City of Angel-a-s

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Los Angeles, California

I noticed that I've pretty much only talked about food. Don't get me wrong. I love food and food loves me! We get along great and our relationship is pretty strong. (Recently not so much, but we're only on a break. Nothing to worry about, hopefully!) BUT, I entirely forgot the purpose of this blog. Love Stuffed? Well, it's about everything I love! All the things that fill me to the core with happiness and satisfaction. The tagline of this blog is "To live, love, and eat." I haven't even talked about the 'live' part yet. So, here we go. I'm going to take this time (in which I should be studying for my midterm) to convince you that Los Angeles may just be one of the greatest locations on Earth. Caution: Biased views due to author's subjective love for home sweet home.

If there's anything I hate more than skipping a meal, it would probably be people who don't live in Los Angeles claiming it to be their city. I know. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Right? I sound like some high and mighty, aloof "repper" of a city that I haven't entirely explored. You call me hypocrite. Well, maybe you're right. But this is my blog, so suck it! What really bugs me is when someone tells me they're from Los Angeles, but they actually live two hours away from it. At least live in Los Angeles County! That would be me. I live in the Los Angeles County and I have lived in it all my life. From Hancock Park to SGV to the Foothills, I have been a migrater within this diverse city. But diversity, I don't know much about. I've generally lived with an Asian population for the past 20 years, so I can't talk much about the diversity of Los Angeles. I can reiterate what a brochure tells you but I'm sure you could read that for yourself. What I CAN tell you from my personal experience .. well, you're going to have to keep reading.

So, what is it about LA that makes me love it so much? It's ridiculously hot in the summer and we don't have real winter holidays. People think we're bad drivers; we only care about the materialistic goods in store windows; we have a lot of poor areas; awful, awful traffic. All these things may be true! But there's so much to Los Angeles than the green and grey sky, the illegal immigrants, and ridiculous amount of shopping centers and areas. There's a culture in this little spot of the world, just as there is in any other little spot in the world. It's unique to the area, but what's even more special ... is that the even smaller areas within this spot have their own unique cultures. Hollywood, San Gabriel Valley, Sillicon Valley, the Foothills, Burbank. Where ever, you name it! Largely affected by the population within the area, each neighborhood boasts its own contributions to the City of Angels. So maybe a large portion of the contribution is the different styles of food, but I argue that inhabitants of LA can feel the noticeable difference within the atmosphere. It's hard to describe, but Pasadena feels a lot different from KTown, which is very different from Arcadia.

But I haven't really explained exactly why I love Los Angeles. What makes me drive home twice a month ($150!) from homesickness? Other than the fact that I currently detest my academic situation, my homesickness is due to the fact that my familiars are located there. I guess this is true for anyone who really loves going home then. But my social life at home is a lot more vibrant than the one I have here and I dare say than the ones a lot of other people have at their homes in North-north California. I don't want to give a detailed explanation of each love so I'll just make a comprehensive list of reasons. Less is more, right?

1. Mountains outside my door.
2. Church on Sundays
3. My family.
4. My boyfriend.
5. My friends.
6. KTown & Little Tokyo.
7. Valley Blvd.
8. Adventures with my boyfriends and friends.
9. Eating real food.
10. Making real food in a real kitchen.
11. Nightlife in 6 and on 7.
12. Tea places open past 11 pm.
13. Museums (California Science Center & Natural History Museum)
14. Fashion District
15. Freeways that have multiple connecting points.
    
16. Boyfriend's little brother. Cute as a button and sweet as a sugar cube.
    
17. Fashion21, except it closed down. BOO.
18. My house fridge, big screen T.V., and air condition. Summers are hot? Nah.
    
19. Fresh&Easy, Subway, Wing Stop, Mall within 5 minutes from house.
20. Huntington Drive.
21. Griffith Observatory
22. La Cienega
23. Broadway/Theater
24. Hollywood eats.
    

I'm sure there are more, but these are the things that come to mind first. This is a pretty stupid post, I know. It doesn't even review or say much about the city itself. But that's the thing about reviews anyway. You don't know until you've tried. And with a city? You don't really know until you've lived there (for a period of time)! So no matter how much I try to explain to a person from Nor.Cal how amazing Los Angeles is, they just shrug and say "nah, NorCal is hella coo. Bay Areaaa!" But I digress. If you want to experience the culture of anything, you have to fully submerge yourself into it. Eating Mexican food doesn't make you knowledgable about Mexican culture. Eating Chinese food doesn't make you in touch with the Chinese realm. You have to live it to know it. I have lived Los Angeles for twenty years and you know what? I'm still a newb.

