Fantastic Squid Ink Pasta with Seafood, Smoked Octopus and Uni Flan at Smoke Oil Salt

The Umami Burger/800 Degrees dude is expanding, one might say a bit too quickly for his own good. I can't say I love Adam Fleishman's burgers of Umami fame but I do love his pizzas and now, his take on tapas at Smoke Oil Salt (he recently opened Chocochicken, a fried chicken spot and is opening new Umami locations nationwide faster than you can say Mickie D's.

Overall thumbs up with my overwhelming favorite being the black squid ink pasta with squid, clams, shrimp and aromatic chanterelle mushrooms with a dollop of honey aioli. Fantastic.


My second favorite was the smoked octopus topped with greens and a potato vinaigrette. The octopus was tender, smoky and delicious. The greens were refreshing. It almost didn't need a sauce because it was so fresh.

We couldn't resist the uni flan and while we didn't know what to expect, what we got was so much better than I expected. It came with caviar and some shrimp chili oil that paired very well with the creamy sea urchin. This was probably the biggest pleasant surprise of the evening.

The potatoes. Ah, the potatoes. They were fried and came with chorizo and serrano ham, all topped with an oozy sunny side up egg garnished with some chopped chives. Oh, it was drizzled with some of that garlicky aioli but again, it really didn't need it. This is a classic comfort food dish -- it has all the elements of a breakfast from heaven including sausage, ham, potatoes and a fried egg on top. My only complaint was that the potatoes, while good, seemed a tad over fried (some were a bit too dark on the outside) but overall solid.

The tomato bread that came with sausage slices were good if not served room temperature. The house-made bread was good but not as good as the Bazaar or other Spanish joints that pride themselves on their in-house bread. As much as I love pork and sausages, I think I'm a purist when it comes to tomato bread and prefer it without any bells and whistles.

The charcuterie board had some very interesting pastes to accompany the ham and cheese fest. We first thought it was romesco sauce but it wasn't. There was a porky flavor that we detected and we later confirmed with the manager that it did indeed use ham stock as a base. I would recommend staying away from this as you end up eating far too much bread that prevents you from eating the rest of the menu items. 

The cauliflower and broccoli with hazelnuts was good but I wished they had cut up the florets smaller so it'd be easier to eat. I'm not a big fan of broccoli in its original form (soups or sauces are best) and I'm not sure I'd order this again but it was a dose of healthier food amid the glorious pork and fattiness on our table. 

The Catalan custard was basically a creme brulee with a scoop of sorbet and ice cream. It was good, especially the breaking-the-crust part that is the best way to enjoy a creme brulee. Once the crust was gone, however, it wasn't anything special. 

The mini donuts that we could dip in a chocolate sauce were also good but again, maybe we expected something more different. 

I'd definitely return to try the rest of the menu and its extremely popular Paella Nights on Sundays (paellas are only served on Sunday suppers). 

Taberna Arroz y Vi in Santa Monica: Fantastic Seafood Paella and Meatballs Washed Down with Red Pepper Sangria but Avoid the Flan

It seems like I've been on a tapas-ramen kick these days. If I'm not posting on the virtues of a tonkotsu ramen broth, I'm raving about a paella. It's tapas time again at Taberna Arroz y Vi in Santa Monica! I liked the seafood paella and had mixed reviews of the tapas. The croquetas were fried to perfection into perfect round balls. What I didn't love were the potatoes with chorizo bits in them. The flavors and textures didn't meld well for me. I love potatoes and chorizo individually but paired this way it didn't work.

My favorite tapa was the meatballs. I usually don't like meatballs because they are often dry and too dense but the caramelized onions in these little numbers made them very moist and soft. 

The seafood paella was excellent. It had giant mussels on steroids, shrimp, calamari and a first, crab. The mussels were delicious and crab meat gave the dish a slightly sweet I'd never tasted before in a paella. I would definitely return for this. My dining partner and I ended up scraping the last bits of toasted rice left on the pan, guarding it closely whenever our server tried to clear it. 

I liked their sangria varieties although the drinks were too watered down with ice. The red pepper sangria was surprisingly refreshing and delicious made out of chardonnay but props for creativity. 

The octopus carpaccio had an interesting presentation reminiscent of some kind of octopus terrine. It was light but not sure how Spanish or flavorful it was. Behold this cooking magazine-worthy money shot by our very own CTG. 

The least memorable tapa was the piquillo peppers stuffed with tuna. I love me some piquillo peppers but they were just boring and not anything to write home about. Will have to pimp it up when I have the single leftover pepper at home. 

Perhaps the biggest disappointment and slap in the face was the flan dessert. It was far too dense and overly sweet. All wrong once again. The berries on top weren't even fresh. I could go on. 

