Vacation Roundup

Mezbaan

Tracie and I went into Mezbaan one night after having a few drinks. (If you read the last post, you realize that isn't all that rare for us.) I didn't have my camera but I used my phone: we had mixed chutneys with papadums, garlic naan, onion bhaji and shrimp pakora. (And the classic Indian lager Kingfisher, which, it turns out, is made in Saratoga Springs, NY.) All of it was good... it just wasn't as good as the meal we had at All India.

Barbecue #1

Some of the most enjoyable afternoons/evenings of my life have been spent at my friend Dave's house in the San Rafael Hills, so when he invited me over for a barbecue, I didn't hesitate.

Everyone likes chips and salsa.

Bread, cheese, the chips, and cold beers were all enjoyed on the deck at the top of the property. There were grilled sausages and salmon later on, but the pictures didn't turn out as well.

Duck Sliders at King's Row

The sliders were delicious but the fries were terrible: soggy, oily, and heavily salted. Within ten minutes I was dying for water.

Mini Wontons

The bags of mini wontons that I get at Whole Foods always hit the spot when I can't decide what I want. Boiled for three minutes and then tossed in a sauce of orange peel, vinegar, and chopped fresh cilantro, they turned out great.

Three Pizzas

A broccoli, red onion and mushroom pizza at 72 North.

I've always liked Tombstone Pizza so I decided the dipping bites were worth a try. I hated them. The sauce and pepperoni were decent enough, but the thick crust was not enjoyable, the dipping bites were even worse, and the included marinara sauce was sweeter than ketchup.

My parents asked me to make pizza one night so I did, my usual roasted garlic and basil. 

Barbecue #2

My parents' Wisteria didn't look as beautiful as other years, but it was the most pleasant-smelling year yet. So I had a few friends over to sit beneath it and enjoy the sunshine.

Our beers of choice for the afternoon.

My first experience with the Shift Pale Lager was a good one.

I wrote about the Unie Kaas Parrano the other day; here is the 6-month Gouda, which is also awesome.

Everyone likes chips & salsa.

There were two bottles of Sunshine Wheat left in the fridge so I drank them before anyone else showed up... you know, so I didn't have to share them.

Years ago at the Deschutes restaurant in Portland, I had a delicious honey mustard made with Black Butte Porter. Using a couple of internet recipes as a guide, I tried to make a clone.

It was fantastic and everyone loved it, especially when I poured shots of Black Butter Porter to sample with pretzels and the mustard.

Grilled "Sierra Madre Caliente" sausage from Taylor's, citrus-jicama slaw, roasted potatoes with bacon and mustard vinaigrette...

... and grilled corn with lime and queso fresco. Everything was great, except the corn, which was just average. ("It's not summer corn yet," Tracie added, correctly.)

Enchiladas 

I slow-cooked a four-pound pork butt when I made sliders, and there was plenty left. So we made very basic enchiladas with the leftovers. Not anything that will blow your mind, but still pretty good.

Venezuelan Hot Dogs

I once, many years ago, saw a chef on Food Network make "Venezuelan hot dogs." I'd never heard of them before but they looked good, so the other day I made my attempt: Angus beef dogs with cabbage, potato chips, mustard, ketchup and mayo. They were fantastic.

Chipotle "Catering"

My brother asked me to come by his work to help out with something. He said I should come around noon because that's when they were getting lunch catered. It ended up being Chipotle. I wonder if he did that intentionally. I have a guess. At any rate, he got me a carnitas burrito with all the fillings I enjoy, and it wasn't bad at all. So after having gone more than 12 years without eating at the place, I had it twice in less than one month. Whatever.

Empress Pavilion

As always, my friends wanted to visit Empress. I've written about it enough times; you don't need a full review. (I didn't even bring my camera.)

Back to Brooklyn

I texted my Dodgers-loving friends that this was the plane I was taking. (It was not.)

I got to watch old friend Ervin Santana while on the plane. He picked up for KC right where he left off for the Angels last year - 3 HRs in 6 innings.

I got home about 9, picked up Five Guys for me and Elizabeth, and doused mine with the Habanero ketchup that Tim gave me the other day, which was outstanding. 

Opening Day in Old Town

When I learned months ago that the Angels would play the Reds on opening day, I immediately thought of my friend Dave, a Reds fan. And then when I decided to come out to California for a couple of weeks, I had to make sure I watched the game with him. So yesterday I headed over to Old Town to get lunch with Bryce and Lucy at Dog Haus Biergarten before baseball started. Bryce was wearing a shirt of his beloved Dodgers. 

