Archives for category: Food and Drink
Fresh noodles being prepared.

Fresh noodles being prepared.Marugame Monzo

Marugame Monzo, set in the heart of downtown LA’s Little Tokyo, captures the simplicity of traditional udon noodle soup and also explores modern takes on the Japanese cuisine.

This place is small and popular, so get there early or be prepared to wait for over an hour.

Pictured above clockwise from the top left: Braised Pork Belly, Duck Udon Soup, Uni Udon in Cream Sauce, Crispy Chicken Skins and Fried Chicken.

The crispy chicken skin, you need that. You may even need two orders but it is only available at dinner. You can thank me later.

They also do an “Udon Carbonara” which is rich, delicious and creative. I guess I will have to go back to get a picture of that. Life is hard.

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Double Double at Umami Burger

Double Double at Umami Burger

I know, the 7 or 8 or you that actually read this thing are wondering, “What happened to my favorite food writer? Did he give it all up and open a tiki bar on a random island in the Maldeves? Did he get arrested in North Korea? Or worse, did he become a raw vegan???” The answer is no to all of these.  Although I would like to open a tiki bar some day and I did go on a 3 day juice cleanse, but we will talk about that in due time.

So, that’s it. It’s been a year and a half since my last post and I have done lots of traveling and eating since then. My new years resolution is to try and post something once a week .

Oh and if you like pictures and or stupid attempts at humor follow me on Instagram @TheMansfield and on Twitter @AdamJMansfield.

Cheers!

20131224-010613.jpgSpitz does one thing and they do it well, the doner kebob. (there are supposed to be two little dots over the O but I don’t know where that button is on my keyboard) What is it? It’s Turkish street food. Also known as Shawarma or Gyro depending on what country you are in. An awe inspiring tube of layered meat rotates around a fire crisping the edges to a crispy and salty perfection. The meat is shaved off with a straight razor type device and crammed into pita bread with veggies and sauce. I order mine crammed with french fries as well because, #yolo. They also have an excellent beer selection. Cheers.

Potatoes Au Gratin

Oysters And Burrata With Squash

I live on the east side of L.A. So for me a trip to the west side is equivalent to what the Donner Party experienced in 1846.

Occasionally I get suckered into making the epic adventure west of the 405 freeway. But I only oblige if there is good food or great company waiting for me there.

In this case there was both.

City Tavern is one of the many delicious, unpretentious gastropubs in Culver City. Friendly knowledgeable servers will guide you towards the perfect combination of food and drink.

Check out their menu here.

How not to cut an avocado.

I am typing this post with one hand. Why? Because a few nights ago I tried to add a little flavor to a bland veggie burger.

I recently purchased a big boy knife set from Wusthof. It turns out high end chef’s knives are sharp. Believe it or not, I know how to use a knife. However, in my attempt to slice an avocado in half I bounced my brand new, ultra sharp paring knife off of the pit and deep into my index finger. It was a clean cut. I look forward to filleting steak with this knife some day.

“Fuck.” I state with relitive calm.

I drop the avocado and it rolls into the living room. I manage to place the knife carefully on the counter and rush my bleeding hand to the sink. The blood makes a beautiful pattern on my black and white kitchen tile.

“This would make a really cool visual in a murder film.” I briefly think to myself as shock settles in.

“Oh boy, who is sober enough to drive to the ER?” Not a peep from Bapu. Fortunately my buddy Brayton volunteers and we all pile into the Yaris for a trip up to Verdugo Hills Hospital (there are closer hospitals, but I’m spoiled).

It turns out I am the second avocado related laceration for the ER that night. Now I don’t feel special at all.

14 stitchs later and no pain meds, I am writing this post from the couch. I wish there was a moral to this tale, but the only thing I can think of is: be careful with knives.

I’ll be back with more food related posts soon. I’m typing a little slower than usual.

Anybody else craving guacamole? Hmmmm, maybe I’ll make some for lunch.

fontina, tomato-chorizo relish, pickles

Smack dab in the middle of the most obnoxious stretch of the Sunset Strip stands an oaisis. Eveleigh is a quaint retreat from the traffic jam of expensive foreign cars that sits just a few feet outside.

The vibe in the place is young. The approach to the food is not pretentious. They focus on fresh local sources for their food. Every hipster foodie loves it when the wait staff describes the beauty of the farm that your duck confit was raised .

The meal started with grilled octopus, potatoes and a spicy aioli. Then brussel sprouts and bacon with a poached egg.

And then the burger… they had me at tomato-chorizo relish. The Eveleigh burger has certainly asserted itself as one of my top 5 favorite burgers in LA. Over all the meal was fantastic although it certainly helped that I throughly enjoyed the company too 😉

Umami /uːˈmɑːmi/ is a savory taste which is one of the five basic tastes, together with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.

Umami Burger is a chain of resturaunts in Los Angeles that has figured out how to use this flavor sensation to perfection.

What is it like biting into an Umami Burger? Falling in love, fireworks and  your first rock concert,  medium rare between two buns. If you are in LA, it would be a huge life mistake not to have one.

So, I made this video a few years back and am feeling the itch to make more. Let me know what you think.

Grilled Cheese Tease

Organic Chicken Brest With Fresh Veggies

I know pretty much all of my posts so far have been about all my favorite junk food from my life experiences and travels. Well, it is has finally caught up to me. Now in my late twenties my metabolism has said,“Fuck you dude, I’m slowing down and you’re getting a belly.” Alright metabolism, touché. You want to play like that? Then I guess I will just have to go on a diet . Sigh.

Simply, diets suck. I am doing the Paleo Diet which means no carbs, dairy or grains. Pretty much everything I love has been cut out of my routine. I didn’t realize how depressing life is without cheese until now.

This diet has forced me to cook for myself more than usual and I am finding that to be very enjoyable. Pictured above is organic chicken breast with bell peppers, cilantro and broccoli.

So far I’m 4 days in and have dropped 5 lbs. Booyah metabolism!

Truffle Chicken and Tomato Bisque at Sweetsalt Foods

I LOVE my job. But occasionally I have to drag my ass out to Toluca Lake , do math and settle up my petty cash reports. This is not fun. However there is one reward for completing a pile of paperwork, and that is lunch at Sweetsalt Food Shop.  Chef Alex Eusebio of Top Chef Season 5 fame opened the perfect lunch spot.  Simple fresh sandwiches, salads and soups is what they do and they do it to perfection. On my most resent excursion to Sweetsalt I had the Truffle Chicken Sandwich and I talked my co-worker into the Shrimp Po’ Boy.  If you are a grilled cheese head like I am, you have to try theirs because well Gruyère and White Cheddar are soul mates. Avoid the line and show up after the lunch rush. Next time I am going to try the Buffalo Chicken Wrap… Drool…