It is owned by the same owner as Lazy Ox Canteen, which I love. Overall a decent place to go if you find yourself by the beach but not sure I'd go out of my way to go. Maybe for that paella... 

NY Roundup III: Epic Meal at Spanish Hot Spot Tertulia -- Jamon Iberico de Bellota, Croquetas de Jamon & Anchovies on Flax Quinoa Cracker

The eating fest in New York continues. Here's round three of some serious eats I was lucky to be a part of. We had an over the top tasting menu at Tertulia, a Spanish spot notoriously hard to get a table at -- thanks JC! Overall it was a food coma-worthy meal that spanned nearly four hours. We initially declined the option to add a prime rib steak to accompany our paella at the end but being so close to the open fire grill where we witnessed and heard the sizzling of huge slabs of steak, we caved in. The paella was good but it wasn't the best thing we had.

I'm a sucker for jamon serrano and even more so for those black-footed pigs feeding on acorn, jamon iberico de bellota. I loved the started pan con tomate topped with a razor thin slice of jamon iberico de bellota. The perfectly toasted bread, garlic, tomato and some jamon on top. I would have been happy just with that and a glass of red wine.

Speaking of jamon, we had the fluffiest, most ethereal croquetas de jamon iberico topped over a base of quince paste. They were gooey-er than I'm used to but I'm not one to complain about anything jamon or croquettes. Scalding hot, yes. Be careful when biting into the crust and get ready for the delightful combination of creamy texture and saltiness from the ham.

This was a pleasant surprise: Anchovies with sheep's milk cheese and roasted tomatoes on a flax and quinoa cracker. It was once again an eclectic combination of flavors and textures that worked -- crunchiness from the cracker, creaminess from the cheese, whose flavor balanced very well with the anchovies and sweetness from the tomato.

I realized one of my favorite dishes was grilled baby leeks with romesco sauce but I was so busy tearing into them that I didn't get a shot. Romesco sauce is one of my all-time fave sauces -- a red pepper-based sauce that includes nuts, garlic and oil, to name a few.

Here's the best marketing tool -- "seat the party next to the grill." Were we glad we had come to our senses before it was too late. 

The 40-day aged prime rib was cooked perfectly medium rare, just the way I like it. A massive piece of in-bone steak with just the right amount of char on the edges. It was very theatrical, I'll give them that. They even showed us the big cooked steak before slicing it up. The steak was solid -- juicy, soft and flavorful. It may be a matter of grilling vs. roasting but I liked the super tender prime rib at Freddy Smalls better.

The accompanying roasted potatoes were cooked perfectly -- browned on the outside and soft but not mushy on the inside. At that point, we were beyond full even with a break in between. Still, somehow we kept eating because it tasted good.

The lamb meatballs in tomato sauce dabbed with sheep's milk cheese pieces was comfort food at its best. I didn't love the lamb flavor by itself as much but when masked with some tomatoes and cheese, it was a winning combination.

The chicken and veggie paella was very good. The chicken was moist and the vegetables added a crisp and refreshing element to the dish. I just wished that it had roasted piquillo peppers, which I love. I also like chorizo but hey, it was a beautiful and well executed dish. I have yet to master a paella so kudos to the chef!

Here are the less successful ones: asparagus salad and patatas. The asparagus salad included potatoes, mojama, which is filleted salt-cured tuna and dressed lightly with some custardy lemon sabayon. Maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of white asparagus that didn't have much flavor but this was one of least memorable dishes.

The potatoes were a bit overcooked and as much as I love garlic, the aioli drizzled on top was too much. I wished it were served on the side to dip it to taste instead of drowning the potatoes in the sauce. I liked the roasted fingerlings a lot better.

We could barely make a dent on the dessert because we were so full but also because it wasn't that exciting of a choice. I had hoped for something like flan or churros and while the cake was good, it was a bit too dense to eat after all that food. All in all, a great meal that I'll remember for a while.

Photo credit for some of these goes to HY. Thank you!

New York Roundup I: Ramen with Fried Garlic Bits at Totto, Suckling Pig at Txikito, Meatball Shop and Gospel Brunch at Ginny's Supper Club in Harlem

The highlight of my culinary adventure in New York was undoubtedly Totto Ramen, which came highly recommended by my trusty fellow ramen fiend MN. It didn't disappoint. Even though chicken broth-based, the broth didn't taste diluted or particularly wimpy compared with a tonkotsu ramen. I got the spicy ramen that wasn't all that spicy but what made our entire table of six diners rejoice was the beautiful, crunchy little morsels of fried garlic bits floating daintily in the broth alongside chili oil drizzled on top. The garlic bits reminded me of one of my favorite ramen shops I stopped by when I visited the ramen museum in Yokohama. I may have forgotten the shop's name but I do remember those garlic bits very clearly. Yes, I still dream about ramen-hopping on entire floor of the museum featuring the very best ramen joints throughout Japan.

