Kogi BBQ [everywhere in L.A.]

We admit, we dropped the ball here. I mean, understandable though, right? Andi sort of has an excuse, what with getting married and all (Congrats!!!)...and well, I guess my graduating and spending most of my days pondering my question mark of a future, we just forgot to update this little blog of ours.

I was supposed to write about the Kogi Korean BBQ/Taco truck a while ago (like, end of May maybe?) but totally slacked off. I am the worst.

But anyway, better late than never! I'm not going to say much about it, as a LOT has already been said about this elusive taco truck/korean bbq hybrid. For those not in the know, the Kogi truck is a roaming taco truck with a twist! Instead of the usual carne asada and whatevs, it's marinated meats (and tofu), Korean style. Um, talk about genius! The most interesting part is, since it's a taco truck, it is not in the same place every day. You can follow it on twitter (ew) or like me, look at their schedule on their website.

Their reputation is HUUGE, though, so expect a really long wait any given moment. I think I waited for an hour just to order.

Anyway, I ordered two different tacos: Korean chicken and beef. Each one is $2, which is a bit pricey. Although novel, the corn tortillas kind of overpower everything else. All I tasted was corn and spicy. I know "spicy" is not a taste, but whatever.

Beef on the left, chicken on the right.

The burrito (Korean Chicken BBQ) was $5 but really huge and surprisingly better than the tiny tacos. The chicken was well represented, and to my delight, the cheese really went well with the chicken. Although also a little spicy, it wasn't as predominant as the tacos. Next time, I'll probably get the burrito again.

They also had a bevy of other things, most notably a Korean BBQ-style quesadilla. This was also $5, and for cheese, meat, and tortilla...I didn't think it was worth the dinero.

All in all, it's a fun thing to try as a roaming taco truck that you have to track down is kind of an adventure in itself (but maybe not awkward?). However, the prices, and the sort of disappointing taste of the tacos makes this meal just OK. Of course, they change their menu all the time--maybe I just have to find my perfect dish.

wurstküche in downtown l.a.

Andi and I really really wanted to try this fairly new sausage place in downtown L.A. I had heard about it while browsing on-line looking for an adequate sausage place to satisfy my love of Berlin sausages. Although Andi wasn't able to join me in this Awkward Eats adventure, my friend Kyle came along.

The sausages weren't what I ate while I was in Berlin. These were bigger, heartier, and more Americanized. Still good, but different.

The menu of sausages is divided into three categories, each pricier than the next: "Classics" (a few vegetarian options, and of course the bratwurst), "Gourmet" (three different meats: chicken, turkey, and pork in different combinations and flavors), and "Exotic" (duck+bacon, rabbit+veal+pork, alligator+pork, and rattlesnake+rabbit anyone?). Sausage prices range from $6 to $7.75 and are served on fresh rolls with (if you want): caramelized onions, sweet peppers, spicy peppers, or sauerkraut.

And of course, what German sausage place is it without some beer? Wurstküche houses 24 beers on tap, ranging from $8 and above. The cheapest is of course, PBR, which was still $2.

Here, Kyle indulges in some Pabst.
Kyle decided to be adventurous and also tried the Underberg (the tiny bottle on the left), a German digestif bitter made with herbs. Although this bottle is super small, it is 44% abv. Appearances can be deceiving, no?

Even more adventurous was Kyle's choice of sausage. I believe that a sausage place can only be as good as their bratwursts and so for my first time, I decided to eat the OG of sausages. Kyle, on the other hand, got the rattlesnake and rabbit with jalapeno sausage. Although it sounds way crazy, Kyle said that it didn't taste like anything too out of the ordinary. Delicious and filling, but not "weird."

We also tried the Belgian fries with sun dried tomato mayo. There were a lot of different dipping sauces to choose from, but this one sounded tasty at that moment. The mayo was not heavy or too thick and the sun dried tomatoes weren't too salty either. It was the perfect, light complement to the fries.

Obviously, the food is the main focus here.
Kyle's sausage and the Belgian fries with dipping sauce.

And my bratwurst. The roll was very soft and moist. I choose to adorn the sausage with sweet peppers, which added some crunch to the meal. I could taste the spices and herbs of the sausage, but it wasn't overbearing, which was also good.

What's funny about a place like Wurstküche is that it's just so...hip. Not only did we wait in line for a good half hour with a lot of hipper-than-thou Angelenos in their 20s and 30s, but there was a...wait for it. A DJ, spinning tunes from The Bird and the Bee to Radiohead to Hot Chip to M.I.A. It was strange but also entertaining. Hipster sausage place...and only half a mile from The Smell.

