Best thing I've eaten in 2011. I crave it every day. Royal Capital Seafood in Westminster, CA. They stir fry the lobster in ginger and scallions and seasonings. They reserve some of the broth used in boiling the lobster and use it to stir-fry the noodles in. The noodles taste like they were made with lobster meat. Holy cow.
Carbonara carbonara carbonara! Had to get that out first because it was the most memorable and transformative food I've eaten lately.
Let's back up. Animal was hosting a pop-up kitchen with Chef Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto fame. He appeared on Season 1 of Top Chef Masters and was known as the zen master chicken guru. He was so likable to me with his "if you don't like my food, suck it" attitude. Yeah judges, suck it.
Waxman has plans to open a LA restaurant soon. Until then, we wanted to sample his offerings. We had some incredible moments at this dinner. The highlights of which were his shaved raw asparagus dish. So simple, so flavorful. I am so copying this recipe for future parties. Our favorite course was the pasta course. His linguine and clams were amazing. But the biggest revelation was the carbonara. It was so smooth, creamy, rich and orgasmic. I took the first bite, closed my eyes, and I was transported to some Italian movie in my mind. I was wearing muddy galoshes, riding a bike past farms in the countryside, buying fresh eggs and pork cheeks from a local market. I was there I tell you!
As high a pinnacle as the carbonara took me, sadly, I came crashing down when the carnes came out. The fantasy was over. The chicken guru disappointed with his proteins. Dare I say, both the steak and chicken were bland. Such a let-down. I guess I can take my own advice and suck it.
The whole dinner was like a final four basketball game. Lots of ups and downs. On the edge of my seats until the very end. But my team lost by one point in the last second.
One of my favorite go to dishes for a wicked hangover is a piping hot and spicy bowl of Bun Bo Hue. (For Gwai Los, Bun = Rice Vermicelli noodles, Bo=Beef, Hue=Central area in Vietnam where the dish originated.) The broth has essence of lemongrass and shrimp paste and you dress up the soup with Vietnamese herbs and lime. So hearty. So delicious.
I am officially OVER the food truck craze. I stopped to think about the other day. How do they keep the food cold enough? How do they keep everything clean? After getting sick too many times from one of those ubiquitous korean tacos, I am no longer chasing those trucks on twitter or driving out of my way or waiting in long lines. EXCEPT for (there's always an exception) the Buttermilk Food Truck. I stopped to think about it today. It's a truck with food made mostly from buttermilk. Impossible to stay away. Eating here is way more calories than anyone should ingest in one day. But you know what else I'm over? Having a six-pack. So suck it you dumb skinny jeans. The red velvet pancakes are mine. Those Hawaiian breakfast sliders. Those chicken and cinnamon waffles. Oh so consistently good I want to take a bath in that truck.
