Wurstkuche: Los Angeles

Andrew took me to Wurstkuche last Thursday evening, located at 800 E. 3rd Street in Los Angeles, CA 90013 (phone: 213-687-4444). It was a strange, but fun, experience. First, it is located in a warehouse-type building. My first impression was that we were headed toward the receiving entrance of an industrial establishment, 

as opposed to an upscale restaurant. Second, there was a line out the entrance down the street which was moving at a glacial pace. Third, as we got toward the end of the line a group of of six or eight people with cameras, lights and microphones rushed past as, bumping me in the process and I heard one exclaim, "They're holding hands." They ran across the street toward a couple eating at an outdoor table, then the lights go on and the cameras start to roll. Quickly, the male at the table stands up and starts to push one of the camera-men. People in the line around us start to yell, "Cheaters, cheaters." I was thinking TMZ and a celebrity couple, but I've since learned that Cheaters is a reality tv show that takes tips from spouses and others who suspect that their partner is cheating on them, have them followed by a private investigator, and then expose the cheating partner on camera in the compromising situation. Fourth, I started to look around at the people in line and I whispered to Andrew that I felt like Toto, "I'm not in Kansas anymore." It was a youngish-20s crowd. A guy behind us in line was wearing something that would have seemed at home in Alice in Wonderland. He was wearing a multi-hued felt-type coat with purple and scarlet colors and a hat with similar colors that covered his ears. There were others in line wearing un-Kansas like clothing, but that one particularly stood out. Fifth, the menu was decidedly different. Mostly sausages and "biers," as in Pabst Blue Ribbon, the only one of the 49 beers that I'd heard of before. The sausages, which are arrayed in a glass case near the ordering counter,

 are broken into groups of "classics," "gourmet" and "exotics." Classics include bratwurst and bockwurst, but you can't justify eating one of them on your first visit. Gourmet was a little more interesting, with pretty mundane Louisiana hot link and kielbasa, to Filipino Maharlika (sweet pork) and Austin Blues, which I got, which included hot and spicy, tri pepper and hardwood smoked pork. Then the exotics, of which I got two, the Rattlesnake and Rabbit with Jalapeno Peppers and the Duck and Bacon with Jalapeno Peppers. Looking on line, I think just about everyone tries the rattlesnake and rabbit. Based on some experience with eating rattlesnake and the cost of procuring it, my guess is that the rattlesnake portion of the sausage is very small, just enough to put the name on the label and make it exotic. Each sausage is placed on a bun with two toppings: caramelized onions, sauerkraut, sweet peppers and spicy peppers. I didn't understand this until after we left, so I only ordered one topping on each and would very much liked to have had more on them. They also had various mustards on the side: whole grain, Dijon, spicy brown, honey mustard and American yellow. As we were taking ours for takeout, to eat on the road, we didn't get any mustard, which also would have added to the culinary experience. After ordering, we walked down a narrow hallway and into a cavernous warehouse looking eating area, 

with cement floors, brick walls, long cafeteria style tables and wood benches, where we waited for our food. It was packed and the noise was deafening, I had to get my ear near Andrew's mouth to hear him over the din. Once we had our order in hand, we left out the back door and got to the car where we took our first bites. I didn't mention the Belgian, double dipped, fries. 

We got a large, with two dipping sauces, bleu cheese walnut and bacon and chipotle aioli. Those fries are the reason to go back. Best fries I've ever eaten. I guess they are fried twice, and they must just soak up the grease because they are heavy and moist and crispy on the outside, with a nice layer of seasoning. Both dipping sauces were yummy, but did not come close to being enough for the whole order. But no problem, these fries don't need dipping sauce, they are quite amazing on their own. As I've hinted, the sausages were good, but not "drive to LA for." An extra topping and mustard would have greatly enhanced them. I got sweet peppers on the rattlesnake and rabbit, 

caramelized onions on the duck and bacon 

and spicy peppers on the Austin Blues. 

Each had a nice, grilled bun, and they each had a different flavor. None stood out. I need to try them again, on-site, with more condiments. But what I'll be going back for is the Belgian fries. 

The Oinkster: Eagle Rock

On our way home from Santa Barbara the other day we stopped for dinner at The Oinkster located at 2005 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles (Eagle Rock), CA 90041 (phone: 323-255-6465). 

I'd heard that Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives had done a feature there, featuring the pastrami sandwich, so we decided to check it out. It was busy and we couldn't really see the menu until we got to the counter to order, so we mostly relied on the person at the counter to guide us to the most popular items. Judy and I could not agree on getting different sandwiches, and I refused to share one with her, so we both got the Oinkster pastrami sandwich. It consists of pastrami cured for two weeks, smoked with applewood, then the addition of Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and red cabbage slaw. 

I have been to a number of Triple D restaurants and not been extremely impressed, but this was a home run with the bases loaded. An absolutely unique sandwich with amazing, amazing flavor. Pastrami is not usually high on my list, but this was incredible. The pastrami was juicy and full of flavor and the add-ins provided both different textures and taste. 