Although it is a really delicious place to eat (and filling!), it is sort of pricey for a sausage. I would go there again, just maybe not as often as I would like.

Wurstküche
800 E 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Phone: (213) 687-4444

Hours:
Sunday 12pm -midnight
Monday-Wednesday 11 am-midnight
Thursday-Saturday 11 am-midnight (soon to be expanded to 2 am)

bostonian restaurant (langham place)

The Bostonian Restaurant in Langham Place - Hong Kong is a really fancy schmancy restaurant serving American fare. This restaurant has been in "The Hong Kong Best Restaurant Guide" since 2000, serving up seafood (like Boston lobster) and an extensive list of very good wine.

If you want a set lunch, you get an appetizer buffet (baked oysters and clams, various pâtés, salad, etc.), an entrée, a dessert, and coffee or tea. They also have different entrées to choose from if you opt out of the set lunch--although it is the better choice, price-wise.

We start off with some home-made fresh bread. Basically they give you a small loaf with marmalade and butter. The crust is crunchy and flakey without being too hard while the actual bread is very soft and moist.
Next, the entrée. I didn't want too heavy of a meal (like the roast of the day or braised lamb shank, or the sage and apricot filled pork fillet), so I chose the baked salmon with Gruyere herb crust.
Although the salmon was baked, it was still very juicy and when you cut it, the salmon just falls into slices. The spinach underneath was also really delicious. A hint of butter without being too salty, and a springy crunch to it too. MY DESCRIPTIONS: SO FULL OF WIN. The spinach underneath, along with the ginger butter sauce, really complemented the salmon.

To end, dessert!
I choose the toffee vanilla timbale with caramelized pineapple. Timbale is usually not a dessert item, but this time, I suppose because of the mold-shaped, it is. The toffee was not as strong as I had expected, so with the vanilla (which wasn't very strong either), it made for a very mild dessert. The caramelized pineapples were too sweet, but the juices of the pineapple, coupled with the dessert itself, was perfect.

My grandmother ordered (well my uncle ordered for her) the baked pear and almond tart with Grand Marnier cream.
She didn't finish it, so I ate half of hers (lulz). I think I liked mine more, but that is because I wasn't in the mood for tarts. It was still pretty delicious, without being too sweet.

And to end, a cappuccino.

Total for my meal: HK$268.00 (which is about $35 USD)
Basically, for a "fancy" meal, it's not too bad.

The Bostonian Restaurant in Langham Place
8 Peking Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Opening hours
Monday to Sunday: 12:00 noon -- 3:00pm & 6:30pm -- 11:00pm
Public Holiday: 6:30pm -- 11:00pm

Reservations: (852) 2375 1133 ext. 2070

50 Forks

Here are some crappy pictures of my recent trip to 50 Forks in Santa Ana. Housed within the Art Institute of California, 50 Forks is almost entirely staffed by culinary students. The entrées run $9 to $11, and this for dishes like pork tenderloin, braised beef short ribs, and scallops using fresh, seasonal ingredients.


As we ordered, our server brought out lemonade appertifs in Pyrex test tubes to cleanse the palette. A little fancy, but who doesn't like drinking stuff out of test tubes?

I ordered the roast duck with blue cheese orecchiette ($9) and my friend George ordered the pork tenderloin entrée ($11). While we waited for our entrées, we enjoyed some strangely salty, yet tasty French bread and a scallop appetizer ($7). The scallops were breaded and baked with mushrooms in a delicious white wine cream sauce, topped again with breadcrumbs. This was my favorite dish of the meal, though I would not recommend it if you don't like wine as a prominent flavor.


My dish was a little more "mac and cheese" than "roast duck" but as a blue cheese fiend, I was fairly happy anyway. George's tender and flavorful pork tenderloin with tiny chive pancakes was, however, a little better. The portions are good for a fancy restaurant and perfect for a day when you want a light lunch.


We both ordered desserts but at $5 each, they were the least cost effective part of the meal.


George's panna cotta with berries and my chocolate cheesecake with espresso cream were both good but also fairly standard. The panna cotta was light and delicious, where the cheesecake was rich and creamy. However if you have an extra five dollars to spend, I'd recommend one of the appetizers over a dessert.

Even if you splurge for all three courses, 50 Forks is a great deal. It offers tasty dishes made with fresh ingredients, great service, and fancy-like beverages you drink out of test tubes(!!) for the same price you would pay at Olive Garden for a much less notable meal.

