The Saban Free Clinic's Extravaganza for the Senses

This weekend, the Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood played host to the Saban Free Clinic's Extravaganza for the Senses. At the event, guests munched on dishes prepared by more than 35 of LA's top restaurants and sipped on wines and spirits, including drinks from sponsor Absolut Vodka. Guests could also rest their feet while enjoying a massage, glimpse the future with a psychic reading, ham it up in a photo booth or make a bid in an expansive silent auction.

Leading up to the event, I hoped to pace myself so as to not become too full, too quickly. However, after spending all day packing and moving out of an apartment completely devoid of food, I arrived at Extravaganza for the Senses starving and and any form of "pacing" fell by the wayside; as I walked from one end of the event to the other--ostensibly to formulate a plan of attack-- I stopped at at least every other table to snack. Despite the feeling of fullness that quickly settled in, I soldiered on--eating and drinking almost non-stop for three hours straight. Highlights of the night included a juicy, flavorful mini-sirloin bacon burger from 25 Degrees, beef skewers with horseradish from Chaya Brasserie, fried shrimp with jicama from Reservoir and sweets including macaron ice cream sandwiches and mini ice cream cones from Milk.

The Hollywood sign kept a watchful eye over attendees

Mini sirloin burger from 25 Degrees

Top Chef DC contender Alex Resnick of Ivan Kane's Cafe Was

Ivan Kane's Cafe Was

Rose truffles from Valerie Confectioners

Beef skewer from Chaya Brasserie

Lamb and polenta from Delphine

Macaron ice cream sandwiches from Milk

Photobombed by Milk!

Mini ice cream bars from Milk

Fried shrimp with jicama from Reservoir

On this night, doing good tasted good! Visit the Saban Free Clinic's website to learn more information about this wonderful cause.

Belgian Beer Tasting @ Whole Foods

Grocery shopping is often a nuisance, something one must do rather than something one enjoys doing. With a vast selection of fresh, gourmet foods, hard-to-find products (including Bubbie's mochi ice cream-- one of my favorite desserts from Hawai'i) and dining options including BBQ from an in-house smokehouse, the new flagship Whole Foods in Tarzana is 30,000 square feet of food and drink heaven that makes grocery shopping, well, fun.

The store also boasts a wine and tapas bar, which can seat forty people and frequently hosts wine and beer tastings. Intrigued by the idea of imbibing while re-stocking my refrigerator, I recently visited the Whole Foods bar during a Belgian beer tasting event as a guest of the store.

In need of sustenance to mitigate the effects of the beer we were about to feed our empty bellies, J and I began with a charcuterie plate ($6.99), which included soppressata, pate, chorizo and salami as well as cornichons and olives and a bread basket.

The first of the four beers of the tasting was Saison Dupont, brewed by Brasserie Dupont, a farmhouse brewery in western Belgium. This golden Vielle Provision was bright and fresh with a hint of citrus. After sampling this delightful beer, I was more than ready for the rest of the tasting.

Our second beer was Blanche de Bruxelles, an unfiltered, slow-brewed beer with accents of coriander and bitter orange peels. Decidedly heavier than the Saison Dupont but still mellow, the complex beer quickly supplanted the first beer as my favorite of the tasting.

Next came St. Bernardus' Abt 12, a dark beer with a 10.50% alcohol content that is the "showpiece of the brewery." Although the flavor was smooth, the beer was ultimately too heavy for me, and I quickly passed my glass to my tasting partner to finish.

Finally, we sampled a Tripel Karmeliet, a three-grain ale made with wheat, barley and oats from Bosteels Brewery. My first few sips of the beer were very strong with flavorful spices shocking my tastebuds. As I continued to drink, however, the beer mellowed and evolved, and I could soon taste other flavors including fruits.

With the $10.00 pricetag for this tasting and an average drink price of $5.00, Whole Foods may have just supplanted happy hour as my choice for an after-work drink.

Click here for a schedule of events at Whole Foods, Tarzana.

Gram & Papas

With the hubbub surrounding Gram & Papa's as host to LudoBites 4.0 and the forthcoming 5.0, one might forget that the downtown breakfast and lunch joint is a restaurant in its own right. Well, for the record, it is. Daily since 2008, Gram & Papa's has dished up meals made with carefully sourced and fresh ingredients to scores of hungry patrons.

Given my affection for downtown Los Angeles and proclivity for sandwiches as my lunch of choice, Gram & Papa's and I were destined to be friends.