Phillipe's

Philippe The Original Restaurant

1001 N Alameda Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 628-3781

www.philippes.com

A while back (as in summer 08), I had the honor of experiencing a classic piece of Los Angeles. Forget Subway and Quizno's. Forget about Arby's French Dip (although I have to admit this is pretty tasty and affordable). This is the original -- the real deal. Maybe I'm being too dramatic but I've always been the nostalgic type. History? My favorite subject. Chinatown? I love the old run-down parts. Museums? Absolute must for me ... which reminds me: the first weekend of each month holds free admission to museums for all Bank of America customers. Lucky me, lucky me~! Back to the review. =) Well, imagine my bliss when my foodie-partner-in-crime reminded me that I still had yet to try Philippe, a classic sandwich joint in the heart of Los Angeles. I read this little tell-all in the newspaper once and it was in my heart since. And uh, what was there not to like about such a description? Any eatery with a history, that has lasted a century, deserves my absolute applause and admiration as well as my money. The place was built in 1908 for goodness sakes. Business come and go, but this one seems to be like a permanent establishment of the city. So here we were, my boyfriend telling me I had to try it. And try I had to since we were in the neighborhood. Doing what? Going to the California Science Center (free admission all the time) and watching IMAX movies about mummies and prehistoric dinosaurs. In the airconditioned comfort of a cool, dark theater. Yes, summer vacation is always grand .. despite the possibility of melting in the sun.


So we arrive at Philippe's and I recognize the area immediately. It's basically across from the main station of the Amtrak. Two blocks down is a Subway, whose business seems incomparable to the crowd that's packed into Philippe's. I am told that its always this busy and of course I'm impressed. We walked in and the only two things I remember of my 'first impressions' were: (1) big and simple space, almost like a cafeteria (2) it smelled and felt good. What do I mean by "felt good" anyway? There was something about being surrounded by fellow Los Angeles people and stepping into history. I was giddy but I kept my cool as I looked at the menu, the sides behind the cold-frosted glass, and the customers who were already shoving French dipped sandwiches down their throats. I'm pretty sure I was drooling. I felt like a newbie as I stepped up to the high counter and hesitantly asked how to order. Fortunately, the girl was friendly and gave me a description of what was popular, how to order, and how we would have to wait a bit until they called our numbers. I ordered the French Roast Beef Dip (single dip), a side order of potato salad (recommended by the bf), and ... lemonade for 70 cents?! As always, how could I resist such a deal? It was like Old Fashioned old fashioned! It's been awhile since I saw a drink for a legitimate-under-$1 (not like those 99cent "deals"). I was sold and I was shaking with anticipation. Yes, I get pretty excited about food, especially if I had been anticipating the visit for a long time!

After waiting just a little bit (it wasn't too long but specific numbers have fled my mind), we received our plate of food. It was lack luster but it didn't deter me from my excitement. The less fancy, the better. At least, this is my motto when it comes to food. (I am so hungry writing this right now.) And let me tell you, it was better. The 'jus' that the dip sandwich was in .. it was spectacular. It was savory of course, and had an intense taste that complimented yet flavored the sandwich itself. I usually don't like soggy foods (hence, the single dip) but I had to make an exception here. Maybe, just maybe, I'll go for a double dip next time. The size of the sandwich was underwhelming, but I was satisfied. Possibly the heat of a summer day and my constant summer food frenzy kept my hunger at bay. Now that I think about it, it was a pretty good sized serving. It was a proper proportion; I think we're all too used to supersized meals at fast food restraunts. America = make that supersized, for everything. Costco, anyone? After a bite of the sandwich, I went for the potato salad. I don't eat potato salad very often so I don't have much to compare it to, but the cold side tasted pretty good on a hot day. We put some sort of shake-shake on it (cajun, perhaps?). I don't recall the exact taste except 'peppery' (darn my laziness in blogging) but I would order it again, and probably get two servings. Foodie intuition tells me so. Ha. Ha. So after two bites of solid food, I sipped my lemonade. Iced cold lemonade on a summer afternoon -- need I say more? Folks, it was 70cents and worth every penny, nickle, dime, and quarter of it. I think the BF went back for a second glass. Basically, the meal was all around yummy. Reminiscent of picnic food in all its simple glory and satisfyingly satiating, the historical restraunt is not one to be passed on. If you are ever in the neighborhood, don't even hesitate to walk through the doors. Long line? You better wait because it's not going to get any shorter.

Alas, I will not be going home for another week. Blogging about these places really makes me miss Los Angeles. I mean, there are really great places in San Diego that I have yet to review. But, there's just something about good ol' home that tastes and feels better. Ya know? Well, I won't be having Philippe for awhile; it probably won't be until summer vacation again. I bought gift certificates from Restraunt.com for supercheap and I have to try those places first. ...I am so hungry right now!!!

