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February 20, 2008
Tale of Two Toasts: bld and King’s Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant
Filed under: South Bay, Midtown, Eat — StyleGuide @ 12:46 pm
Could it be obsessive-compulsive disorder? Or my post on making French toast at home? Whatever it was, it meant that I didn’t spend the weekend registering voters or flossing or recycling. Instead I devoted my time to something as crucial as the search for great French toast.
Saturday we tried a nice place that is a little pricey. bld on Beverly serves up inch-and-a-half thick slices of brioche, lacy browned on the outside and as creamy as custard on the inside — bread pudding in toast form. Unbelievably delicious, but a splurge at $11.
Cash-wise, I needed to take it down a notch. So Sunday we tried King’s Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant.
King’s Hawaiian bread, the summit-shaped sweet bread in the “Hawaii Orange” plastic sack in grocery stores nationwide, comes from a 150,000 square foot facility in Torrance. In the 1980s, the restaurant opened not far from the factory. Today it is a busy place; the collosal decorative pineapple and dunk-tank-sized aquarium qualify it as a bit more interesting than Denny’s, but the feel is similar.
The French toast is sliced from their sweet Hawaiian bread, cooked with egg and cinammon and delivered sponge-light and dreamy sweet. French toast runs $8.75 — plus two eggs and a side of bacon or sausage.
I knew I’d found a winner.
January 31, 2008
Stylish Six: Great Hot Dogs in L.A.
Filed under: San Fernando Valley, Best Of, South Bay, Westside, Midtown, Eat — StyleGuide @ 7:46 pm
Hot dogs are the perfect StylishGuide food — carefully prepared with pride, yet inexpensive enough to indulge without breaking the bank.
We’re blessed with so many stand-up dogs in Los Angeles, I’ll honor them in shifts. First, favorites in L.A. Soon I’ll share the greats in the Valley — a virtual hot dog heaven.
1. Pink’s of Hollywood: This is the closest thing to a hot dog institution in town. There’s something about sitting in the cheap patio chairs in the tiny parking lot on a glistening Southern California day, settling into a chili cheese bacon dog topped with cool fresh tomatoes, and dripping fluorescent constellations of grease across the paper tray — it kindles something profound. It doesn’t make any sense, but it somehow fills me with a feeling of connection, like finding home. That feeling may explain the long, long lines. That, and the wildly inefficient counter service system, of course.
2. Carney’s: Eating in a converted train-car on the Sunset Strip can bring out the 6-year-old boy in anyone, and the dogs are great too. Visit a second location in Studio City.
3. Skooby’s: You’d expect this tiny Hollywood Boulevard stand to be a typical tourist rip-off operation. But the red and white bedecked, cute as a button, clean as a whistle shop with the tattooed and pierced staff actually slings some of the best dogs in town, as well as perfectly seasoned fries with aioli dipping sauce. A second location opened in Hermosa Beach.
4. The Stand: This is the black-tie dining experience of hot dog joints, with gourmet toppings and an upscale ambiance. Bring a date to the Century City, Encino or Westwood locations. Monday nights feature one-dollar dogs.
5. Let’s Be Frank: This is no ordinary catering truck outside Helms Bakery in Culver City. The 100 percent grass-fed beef hot dogs and organic toppings come with a foodie pedigree — Sue, who works the stand, came from the legendary Chez Panisse. At $5/dog, each bite is an investment in guilt-free eating (the dogs have no hormones, antibiotics or chemicals and are lower in calories than typical hot dogs).
6. Dodger Stadium: Grilled, nearly a foot long, and the perfect accompaniment to a game, it’s not surprising that Dodger dogs are among the most popular dogs in baseball. For the truly glutenous, $35 will buy you a ticket in the right field bleachers and unlimited Dodgers Dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn and Coke.
Honorable Mention
As a global chain, Costco is no “L.A. Original,” but I can’t ignore the fact they’ve asked only a buck and a half for a meaty Polish dog and soda for as long as I can remember. Top with sauerkraut, relish and onions before sinking into that sweet dog. It soothes the soul after the madness of Costco shopping.
October 16, 2007
A1 Italian Deli in San Pedro
Filed under: South Bay, Shop, Eat — StyleGuide @ 6:30 am
San Pedro, the port town at the southern terminus of the 110, is one of those places where the town’s main drag would regularly replace itself. New buildings would spring up on the next throughfare to the west, and the town’s bustle would follow. In San Pedro, the action moved from Pacific to Gaffey, and now to Western. The old neighborhoods remain, a little more rundown and a little less crowded.
Some first-rate businesses continue to prosper around the older streets, and A1 is one of them, an authentic old school Italian grocer, a quiet place with a few loud employees. It is the kind of shop that I imagine covers much of New York and Jersey (based entirely on my obsession with mob movies). Their high standards for quality cultivate a loyal following that seems more like family.
I shop affordable specialites like breaded chicken cutlets from the deli (pounded thin and ready for a quick fry in olive oil), uncooked pizza dough from the refrigerator section, fresh produce (including fun stuff like dandelion leaves), Italian wines and aisle after aisle of well-priced imported foods ranging from ladyfingers to olive oil.
But my favorite thing at A1 is their made-to-order Italian prosciutto ham and provolone sandwich. The buttery prosciutto is laid thick on a seven-inch fresh baked french roll with all the usual toppings and a tangy vinaigrette, priced at a mere $4.25.
A1 has been in business in San Pedro since 1947. Although developers have rediscovered the neighborhood and begun populating it with modern loft condominiums, I’m hoping it will remain the same for another 60 years.
Price: $ and up
Where: 348 W. 8th Street, San Pedro, Ca 90731
When: Closed Sundays
Call: 310-833-4045
September 13, 2007
Best of the Wurst - Alpine Village
Filed under: South Bay, Shop, Eat — StyleGuide @ 5:45 am
Best of the Wurst is an occasional series on those who have perfected the art of the frankfurter.
You can’t miss Alpine Village, that sprawling amusement park of Teutonic delights right off the 110 in Torrance. The replica Bavarian village boasts a bakery and grocery store, several restaurants, a wedding chapel, a traffic school, a flight school, a dentist office, a swap meet (daily save Monday), 15 speciality stores including a “toy and leather store,” and, come fall, their legendary Oktoberfest.
Alpine Village’s sausage kitchen, helmed by Master Sausage Maker Alex Lagger, is the draw for me. The kitchen boasts the 2000 award winning sausage at the Annual State of California Meat Processors Competition. (A Meat Processors Competition? Two thoughts on that: 1. What is this competition? and 2. How come I haven’t vacationed there?)
Mr. Lagger’s weisswurst is a milky white sausage — something you would never expect to hold its own against the richly colored links that share space in the RV-length deli case. Yet the savory meat, served inside a casing with some snap, holds its shape on the plate yet melts in your mouth. I never expected this kind of flavor from such a pale link.
Weisswurst? Willkommen!
$ (prices start in the $2-$3 range per half pound)
Where: 833 W. Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90502
Call: 310-327-4384
Have you tried Alpine Village Market? Do you have another source for handcrafted sausage?