3601 Sunflower Ave

Santa Ana, CA 92704

(714) 429-0918

Open for Lunch
Monday thru Wednesday 11am-1pm

Open for Dinner Seasonally
Wednesday thru Friday 6:30pm-9pm

asiana airline from lax --> s. korea

This post isn't really going to be helpful to anyone, but it's still food-related and hopefully interesting? Anyway, I was on the plane from LAX to South Korea the other week and for lunch, they served Bibimbap.

For those not in the know, Bibimbap is an assortment of vegetables (as you can see up there) like mushrooms, carrots, bean sprouts, spinach and such. In addition, there is also chopped beef. It's cold. BUT, you add hot rice into the mix and it's a delicious assortment of flavors in your mouf. The one I ate on the plane also came with oil and hot chili paste.

I was really expecting really crappy blocks of meat and lukewarm rice. This was pretty much awesome forever.

A & J Restaurant

We decided to fill our bellies with some Taiwanese food at A & J Restaurant, a small-ish place bathed in florescent light and flanked with stark walls. None of the ladies working really spoke any English so I had to use my Cantonese to fake Mandarin...leading to awkward embarrassment. But hey, a little embarrassment is worth deliciousness, AMIRITE?

To share, we chose the bean curd with thousand-year-old egg. For those not in the know, the egg is not really a thousand years old ("That would take a lot of planning, har har har"-Andi). The process of "cooking" the egg does take a while though. The century egg (another name for it) is usually duck, chicken or quail (ours was chicken). It is preserved in a mixture of ash, clay, lime, rice straw, and salt for several weeks to several months.
The bean curd was just the right amount of saltyness, and for less than $3, was quite a steal.

Vivian: I ordered the spicy beef and tendon noodle soup, which also came with baby bok choy--but not enough. The noodles were tender and plentiful but some of the beef was a little too chewy for my taste. However, it was only $6.95 for a small, and it was still a lot of food. I think if I went back, I will order another noodle dish--just maybe not beef.




Andi: Not being familiar with Taiwanese food, I was really glad I asked for a recommendation before sitting down to order. The first page of the menu is filled with delicious sounding but somewhat indistinguishable noodle items. Based on a friend's recommendation, I ordered the noodle with hot and sour sauce and tried not to think about it too much. I can easily spend 15 minutes just second guessing myself when it comes to ordering food. It's serious business.

The dish was simple: a puddle of oil and seasoning at the bottom of the bowl with egg noodles and a handful of scallions heaped on top. Once mixed together, the result was very tasty if a little one note. The sauce was more sweet than hot, and certainly sour. I would definitely order this again, maybe adding a little soy sauce to cut the sweetness, but with so many other tasty-sounding noodle dishes at around 5 dollars a bowl, I may never quite get around to it.

14805 Jeffrey Rd

Irvine, CA 92618

(949) 786-3585

Taco Mesa (Costa Mesa)

Welcome to our first "official" Awkward Eats post. We know you've been waiting for an actual food post for awhile, instead of a HEY, LOOK AT US. WE ARE AWKWARD. WE LOVE FOOD. post.

OK, so I headed over to Costa Mesa for their Burrito Wednesday. Unlike their $1 tacos on Taco Tuesday (which always attracts A LOT of customers), Burrito Wednesday seemed a more casual deal...at least when I went. Drop $5 and you get a drink and one of three burritos: chicken, carne asada, and "Mesa" burrito. Since I know what both chicken and carne asada burritos taste like for the most part, I opted for the Mesa burrito, which is all vegetarian.

Now let me get something straight: I enjoy the meats. But after a few people recommended this vegetarian burrito, I knew I had to try it.

The Mesa Burrito came with rice, black beans, fresh spinach, mushrooms, guacamole, red onions, tomato, and a blend of cheeses. Then, it is drizzled with caldillo sauce. This was a burrito made for forks and knives, folks. But maybe I just have really weak upper body strength.

Surprisingly, I was really full after the burrito, which is a feat as I usually get hungry in a few hours because there is no meat in my system. I am writing this, 5 hours after I ate lunch, and I am still full. I mean, I'm still thinking of what to eat in an hour, but man. I am still stuffed.

The guacamole was really delicious and fresh. The spinich was a super nice touch in a burrito. I would never have thought of adding that, but it did add some oomph to the dish.

So what have we learned? Not all vegetarian food is: expensive, unappetizing, or makes you hungry in a few hours.

The service was quick and sitting outside on a nice spring day made it all the nicer.

To end this post, here I am in the outdoors patio, giving a thumbs up...because that is how I roll.

Taco Mesa
647 W 19th St
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 642-0629