My hungry friend Diego and I waltzed into Gram & Papa's on a weekday around 12:30PM, expecting to immediately take a seat and order our sandwiches. Unfortunately, a large lunch crowd had already beaten us to both the tables and the ordering counter. Although the wait presented a slight inconvenience, I was pleased to see business booming in the restaurant.

Diego ordered the Grammy's Turkey Burger ($9.00). Given the restaurant's diverse offerings, I was somewhat surprised by his seemingly ho-hum choice. Gram & Papa's turkey burger, however, was anything but. With caramelized vidalias, a tangy "G&P sauce" and a flavorful turkey patty perched upon a fluffy rosemary focaccia bun, this sandwich was bursting with pleasant surprises. All the sandwich lacked, in Diego's opinion, was something to mix up the sandwich's all-around soft texture (he topped his sandwich with a few chips and was quite satisfied).

I decided to try the Ludo's Parisian Sandwich (Paris ham, Emmenthal cheese, honey butter, cornichons and radishes, $10.50), a limited-time offering crafted by Chef Ludo himself. Although I was disappointed by the sparing amount of cornichons and radishes, the perfectly crunchy bread, sweet ham and piquant cheese made up for it. The star of the sandwich, however, was the indulgent honey butter which was, unfortunately, concentrated only on one part of the sandwich. Well, perhaps, not too unfortunately--those were some tasty bites. Fittingly, Chef Ludo showed up just as I was finishing lunch, and I was able to share how much I enjoyed his creation.

With a sandwich and salad to fit every lunch mood, Gram & Papa's is a standout lunch location. And who knows? Chef Ludo may even pop by!

Gram & Papas

www.gramandpapas.com

227 E. 9th St.

Los Angeles, CA 90015

(213) 624-7272

Lucha Libre Taco Shop (San Diego)

As someone raised on a small island, the idea of a "day trip" is somewhat foreign; from my hometown, the longest I can drive is around 30 minutes to the farthest tip of the North Shore! As such, I appreciate that, in California, a few hours in the car can land you at a destination altogether different than where you started.

With its beautiful coastline, relaxed daytime vibe but happening nightlife and, of course, pandas, San Diego has become one of my favorite mini-vacations. My most recent trip, however, was not only koala-driven but also food-motivated.

Located a stone's throw from the 5 freeway in Mission Hills, Lucha Libre Taco Shop serves Mexican food with a touch of SoCal flavor and a whole lot of inspiration from Mexican wrestling. Although the shop has been a favorite in San Diego since it opened in 2008, it has recently been inundated with new customers after being featured on the Travel Channel's Man v. Food.

At least there is ample cheeky signage to keep you occupied while you're in line.

Upon finally entering the restaurant, I took one look around and was thrilled to be eating here. The flamboyant wall colors, rotating disco balls and floor-to-ceiling luchador memorabilia made for quite the inviting interior. I felt as pumped as a wrestler before he enters the ring, energized and ready to eat.

We began with an order of guacamole ($1.75), which was fresh and deliciously simple. The large chunks of avocado simply begged to be scooped up and devoured.

The first of J's two tacos was the Undefeated Seafood Taco (grilled shrimp [or blackened mahi mahi] topped with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, jack cheese and a creamy serano sauce, $3.69). The soft tortillas provided the perfect bed for the crunchy toppings and snappy shrimp, and each bite was a delightful mix of textures and flavors tied together by the cool, creamy sauce.

Next came the Surf n' Turf Taco (marinated steak, shrimp and avocado slices, topped with a special sauce, $3.49). The plentiful steak was tender and flavorful, and the avocado and special sauce added a pleasant creaminess to the dish.

I ordered the Surfin' California Burrito ($6.75), which received Adam Richmond's stamp of approval during his Man v. Food visit. After watching the episode and learning of the behemoth burrito stuffed with grilled steak, shrimp, fresh-cut french fries, cheese and chipotle sauce, my inner luchadora emerged, and I knew that the Surfin' California must be mine. Because each ingredient was fresh and delicious in its own right, the combination of them all was outstanding. From the snap of the shrimp to the softness of the fries to the creamy kick of the chipotle sauce, I loved everything about this burrito and, I'm proud to report that I polished it off by myself.

After this first trip to Lucha Libre Taco Shop that pleased both my stomach and my wallet, I believe I have a new staple San Diego restaurant.

