mixed baby greens, 2 slices of tomato, 2 cornichons (little pickles), and a decaf non-fat latte, please.

A little peace in the midst of busyness. A little comfort in the midst of a crazy schedule. A little escape to Paris in the middle of Southern California. Home away from (my French) home. Love, love, love.

George's Ocean Terrace & A Steak Dinner Remix

I've been away from my kitchen for several days...traveling for work and then for a weekend retreat. While I was away, I definitely ate well. I love being treated to a nice dinner by my company.

We were in San Diego for a few days and landed a reservation at George's Ocean Terrace, a casual bistro on the roof of George's at the Cove (a higher end restaurant) in La Jolla Village. We got there just in time for the sunset - our fellow diners (and I) were like the paparazzi, snapping photos.

And as the hot pink sun tucked itself into the horizon over the Pacific, everyone on that roof began clapping, giving due praise to the wonder of a beautiful seascape. Bravo, God, bravo.

This was just the beginning of a delightful evening of laughs, good food, and the celebration of two colleagues' 15 years with our organization.

Two had the halibut special, the other three of us had steak. I went with the Asian Skirt Steak with Garlic Spinach and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes (I subbed out the onion rings).

The marinade on this steak was so good I drenched each bite of food in the tiny stainless steel cup of reduced sauce (left). Sweet and salty. One of my favorite flavor combos. The cup on the right held the potatoes, which were also drenched in the sauce before each bite. If ever in La Jolla, go there at sunset.

When I got home from the weekend away, I guess I was still thinking about that steak. I found two sirloin steaks in the freezer and had a pound and a half of fresh green beans from my CSA stash. Sounded like a great dinner for my love and me. I looked up recipes for sirloin and found one for Beer and Brown Sugar Steak Marinade.

Ingredient list: brown sugar, teriyaki sauce, garlic powder, seasoned salt, pepper, and beer.

I marinated it for about a 1/2 hour, poking holes into the steaks so that as much flavor seeped in as possible

Dinner for two!

I used sirloin instead of skirt steak, garlic green beans instead of garlic spinach, and left out the potatoes. I reduced the leftover marinade and strained it to serve on the side. It wasn't George's, but I have to say, the flavors were close and it was pretty satisfying to remake a memorable meal right here in the comfort of home. It's good to be home. :)

Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner

The last Saturday of July, my husband's company had a picnic at Knott's Berry Farm, which included a full meal and discounted ticket into the park. I was pretty excited because I'd never been there. And franchement (frankly), I was really excited about the chicken. Forget the crazy roller coasters.

Here in Southern California, this chicken, whose recipe is now 77 years old, gets a lot of hype. People line up out the door for hours to get a table on a weekend. So that's what we did. And this was after I already tasted one form of the chicken at the picnic.

Yes, we went to the restaurant for dinner, after already having it for lunch. Don't judge. The chicken at lunch was not fresh. It wasn't the real deal. It had been sitting in a steamer tray and wasn't a very good representative. I needed to have the Chicken Dinner Restaurant experience. So we indulged.

This is the lighter side chicken dinner. Leg and thigh, cherry rhubarb (not pictured), mashed potatoes and gravy, cabbage and ham, and biscuits. The full meal had even more chicken and more sides (yikes!). The chicken was good: tasty, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. It was good. I liked it a lot. Better than lunch but nothing too extraordinary either. Extraordinary were the biscuits! Small, but buttery, soft and fluffy. I had three. and a half. with boysenberry jam. Oh yeah. I'll be back for the biscuits.

All that said, the most amazing thing about this restaurant had to be how crazy big it was. The place went on and on and on.

Someone was having a birthday party in the room we were in. Heck yes! I'm 98.5% sure I'll be stealing that idea for my next birthday. You're all invited. If you're lucky there will be a princess cake too.

Exploring K-Town, Part 2

, SoLast week, I made my way back to K-town for Korean-Chinese food at China Gate Restaurant. My friends Linda and Sarah met me there and we feasted. For real. Good thing I skipped breakfast.

They have a lot of classic Chinese dishes, but with a Korean twist. For example, we had sweet & sour pork, but it had a thicker batter and they also offer it using beef instead of pork. Though there are mainly Chinese type dishes, you know it's Korean-owned when they pull out the little dishes...

The side dishes: raw onion with fermented black bean paste and kimchee

 My favorite dish was the Jajangmyun. It was the first time I'd tried it, and it was delicious. I could have eaten that whole bowl by myself, but I held back.

Jajangmyun: Korean black bean paste noodles with diced onion and zucchini

Mixing it up and cutting it so it's easier to serve - love the scissors!

From left top, clockwise, the rest of the meal:
steamed buns, sweet & sour pork, steamed white rice, and jellyfish with sauteed vegetables

They gave us mini steamed buns to soak up all the yummy sauces from the sweet and sour pork and jellyfish. Nice bonus. Chinese restaurants usually only give you bread like that with Peking duck. Also, I'd never had jellyfish in a hot dish. It was stir-fried with green onion, zucchini, carrots, and chicken. Pretty tasty, though I think I prefer my jellyfish cold. How do you like yours? ;o)

Overall, it was a great new find. Homestyle Chinese food with Korean flavor - a new kind of comfort food.