As was Lucy. 

Hangar 24 to start the day. 

The Mr. Stivic (three-pepper kielbasa with slaw, barbecue sauce and fries) for Bryce and the Holy Aioli (cheese, bacon, caramelized onions and garlic aioli) for me.

Then I hit the 35er to meet up with Dave and watch baseball. We drank Dos Equis and saw the Angels-Reds, Yankees-Sox, and Dodgers-Giants.

Free hot dogs on opening day.

The Angels-Reds went into extra innings so we headed next door to Kings Row to watch it, meeting up with Bryce and Lucy again, as well as Tracie and Carla. I switched from Dos Equis to Noble Ale Works' "Pistol Whip'd Pilsner."

The game continued into the 13th inning and the sun went down, so it was off to 72 North, where I returned to Dos Equis.

Tim showed up and gave me a bottle of habanero ketchup, because my friends like to give me condiments.

After the Angels finally won in 13, Tracie and I headed to the Old Town Pub to watch the Cardinals-Diamondbacks. I was craving a Red Stripe but they were out, so I had a Pacifico.

Finally, we needed dinner, so we stopped into All India Cafe. We started with Taj Mahal.

 We started with mixed chutneys, two of which we loved.

And then onion pakoras, literally seconds out of the fryer, hot and crispy outside, with juicy onions inside.

We split the Tandoori Platter: chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, sheesh kabab and boti (lamb) kabab. All of it was delicious.

"I'm making a taco," Tracie announced.

"Is that really a taco?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied. "It's got bread, meat, veggies, and sauce. It's a taco, bitch."

I can't argue with that.

It was a great day but I'm heading back to New York tomorrow.

New Moon Restaurant

My friend Tim had told me about New Moon restaurant, in Montrose, for at least a couple of years, but I'd never made the effort. (Every trip to Montrose ended in me eating at either La Cabanita or Zeke's.) But the other day my mom was doing an errand in the area and I tagged along for lunch.

The wonton chips were delicious (if quite greasy) and the sweet dipping sauce was nice, too.

New Moon's menu calls themselves the creators of Chinese chicken salad. I Googled it; it's one of those things where no one seems to be able to say for sure, though there is evidence that their sister restaurant in Los Angeles may have indeed been the first. At any rate, I had to try it. (The available lunch specials came with one starter and the option to add a second for $2.50, which we both did.)

It was good. But I didn't like it as much as the Chinese chicken salads at Yang Chow or Fu Shing. The dressing was very light. I see what they're going for here, they want the flavors of the salad to be the main attraction, and I respect that. But I felt the salad needed a little more dressing. (So I mixed some of the sweet dipping sauce in with my salad, which made it much better.)

My mom had the wor wonton soup and she absolutely loved it, proclaiming it probably the best she has ever had, full of chicken, shrimp, and pork. I tried a bite with the broth and wonton. It was good, but that Yang Chow spicy wonton soup has ruined me for all other wonton soups.

I also had the "Jumbo New York Style Egg Roll." It was full of veggies, chicken, and shrimp. I prefer the egg rolls I get at Fortune House in Brooklyn to this one, but it was a decent homage.

My mom had the soy and garlic grilled beef. She hated it. I tried a bite, too, and did not like it one bit either, finding the beef really tough and much too salty. The friendly waiter mentioned that a lot of people absolutely love the dish, but some people don't care for it at all. We were definitely in the latter camp, and he took it off the bill without batting an eye.

I had the "Chloe's Shrimp." I loved them. Once upon a time my favorite Americanized Chinese dish was the sweet & pungent shrimp at Panda Inn, a dish that has been gone for a long time. (They have a dish called "sweet & aromatic shrimp" these days that claims to be the same thing, but it's not.) These shrimp at New Moon are as close to those sweet & pungent shrimp as I have found in the last decade. They are quite sweet, they could have used some ginger, but delicious nonetheless. According to the menu, it's their most popular entree, a fact that does not surprise me. 

I definitely liked New Moon and if I still lived in the area I would unquestionably return from time to time. I doubt I will go back on visits to the Pasadena area, as there are only so many meals I have time to eat, but my mom has already announced that in the fall when the weather gets cooler she will be returning to purchase the wor wonton soup by the quart.