the ch!cktionary

9 Jun 2010
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Congrats to my favorite cupcake connoisseur and erotica editor* Rachel Kramer Bussel who just released her bajillionth anthology to date:

Fast Girls: Erotica for Women, named after the Sarge song, is here, hot, and pansexual! An original Kayla Perrin story, “Temptation,” the Tristan Taormino classic “Winter, Summer,” my “Whore Complex.” Buy it now!

Order Fast Girls: Erotica for Women from:

Amazon.com

Kindle edition

Bn.com

Borders

Powell’s

IndieBound

Cleis Press

I met up with Rachel on Monday at Sugar Sweet Sunshine for some red velvety goodness before dinner. Her pick for best cupcakes in Williamsburg (where she lives and where I usually stay): Cupcakeland.

* I know, double alliteration is the cheapest literary ploy there is.

This is El Tábano, the amazing restaurant we ate at everyday (sometimes, twice a day!) during our stay in Tulum. The ingredients are so fresh that it’s impossible to replicate the taste of these dishes in the Northeast. I’m not even going to go into details about each plate, because I’m already nostalgic (well, my tummy is). Eating out will be a letdown for quite a while after this.

El Tábano
6km down the road to Boca Paila
Tulum, Quintana Roo 77780, Mexico
(984) 134-8725

20 Feb 2010
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5 notes

Many, many Asians gathered in Central Square yesterday. Home to some of the greatest Northern African food in the Boston area, Baraka Cafe features what is probably the best quality lunch steal I’ve ever had the luck of stumbling upon.

For under $5, you get an open-faced sandwich, a side salad, and spicy skinny fries. Delish! Next time, I’ll have to snap food pics.

teresawu:

Yesterday: Tunisian for lunch with Nan, Lena, Annie and Jason.

Baraka Cafe
Neighborhood: Central Square
80 Pearl St
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 868-3951
www.barakacafe.com

2 Feb 2010
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The famous Umami burger.

Umami, the so-called “fifth” taste (next to salty, sweet, bitter, and sour), is best described as “savory”. This burger exemplifies that concept by including mouth-watering ingredients such as a parmesan crisp, roasted tomatoes, grilled shiitake mushrooms, housemade ketchup, and caramelized onions. Definitely a step up from In-N-Out, the Umami burger is perfect for people like me, who can’t digest a pound worth of meat at one time but nonetheless enjoy burgers (as long as they include ingredients beyond beef).

I checked out the La Brea location when I was in Los Angeles, but there are also two others in the city.

Umami Burger
850 South La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 931-3000

31 Jan 2010
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Spare ribs

Uncooked pork bacon

Various meats on the grill

Back in New England but still lusting after LA eats. Here are some snapshots from my meal at Ham Ji Park in Koreatown last Monday. Thanks to Evelina for the restaurant rec!

Both Patrick and I love Korean barbeque but good Korean food is hard to come by in Boston. Does anyone have any recommendations for Boston city proper?

Ham Ji Park

3407 West 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 365-8773

24 Jan 2010
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Ceviche del dia - Swordfish

Causa - Peruvian Potato Salad w/ Roe

Ceviche del dia - Shrimp

Papa A La Huancaina -Roasted Potatoes

Entree and accompaniments

Lomo Saltado- Prime Beef Fillet w/ Frie

Arroz Con Marisco - Seafood Paella

Seco De Cordero- Lamb Chunk in Beef Stew

Quinotto - Wild mushroom risotto

Two Hungry Pandas took Patrick and me to Mo-Chica for lunch yesterday. I’ve tried Peruvian food before, but nothing terribly memorable. Situated in the food court of La Mercado Paloma, a charming indoor marketplace near USC, Mo-Chica served me a meal that won’t be soon forgotten. Don’t be fooled by the environment. The menu features flavorful dishes with fresh ingredients and impeccable presentation. Evelina mentioned that the chef is trained in Japanese cooking and moonlights as a sushi chef. After tasting the two ceviches of the day, I believe it.

Though the prices aren’t quite on par with Burger King, Mo-Chica is much more affordable than restaurants with comparable cuisine. You can get away with a drink (I recommend the iced ginger tea), an appetizer, and a main course for $20 before tip. I suppose you’re saving on the ambiance but don’t underestimate the appeal of a “food court”. With high ceilings, open space, and steadily strumming Spanish guitar in the background, La Mercado Paloma is far more pleasant than the Beverly Center.

Mo-Chica
3655 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 747-2141

21 Oct 2009
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$1 egg and cheese sandwiches with a free coffee (mine was from Illy) at specialty food shop Cardullo’s in Harvard Square. Needs a little salt but otherwise, pretty yummy.

Breakfast special runs from 7 to 11am through the end of October.

Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe
6 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 491-8888

2 Aug 2009
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Interesting dining experience on our first night (of two) in Salzburg. We ate at Carpe Diem Finest Fingerfood, located in Salzburg’s altstadt (“old city”). The restaurant serves small plates, both savory and sweet, in ice cream cones. Some of the things I tried:

Marinated scallop with avocado, potato-bear’s garlic cream, & cress
Red chicken wings with grilled baby corn & spicy dip in a paprika-cone
Marinated char with asparagus salad & foam of asparagus served in a curry-cone
Beef tartar with mashed potatoes & cress in a sancho-pepper-cone

My favorite dish, a goulash of chanterelle mushrooms, was actually not in cone form. (The dark chocolate ice cream I had for dessert was also quite satisfying.) All in all, I think the cone concept is a cool — if sometimes, messy — idea. Since I value taste over presentation, this only worked because everything was also really delicious.

(Photo via Carpe Diem)

30 Jul 2009
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6 notes

Peeking into a box of goodies at Botegga Louie, the downtown restaurant where I had lunch on my last day in Los Angeles. For more beautifully lit pictures of the food and space, check out Wesley’s photography and Evelina’s full review on Two Hungry Pandas.

1 Jun 2009
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Seattle: Baguette Box

While in Seattle a couple weeks ago, Kennedy and I hid out the rain by ducking into the Capitol Hill location of Baguette Box, a gourmet sandwich shop with a small, Vietnamese-inspired menu.

Roasted pork loin with apricot aioli baguette, $6.50

Among the offerings of baguette sandwiches (in varieties such as braised pork shoulder with red wine and grilled ‘la espanola’ chorizo) are interesting items like truffle fries and Thai iced oolong tea, made in-house.

Fries, $2.80 / Truffle Fries, $4.80

I opted for a salad myself, made of the same ingredients in the crispy drunken chicken baguette but served alongside greens and drenched in white wine vinaigrette instead.

Drunken chicken salad, $7.95