Hurry Curry

HURRY CURRY

37 S. Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 792-8474

www.hurrycurryoftokyo.com

Soo, I'm going to try to keep this blogging consistent from now on. Read: I will avoid doing my homework at all costs. Anyway, back in December during Winter Break, I went with my boyfriend (my partner in crime for all things, including food-tasting) to this little shack. Well, not so much a shack but a mid-level dining 'place.' I don't remember the cost, now that it's nearly five months later so I'm going to say (as according to Yelp): $$ depending on how much you get. An entree and drink will probably set you back about $10 including tip. Not too pricey but not cheap enough, but one must take into consideration the location, location, location. This particular one is in Old Town Pasadena and caters to the mass amounts of rich kids who live in surrounding areas. On with the review!

The BF and I went between lunch and dinner. We're always hungry so there's never a set meal time for us. Just FYI, we were expected to show up at a Jewish Latkah party about one hour after finishing up at Hurry Curry. He had been here before and rated the food "okay, pretty good." Let me note, then, that my boyfriend has pretty picky tastebuds. He will scarf down a burger from Mickey D's but critisize a steak from Ruth's Chris. I guess you can say he sets standards according to his expectations that come from the reputation of the restraunt. Hurry Curry isn't one of those gourmet places and it's definitely no drive-through. When I left, I also felt like it was "okay, pretty good."

On the flipside of the menu was a picture of 'authentic' Japanese school girls in their sailor uniforms (fuku???) enjoying each others' company. Despite my appreciation for the picture, I couldn't help but feel that this was a bit tacky and exploitative of the "Tokyo culture." This place was obviously one of those white-washed-asian-places catering to, dare I say it, white folk. This created a chain of thoughts that consisted of phrases like: small portion, lack of flavor, plain rice. This will be explained as I review the actual contents of my order.

I ordered the Tokyo Curry. It was highlighted on the menu! How could I resist? Highlighted always means house special, and I always love me one of those. On the menu, it is described as this: A mixture of ground beef and vegetables are combined to make this unique curry, garnished with hard boiled egg. This sounded alright; pretty average stuff. If you've ever had Japanese Curry, it tastes a helluva lot different from Indian and Thai Curry (which share more flavor in common, imo). At Hurry Curry, I was able to choose from a range of spiciness. Considering that this was not authentically Asian, I chose the "hot" option assuming it would be okay for my accustomed tongue. As our 'appetizer' that came with the curry, we had the usual Japanese style salad with the 'special' sauce that you can find at any Japanese restraunt. I thought it was very good actually. I'm a sucker for salads and tasty dressings. The curry was served in a bowl soon after and rice was given separately on a modern square plate. I was delighted with the smell and quite surprised by the appearance of my curry. I expected it to be a lighter brown, but I guess the extra spiciness created a darker hue. It didn't LOOK appetizing, but it sure smelled good. I followed my boyfriend's lead and pushed an indentation into the plate of rice with my spoon. Then I started globbing the curry over my rice. At first taste, I noticed how salty it was. I quickly adjusted the amount of curry in each spoonful, realizing the possible reason for such a large portion of rice. I would have preferred less rice and less salty curry actually. The egg that "garnished" the curry was yummy, but this might be due to my bias for eggs in general. The spiciness, as predicted, was not that spicy. So for all those who have had Schezhuan (sp?) cuisine, don't even trip. This place won't have your mouth burning, but it might have you gulping water [if you don't like rice] from the sheer amount of sodium. I don't think there's MSG, but I still felt thirsty afterward. I don't want to say this place sucks, because it really doesn't. I mean, they do offer you a truckload of rice for the meal, so when eaten in the correct proportion, the curry was "pretty good." I'd say this place is one of those hard to review kind of eateries. My friends have had mixed reviews here and it seems to be a hit or miss kinda place. Maybe they switch chefs often. I wouldn't mind coming back here again, but I haven't thought of it once in the past five months since my first visit there. It's one of those affordable places you go to because of its convenient location after a couple hours of foot numbing, wallet emptying shopping.

Boiling Point

BOILING POINT

153 Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755

(626) 288-9876

I can't believe it's been four months since my last review. I'm such a bad food blogger, but life has been harsh in thrusting me into the cages of death (school + work + bills, etc). All I want to do at the end of the day is stare at the ceiling. However, I've been to a couple of places lately that just cry out to be reviewed (despite my lack of readers). I suppose this blog is more for myself , my camera, and my memories than anything. Someday, when I'm 30 and doing a job that I don't want to be doing, I can go to this page and remember how much fun I had as a teenager. Which leads me to another point: I'm not a teen anymore! Well, at least, by name I'm not. I turned 20 recently; that's twen-ty, not twen-teen. Sad story. Anyway. . . no sad thoughts!