Then we shared an order of Piggy Fries and there again, absolutely unique. 

1000 island dressing, carmelized onions and shredded cheddar cheese on the fries, and we're not talking small quantities of onion, but massive amounts. It was more like a potato and onion casserole, I had to eat mine with a fork. 

On the healthier side, I also got some tomato soup. I ended up taking it home and eating it the next day. Even with some distance between it and the flavorful sandwich and fries, the tomato soup remained bland and unexciting. This is a Triple D hit that is on my list to try again. I subsequently watched the Triple D show and now need to try the pulled pork sandwich and the chicken salad sandwich (as well as another Oinkster). 

Jane (Restaurant): Santa Barbara

I had a continuing education seminar in Santa Barbara recently and Judy accompanied me on a beautiful, sunny, January Saturday. After my three hour seminar ended at noon, Judy guided us to a restaurant she scouted out on  Yelp called "Jane," located at 1311 State Street in Santa Barbara, California 93101 (805-962-1311). 

The unusual name comes from the first name of the owner's grandmother. Jane is found throughout the restaurant in wonderful black and white photos, my favorite, Jane sitting on a camel with a pyramid in the background. Although sunny, it was windy and a little chilly, and we loved the large fire roaring in the center of the restaurant in a glass enclosed fireplace. The downstairs is airy, with high ceilings, while additional seating is upstairs on either end, on a second floor. It is clean with a mixture of old and new, including some fun old plank tables and large wooden candlesticks. We started with goat cheese pancakes, topped by smoked salmon, sour cream and golden caviar. 

The gold caviar was centered in a dollop of sour cream and my initial impression was that it was  a sunny-side up egg. 

It was a very nice starter. Judy got the Idaho trout salad with avocado, cucumber, tomato, spinach, butter lettuce and creamy dill dressing. 

The two trout filets were moist and soft and complemented the butter lettuce perfectly, as did the dill dressing. I got two lamb chops with french fries and arugula topped with a lemon vinaigrette. 

The french fries were good, particularly accompanied with a forkful of lemony arugula and the lamb was good. I would have preferred it a little less cooked (I ordered it rare), but lamb is always good. Finally, we got a slice of the coconut cake with creme anglaise sauce which many raved about on Yelp. Creme anglaise is a light pouring custard and is really what makes the cake. 

The cake itself is very light, but made much, much better by saturating it in the sauce. The white topping/frosting was a different texture, not very sweet, not creamy, and for me, was saved only by the copious amount of shaved coconut on top of it, which I love. We left much of the frosting, but ate all of the cake itself to get every bit of the creme sauce. Over all, it was a fun menu and a nice atmosphere. Good, not fantastic, food and a tad bit on the expensive side. I would recommend it as a place to visit, but was not so enamored with it that it will be a must visit on our next trip to Santa Barbara. 

Bottega Louie

We visited Andrew and Lauren this weekend and they suggested we eat at Bottega Louie, located at 700 S. Grand Ave in Los Angeles (phone: 213-802-1470). 

I'm glad we visited late on a Saturday afternoon. Downtown was not crowded and we had no problem getting around or finding parking. It is located among the high rises 

and has a European feel to it. Inside it has extremely high ceilings, lots of whitish marble (the restrooms were beautiful) and French tables. Because of the high ceilings and spacious room, it felt a little like eating at an elegant train station. The servings for the most part were quite small and it is expensive. When we walked in we passed a refrigerated section with European type sandwiches and soft drinks. On the way out I bought a hard bread type sandwich with prosciutto and burrata cheese which I ate in the car. It may have been the best thing I ate. Nice and chewy, flavorful and European to the core. I had to gnaw on it for a while to get each bite, and then chew and chew, but the texture and taste were wonderful. Further into the restaurant we passed displays of wicked looking desserts 

and

and

and

which we also purchased some of on our way out. I got a praline pecan creme brulee which I ate at home when it was cold, but it was still very good. It reminded me of some of the beautiful French desserts we saw on display in Montreal. Finally, once at a table, Andrew and Lauren ordered a clam pizza which was clammy with surf clams and mozzarella and Pecorino Romano cheese. 

It was nice and mild, surprising because Pecorino is very salty and strong. It was pretty good as far as pizza goes, but I'm just not much of a pizza person. 

Judy got trenne pasta with prime rib eye, kale and shaved Grana Parmesan cheese. 

I only tasted one piece of her pasta and it was kind of hard and crunchy, but I'm not a pasta person either. Judy had read a review on Yelp that raved about the trenne pasta, but she was disappointed with it. She said the ribeye with it was good, but did not like the pasta much. I got what was identified as a lamb porterhouse which was two very small lamb chops with small baked potatoes and garlic cloves. 

I asked for medium rare lamb, but they said it was small and would be cooked through. Of my two pieces, one was thicker than the other, and was thus rare, and I enjoyed it more than the more cooked piece. It was good, but not great. The vegetables were tasty. The portabello mushroom fries were truly unique, with a thin crisp coating and a nice green, quite flavorful, dipping sauce. 

The fries were crisp on the outside, but with the meaty, juicy portabello taste inside. 