Lucha Libre Taco Shop

www.tacosmackdown.com

1810 W. Washington St.

San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 296-8226

Simpang Asia

With the sheer number of different types of ethnic cuisines at one's disposal in Los Angeles, choosing a dinner spot is always great fun and presents the opportunity to try something new. In this spirit, I recently visited Simpang Asia to get my first taste of Indonesian food.

Simpang Asia sits in a tiny complex on National Boulevard near Motor Avenue. Although the area is better known as an alternative to traffic on the 10W than a dining hot spot, it has received more attention thanks to recent notable additions such as Roy Choi's brick-and-mortar restaurant Chego.

In stark contrast to its rough-and-tumble exterior, Simpang Asia's design is surprisingly sleek with a warm color palette and modern wall decals. The restaurant would fit right in with restaurants in downtown LA.

Our table began with an order of lumpia semarang ($2.95), an Indonesian eggroll filled with chicken, shrimp and vegetables. Although I enjoyed the crunch of the lumpia and the sweet dipping sauce, the rolls themselves were disappointing; I could taste neither the chicken nor the shrimp and had to refer to the menu to remind myself of what was supposed to be in them.

We also ordered the pansit goreng ($3.00), or fried wontons. With their low filling-to-wonton ratio and the unpleasant acidic kick of the meat, these fried bites were more disappointing than our first appetizer.

For our entree, my friend and I both ordered the gule kambing ($7.50), a lamb curry made with shallots, garlic cloves, lemongrass and coconut milk. Although the curry's flavor was pleasant, it was surprisingly mild considering its flavorful ingredients. While I am unfamiliar with the dish, I would have enjoyed stronger hints of either lemongrass or coconut milk in the curry.

J ordered the nasi besek ($8.99), a tasting plate including yellow fried chicken, curry pickles, egg curry, spiced potatoes, mild curried long beans with beef liver, fried rice noodles, shredded spiced coconut and hot chili mix. J enjoyed sampling many different flavors on one plate, and I happily stole a few bites of the fried chicken and noodles.

Although our dinner at Simpang Asia was enjoyable enough, I was not sufficiently impressed to rush back. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this one: Did I order the wrong dishes? Did we go to the wrong place? Or am I just unfamiliar with the cuisine?

Simpang Asia

www.simpangasia.com

10433 National Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 9034

(310) 815-9075

Pailin Thai Cuisine

There are few dishes that I crave more frequently than pad thai. Although some might categorize it as an unadventurous default dish, pad thai combines some of my favorite comfort food elements--noodles (a.k.a carbohydrate goodness), shrimp (the only seafood I touched until this year) and Asian flavors (Japanese; from Hawaii; you get it).

After sampling many restaurants' take on the dish and being disappointed by most, I finally stumbled upon Pailin Thai Cuisine about a year ago and, now, it is specifically their pad thai that I crave.

Located in Hollywood, Pailin Thai offers traditional Thai fair as well as regional off-the-menu specials (fans of these more adventurous dishes include Tony of SinoSoul and Zach of Midtown Lunch). What is most charming about the restaurant, however, is not its small size or its Buddhist-inspired decor but its family feel; your server will either be the owner or one of his two adorable children.

On the most recent visit, there were three in our party--one of whom was a Pailin newbie. To give our out-of-town guest a well-rounded experience, we all ordered Thai iced teas ($1.00) and chicken satay ($5.95) as an appetizer. It is difficult to beat either the taste or the price of the milky sweet Thai iced tea, and the fresh, homemade peanut dipping sauce make these tender satays a winner.

Branching out from his usual panang chicken curry ($5.50, also highly recommended), J ordered the roasted duck curry (red curry with coconut milk, pineapple, tomato and basil, $6.95). The flavor of the hearty and spicy curry base was sweetened and brightened up by the addition of coconut milk and pineapple, and the mild flavor of the bite-sized pieces of duck tied everything together. J was pleased with his decision to try something new.

My friend and I both ordered the pad thai--I with shrimp ($6.50), and he with chicken ($5.25). Abandoning all sense of propriety, I twirled huge forkfuls of steaming, flavorful noodles mixed with peanut crumbles into my mouth and then added a bean sprout (or two) and a bite of snappy shrimp to get all the flavors in one bite. After inhaling most of the plate, I stopped, leaving four bites or so for a snack the next day.

After re-visiting this most recent, deliciously satisfying meal at Pailin for this post, I think I may be in need of another fix soon...

Pailin Thai Cuisine

5621 Hollywood Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323) 467-6775