Best Thai food in America: Lotus of Siam

Upon the recommendation of my friend Rebecca Dameron, we checked out Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas, off Sahara Blvd.  Often seen on a variety of food shows on TV, Chef Saipin Chutima's Thai-Issan restaurant was busy on a Thursday night with the crowd spilling out to the sidewalk.  Locals and celebrities flock here to get their spicy on. We saw Marilu Henner in the lobby and pictures of Drew Barrymore and past Presidents on the wall.  So what was all the hoopla about, I thought.  I've never had really amazing Thai food.  Can this place be that good?  Verdict: holy chilies, holy running nose, was it ever good.  The Crispy Duck in curry sauce was crispy ducky deliciousness.  And the real stunner was the Thai sea bass on a bed of drunken noodles.  Everything went great with the Singha beer.  Usually after Thai food, my palate is overwhelmed with just heat.  But after Lotus, it was heat combined with fresh Thai basil and curry and all sorts of flavors.

Buttermilk Food Truck...worth the wait and the aches.

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.

 

Los Feliz's Cafe Stella ooh la la...

This place is funky and weird and moody.  Add to that they have good food and wine and Chimay on tap.  Holla!  It's all the things I love in a cool East LA neighborhood.  I even sat next to Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords so my meal was extra sexy.  Let's get to the food.  Amazing charcuterie plate.  Check.  Crusty on the outside soft on the inside French bread.  Check.  Scent of truffle oil in the air from fries and/or mussels.  Checks everywhere, man.  Like potatoes?  They offer potatoes in multiple forms: pomme frites, in a gratin with turnips, hand crushed or turned.  The kitchen has never met a spud it didn’t know how to master.  Thanks kitchen.  Finally, french toast donut for dessert.  Cafe Stella, you had me at donut.

A Barcelona Delight: Cinc Sentits

Spring Peas from Llavaneras with five herb ice cream and mint powder

Little neck clam in gelee with asparagus soup

Red Snapper with braised vegetables cooked in cellophane bag

Iberian suckling pig marinated for 14 hours served with apples in two textures.  The left is apple sauce, the right is a baked apple.

Petit Fours

There's much debate in the foodie blogosphere about where to dine in Barcelona. Everyone is saying Spain is putting out the best new foods. I may be in the minority, I may be crucified, but I must speak the truth. I am not in love with the food in Barcelona.

In general, there's little variety in flavor profiles. How many ways can you stretch Iberico ham and Manchego cheese? And the tapas have been a starchy potato on top of starchy french bread. And everything's a bit too fishy. That's my impression of the food after trying everything from fine dining to street food for a week.

There is one stand out and that's Cinc Sentits. Located in the Universitat area in a small sleek modern space, it just received one Michelin star. The more molecular dishes still put taste as a priority over technique. The reverse has been the downfall of many a modern dishes. The restaurant prides itself on harvesting local ingredients. The food was delicious. The service impeccable. The stand out was the suckling pig and the seasonal peas with herb ice-cream.

Enjoy the pictures as you turn asparagus green with envy.

www.cincsentits.com

Wilshire Restaurant: Well Prepared Local Food

Amazing food on the Westside with global flavor. We had our engagement party here and served mac and cheese, kobe beef sliders and hors d'oerves and cocktails. Then stayed after to have dinner in a private room.

Thai-style fried whole snapper with fish sauce

Indian-flavored cumin chicken with lentils and greens

Green musssels in yellow curry sauce

mini ice-cream sandwiches

Outstanding in the Field, Camarillo, CA McGrath Family Farms

Outstanding in the Field is an organization that encourages diners to eat farm fresh food. And by fresh, I mean straight from the soil, through the rinse, and onto your plate. It's a movement to make people aware of a fresh organic more sustainable way to shop for foods and feed your body. They travel the country in a big red bus and organize dinners at farms. They match local chefs with local farms and local produce. They set up one big long table for diners and prepare the meal on the farm. It's a unique special romantic experience. If only we could all live this way.

The menu for the evening:

Cocktail Appetizer:
goat cheese crudite with squash blossom relish

First Course:
Farm Fresh roasted carrot and squash salad

Second Course:
Haricot Vert soup

Third Course:
Fresh Caught Ventura Harbor Snapper with farm fresh beats

Fourth Course:
Grilled Pork Belly with farm fresh turnips

Fifth Course:
Lavender infused pound cake with farm fresh strawberries

From their website:

Outstanding in the Field is a roving culinary adventure - literally a restaurant without walls. Since 1999 we have set the long table at farms or gardens, on mountain tops or in sea caves, on islands or at ranches. Occasionally the table is set indoors: a beautiful refurbished barn, a cool greenhouse or a stately museum. Wherever the location, the consistent theme of each dinner is to honor the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table.

Ingredients for the meal are almost all local (sometimes sourced within inches of your seat at the table!) and generally prepared by a celebrated chef of the region. After a tour of the site, we all settle in: farmers, producers, culinary artisans, and diners sharing the long table.

Chimera Restaurant: Hidden Find in Monteverde Costa Rica

A week into our vacation in Costa Rica, we had been accustomed to the routine of local tica plates for lunch which consisted of rice and beans, plaintains, and some stewed mystery meat. The Ticas know how to do their rice and beans, but even so, a tica plate everyday does begin to make the palate wander. Then came a ray of sunshine found in Monteverde, a place that's known for cloud cover. Chimera restaurant is located in the town of Santa Elena on the road leading to the Cloud Forest Reserve. It serves tapas style food using local farmed ingredients. Behold our delicious samplings: stewed white beans with bacon, coconut tamarind shrimp, coconut rice, hearts of palm salad, a hearty tortilla soup, local spice onion rings and for desert local-spiced apple cakes. The flavors and quality of execution far exceeded the local standard and elevated local food to a higher level. HIGH RECOMMENDATIONS for Chimera.