To get me back on track, I want to start by talking about a recent hitwall that I've discovered. Hitwall is a term I made up for hole-in-the-wall. I love these places. They're dirty, dingy, and delicious. I think the fear of cockroach legs kind of authenticates the eatery. But maybe that's just the Chinese side of me. While most of my peers are facebooking, I'm yelping. I go on Yelp all the time to find places to eat. And Boiling Point was one of them.

Two Fridays ago (I think?), I ditched my classes. Not only did I ditch them, I drove nearly 3 hours north from San Diego. What would normally be a 1.5-2 hour drive became a tedious, stop-and-go trip in rainy day weather, which became further worsened as I hit lunchtime/weekend Los Angeles traffic. BUT, I didn't mind knowing my destination would fill me with the happiness of home and good eating.

I met up with my boyfriend at a parking lot in Alhambra so we would only have to take one car. Good thing we did; all the parking is on the street or around the corner in a supermarket lot. When we arrived, I was expecting the smell to have me flat on my back (from what I've read). But it was far from that. It was a pleasant smell, meaning the stinky tofu would probably not live up to my expectations. But, I had to get the House Special Hot Pot (the stinky tofu hot pot) because that's what this place is known for. I ordered this, plus a plate of Pork Blood Gao (it's like a gelatin). This came with a free drink. All of this for $8.99 + $2.00 = $11 + Chinese tip ($1 and change).

In retrospect, the hot pot wasn't amazing at all. But at that moment, I think I was in heaven. Maybe it was the long drive. Maybe it was from being starved by school food (sandwiches and salad, 7 days a week, no variety). Maybe it was the thought of having traditional Taiwanese street food. Or perhaps, it was just being at a hitwall that made my meal so grand. I left full and satisfied. I didn't pay a lot; I was stuffed; I was warmed up to face the cold weather. And the taste? Well, it's basically meat and vegetable soup with various dipping sauces. So when you talk about hot pot taste, what you're really talking about is the sauce. Just the basic hot sauce and bean pastes, but I was still digging it. Even now, my mouth is watering a little just thinking about it.


It's a cozy little store. It's a good place for a date on an empty Friday afternoon. I'm pretty sure it gets rowdy here at night, consdering it's in the heart of Chinatown #2. No eatery in the area goes undiscovered. I'm glad I "discovered" this place. It's one of those places that personifies home for me. My friends at UCSD always ask me why I prefer home to school. Well? Good friends and good eating. =) They still don't get it, but they don't have to. One of those good friends from home once told me that what's important is: "As long as you're happy with what you're doing, and you're happy with the options or outcome, then I'm happy for you." Well, that's basically what he said. It came out as intoxicated gibberish at the time, but I knew what he meant.


UPDATE: My one and only reader commented that I didn't really make any reviews on the actual food itself. After reading over my blog, I find that this is true. My House Special Hot Pot was the Stinky Tofu Hot Pot. It had tofu, cabbage, pork, and various other hot-pot styled vegetables. I ordered "Zhong La" (that's medium spicy). The soup was flavorful, and I found myself spooning it over my rice time and time again. The soup was spicy and savory; it had a salty garlic taste with a hint of pepper. The "spiciness" was not immediate, as it usually is in Asian style hot pot. It was more of a gentle after-bite that left my lips puffy and tingly from the natural spice stimulation. The rice was good, as usual. I love rice with everything; I just can't have it all the time becaues of my diet. There wasn't anything particular about the rice, but it complimented the hot pot food and flavor nicely. The Pork Blood Gelatin was tasty. This was the real stuff, not some fake "nuo mi fan" stuff. I particularly liked the texture. Biting into it definitely had a hard-jello feel but it was smooth on my tongue. After being in my soup for a long time, a lot of the Gelatin accumulated some soup. By the time I got to my last one, I bit into a spicy and juicy, jello-like Pork Blood. This might sound gross, but I love it. It kind of tastes like liver. Oh! And also, the portions are generous! I stuffed myself silly finishing the plate on my own (the boyfriend doesn't like it), but who am I go to complain? The sheer quality and amound made it definitely more than my money's worth. I didn't particularly like the type of tofu that was in the soup. It was the hole-y, juice-gathering kind. I like soft, smooth tofu. This was the spongy stinky tofu. I usually like the deep fried stinky tofu, but I should have known considering it was going to be in a boiling broth. There was a pretty good amount of meat for what I paid. Nothing special about this; just the average run-of-the-farm kind of pork meat. I must admit that there was some MSG in the soup, but I don't mind it the way others do. Actually, I sometimes enjoy it in my food. It adds flavor! Well, I'm not sure if this review is good enough but that's all I can think of right now. Especially because my teacher is lecturing in front of me and I'm trying to concentrate in class and on food. =)