They were a truly nice dish and a nice value, comparatively, even at $10.00. The other menu item that was very nicely cooked was grilled octopus. 

It was $12.00 for a very small amount, but it may be the best octopus I've ever eaten. It had a nice, firm, grilled exterior, had a nice taste and was not rubbery.  Finally, we all shared a chocolate souffle dessert there. A hole was punched in the top of the souffle and cream poured in. 

The souffle was very light and fluffy and the cream not very sweet. 

It was fun and different, but I would not pay $15.00 to eat it again. Bottega Louie was fun to visit, but given the cost I would probably not go for a sit-down meal again. However, I do look forward to trying some more of their take out sandwiches and desserts. I love the crusty European bread and need to try some more of their luscious looking desserts. 

Ground Kangaroo Hash

I purchased a pound of ground kangaroo from Charlie Brown Farms in Littlerock, California. 

I'd previously had kangaroo medallions, which were okay, not great, and I thought the ground meat, with some additional add-ins, would be a fun variation. I was cooking a goose at the same time and added the goose liver and kidney (but not the pictured neck) to the meat. 

I put some olive oil and cut-up red pepper, garlic cloves, turnips and onion to a frying pan and partially cooked it, then added the meat 

and cooked it all together. 

and

For the same meal, Judy had prepared a potato casserole, with shredded potato, that was good on its own, but fantastic when added to the kangaroo mixture. The kangaroo is quite lean, but mixed with the vegetables and potato, it added a nice texture and flavor. 

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the potato casserole. We had the LDS missionaries over for dinner, one in particular, from Fiji, who was an adventurous eater. In fact, he detected the taste of the liver and asked if some was included. I sheepishly admitted it was, because I knew the other missionary did not like liver, but figured it was diluted enough it would go undetected. They were thrilled to try the unusual meat and it made it a meal for them to remember. 

Nilgai Antelope Shoulder Roast

The nilgai is an antelope primarily found in India, eastern Pakistan and southern Nepal. 

They were also introduced to Texas in the 1920s and there are now about 15,000 wild nilgai in that state. For a pre-Christmas dinner, I purchased a 4.54 nilgai shoulder roast from a Texas free range animal. 

I found a recipe for antelope pot roast from Texas hunting site and hoped for the best. I'd previously had antelope steaks from a Wyoming antelope and it is probably my least favorite game meat ever - the sage brush diet does not translate into great meat - it was lean, dry and very gamy. I hoped this would be better. The meat was very lean and very dark. 

The recipe called for wrapping the meat with six slices of bacon (I had seven and wished I had more), a good idea for lean meat, and baking it in the oven for 40 minutes per pound. I made a rub of 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, 1/4 tsp of black pepper, 3 tbsp of cider vinegar which was rubbed on before putting on the bacon. I then cut up about four potatoes, two turnips, quite a few small carrots and a large onion and cut them into approximate one inch pieces. The roast and a 1/4 cup of beef broth were placed in a roasting pan and into an oven at 350 degrees. 

About every hour I added another 1/4 cup of beef broth and with an hour left, added the vegetables. 

The result was way short of what I hoped for. It was cooked too long which made the otherwise dry meat even dryer and it was quite gamy. I did find the pieces that had a little fat on them better tasting. 

The vegetables, on the other hand, were very good. Everyone was a good sport and had some, but it was not a best seller and we had quite a bit that ultimately was not eaten. 

There may be a good way to cook antelope, but I haven't found it yet (I do hope to keep trying). 

Grilled Iguana

A number of years ago, when our children were young, a friend of ours gave us some iguana meat that had been brought into the U.S. from Mexico and cooked by his Mexican workers. It was excellent. We finished off what we had quickly and the kids were asking for more. I've wanted to try more iguana since that time. 

This year, for Christmas, I found some iguana meat for sale on the internet and ordered two pounds of it. What recipes I found were mostly for whole iguanas and so I ended up adapting one of them. I wish I could find out how the Mexican workers cooked their iguana because it was really excellent. Our two pounds included what looks like a portion of the torso and hind legs and half of the back bone and one of the front legs. 

I cooked it for our family the day before Christmas. The recipe called for soaking guajillo and pasilla chiles and blending them with vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper, then marinating the iguana meat in that mixture for two hours or more, then roasting it at high heat until tender. I got a mixture of three different types of dried chiles from our cupboard and soaked them for several hours and then blended them with apple cider vinegar. I was concerned that it would overpower the meat and I was right. Fortunately, I only marinated half of it. 

The other half I coated with olive oil and cooked all of it on our outdoor gas grill. 

As strange as it sounds, iguana meat is actually quite a bit like chicken. It is a white meat and has much the same consistency and is very mild. I did not like my combination of peppers and was not fond of the meat cooked in the marinade. I quite liked the meat that was coated in oil and grilled. It was mild and had a nice grilled taste. 

I was a little disappointed with my experimentation and would really like to try cooking a whole iguana someday with a better recipe. Below, the backbone portion is much more recognizable with most of the meat pulled off.