But I digress. I only had two complaints besides the long wait -- the chashu and to a lesser extent, the soft boiled egg. I topped my ramen with pork belly slices that I thought were not tender enough. They seemed undercooked. The soft boiled egg was good but a tad overcooked. Still, it was a very solid bowl of ramen goodness that totally hit the spot for me and my dining companions. We walked out of the packed, tiny midtown location with happy bellies. The broth definitely beat that of the much-hyped Ippudo (I've tried locations in Seoul and in NY and found both of them just above average but nothing special.).

The second most memorable dish I had in New York was suckling pig with a chimichurri sauce at Txikito, which specializes in Basque cuisine. It was the ideal combination of crispy skin on the outside and succulent and tender flesh on the inside, to be smothered with a parsley, garlic and oil-based sauce. I once again fantasized about slow cooking a whole pig in my back yard someday. I've watched too many Bourdain shows. The sauce could have had a bit more punch but then again, the meat could stand on its own due to the time and care it took for its transformation.

I also liked the croquetas that were piping hot, fluffy and creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Delicious. We also had a squid salad with poached egg that was just ok. 

I was intrigued by the idea of Meatball Shop when I first read about it. Naturally, I had to try it. We made a pit stop to the Chelsea location, which was a charming spot. I loved the decor and the vibe -- down to the cutest decoration of deconstructed meat grinder parts posted up by the entrance wall. 

As for the food, they were ok and tasted better smothered in a tomato sauce than "naked." We had the sliders and the classic beef one with tomato sauce, the latter of which was probably the best for the aforementioned reason.  

We washed it all down with some peach sangria, which was refreshing but nothing special. Behold its beautiful color though!

We had wanted to try Red Rooster but ended up at the Gospel Brunch buffet at Ginny's Supper Club downstairs. It was dark and extremely crowded but most of all loud with the live Gospel performance. Don't get me wrong. The performance was awesome but I just hadn't expected it to be that loud. The food was disappointing. The only thing I thought was remotely noteworthy was the fried chicken, which was crispy albeit on the bland side. I liked it because most of the other things were extremely salty. It was a zoo because food at the buffet line kept running out and they were slow to replenish. Still, it was nice of them not to charge 20% tip on the bill as we were a large party. I would definitely like to return to the upstairs dining room at Red Rooster someday. 

Alegria in Long Beach: Inexplicably Empty Despite Solid Entrees

We walked into an empty restaurant when entering Alegria in Long Beach and thought maybe the food was sub par. Well, we were proven wrong because I was impressed by the creativity of the dishes and good execution.

The biggest pleasant surprise was the pescado negro ("black fish") entree -- blackened halibut that's been pan fried atop mashed potatoes mixed in with jalapeno with a side of grilled nopales (cactus) and garlic roasted tomatoes. There was also an avocado puree/sauce on the side that provided an additional layer of great flavor to the entire dish. With all these components, it would have been easy to get lost in the flavor explosion but it all came together and worked very nicely. The cactus was mild and smoky from the grill and that green sauce complemented the fish perfectly. The fish was sprinkled with some arugula and other greens for freshness. I loved this dish.

The appetizers were ok but nothing earth shatteringly awesome. The shrimp and queso fundido mix tamale was good in a heavy, artery-clogging way. Even with this dish, it had some kind of avocado or jalapeno-infused oil drizzled on top, which are the kinds of details I appreciate. It shows that the chef took the time to think about the various dimensions of the dish and where she could take it.

We also had the calamari, which was crispy and warm, just the way I like them. However, the batter wasn't that flavorful and they tasted a tad bland. The sauce didn't do much to ameliorate that. But I do give props for keeping them crispy and warm without overcooking the very easily overcooked squid.

The Caesar salad that came with the entree was nothing special if not a bit overdressed but that seems to be the story of Caesar salad's life.

 

The Nachos weren't anything special either. I got the sense that Mexican food was thrown in the menu to appease Mexican food lovers but it wasn't necessarily the chef's forte. The chef seemed to be stronger on the Cuban or Latin American dishes. I haven't tried the Spanish dishes like Paella but would definitely like to try them. 

Bonus was that it offered some Chilean dishes and I love anything Chilean, pretty much. I just get sad when I see if empty all the time, especially when neighboring restaurants like George's Greek and others inexplicably get crowds. Am I missing something? I think Alegria is far better than others on the same street but alas, maybe it's the decor or some other kind of marketing it needs to do to attract more patrons. It deserves more business.