Taco Truck Review Installment 1: KOGI Korean Mexican BBQ

I don't twitter, track things on twitter, or read tweets. I also don't wait in line. So, I thought I'd never be allowed to experience the KOGI (practically a deity, the KOGI must be in all caps). But, after some savvy internet research it became apparent that you can head to the Alibi Room in Culver City where they serve the same food everday except Sunday starting at 6 pm. Sweet.

Another benefit of the Alibi Room is that you can enjoy libations and, if you time it right, couch your behind on a seat instead of wolfing down your food standing on a street corner after waiting in line for an hour and a half (or so go the stories of the KOGI truck, but I digress). If you get there on a Saturday get there at 5:45, stake your seat at the bar and order a beer. It will be so crowded by 6:05 you won't be able to find a seat. Otherwise it's not so bad - getting there at 7:00 on a Monday night yielded plenty of seats. If all else fails you can order to go.
I've been to the Alibi Room twice thus far and this is my overall review.

The food. Oh, the food. Heaven. I've tried the following:

Kim chi quesadilla - interesting. Not bad, not great, just interesting. Certain bites yield spicy kim chi yummi-ness. Other bites yield all cheese (an orange cheddar). I think more Siracha would have made mine better. And the tortilla could have been crispier, I think, which would have ended up with a better result.

Hot Dog with Kim chi - delicious. Though the bun is a little bready, I would recommend just shedding it and chowing down on the dog and toppings. Somehow the really good quality beef frank works with the kim chi in a subtle spicy manner. At first your mouth thinks you're in a ball park and then accepts confusion when the chi hits, but it's all good.

Spicy Fries: Nirvana.
They're crispy on the outside, soft in the middle and now I know to dip my fries in sesame mayo and/or a lot of siracha. No matter what you get you must get these. They are dusted with something that looks like cayenne, but really, the dip is where it's at.

Sliders: unless you are really into bread don't bother. The filling is the same as the tacos, but it's sandwiched between a bready bready bun. I say next unless you want a tummy of spongy enriched flour.

TACOS - Ah. KOGI TACOS. Nirvana on crack. They come in a little tray of three and you can choose chicken, pork, shortrib or tofu or a combination. People, you're at a bar eating Korean BBQ. If you were that into tofu, you wouldn't be there, so stop pretending. Just say no. What's the point? Chicken tacos: too dry. Shortrib and Pork: I can't decide which is my fave. The meat is good quality, very finely diced, seasoned impeccably and then mixed with a korean slaw with kim chi, cabbage, sesame seeds, etc. and served on little tortillas. Get a set of three (I get two rib and one pork) and a side of fries. Top it off with a Shock Top ale and you are good to go. Sit back and watch the crowd.

For two people I recommend ordering two sets of tacos, fries, and, if you are hungry, one more dish to split like the dog.

The Alibi Room has dessert ice cream bars too with cool flavors like guinness and chocolate. But they're nothing spectacular. Skip dessert and have another taco. And then tell your friends in NY that yes, you went to KOGI and it rocked. Nanny nanny na! KOGI gets bonus points for trying to be green. Utensils are optional and the food comes in cardboard trays.

Stay tuned for Taco Truck Review Installment 2 coming soon.

Book Recommendation: Love or Something Like It by Deirdre Shaw

Still looking for that book with which you can wind down the last few days of summer while sipping a cool drink on your patio or burying your toes in the sand? I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel a bit guilty indulging in the typical "chick lit" books since they are sometimes so extraordinarily simple I feel my brain atrophying or they are so cloyingly sweet that my teeth actually hurt. This book, is, happily, neither. Sure, it has all of the elements of "chick lit" - the main female character telling things from her perspective while she traverses the trials and tribulations of dating and relationships with men (well, boys, really). But this book is more - it is real and substantive and raw as the main character deals with a failed marriage, a career on the rocks and the issues unique to dating and living in Los Angeles (i.e., not knowing if you are really dating someone exclusively, assuming that you aren't, and the particular uncertainty that arises when men have access to 1 million gorgeous 21 y.o. models, which population is constantly being replenished). It's sweet and sad, making you wonder if the fairy tale ending will deliver -- not to spoil the book, but it does - in a non-traditional way.

I do think that should you decide to pick this book up, give yourself and entire beach day to enjoy it and then some. Or you may find yourself hunkered behind your desk with the book hidden under cover of a 3-ring binder and your computer screensaver blacking out your "work".

Kale Salad: Healthy and Filling

The vegetable aisle is full of all kinds of things that I'm not too sure how to eat or cook and one of these things shrouding itself in mystery is kale. Kale or borecole is a form of cabbage green or purple in color, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms. It is super healthy, very high in beta carotene, vitamins K and C, calcium and is considered to have potent anti-cancer properties. Thanks Wikipedia!!!



In anycase, it's super dark green and leafy and therefore is ridiculously good for you. But how to make it? Well, apart from the normal steaming, stir-frying, throwing it in some soups, this kale salad is scrumptious, perfect to take to lunch, is very filling, and also relatively low calorie (if you watch the cheese and nut additions). I cannot take credit for this recipe, as it was given to me by the lovely T., but I absolutely adore it. WARNING: Be prepared to chew a lot as the kale is very sturdy.

Kale Salad

1 bunch of kale chopped and removed from the ribs
Wilt it in a pan. I use a little veggie stock or water - about 1/4 cup - heat it up and throw the kale in there for about 3 minutes or so.

In a separate bowl add lots of ingredients:
feta cheese, dried cranberries, pine nuts, a whole shredded or chopped carrot, 1 whole cucumber chopped, avocado and/or tomato if you like. You could also add garbanzo beans, chopped chicken breast, broccoli - whatever you have around. I really love the cranberries and pine nuts though and think they add so much to the salad.

Add the wilted kale, squeeze 1/2 of a fresh lemon over it, season with salt and pepper and olive oil if you like. That's it. It holds up very well for lunch and is super filling as well. Here's to superfoods (that's for you, D!)

Amazing Convertible Dress (Butter by Nadia - $246 and Up)

Internet surfing has done it again - brought me to something perfectly wonderful. Now, to be fair, I am not completely certain that it IS wonderful as I haven't purchased one for myself, but it LOOKS wonderful and some good googling research surfaced some other reviews that were extraordinarily positive.

Gorgeous drapey fabric in sumptuous colors and patterns: Check.

Looks as if it would be flattering on every single body type: Check.

Renders the ever horrifying "size chart" experience null and void because it's one size and fits all sizes up to 16: Check.

Cost can be rationalized because the dress can be configured in a multitude of ways so that you can convince yourself that you are getting 30 outfits for the price of one: Check.

There's this convertible jersey number pictured here in three of its possible configurations, and a number of other styles on the website, including a very classy version made of satin. And if you or someone you know is getting ready to go all out for a crazy wedding extravaganza, this is one dress that all of the bridesmaids can REALLY and TRULY wear again. The demonstrative videos on the website appear to give you all you need to know to look glam in a second, and the wrapping of the dress into the different styles looks like a cinch.

What can I say, I'm in love - LOVE - and if I had a few extra hundreds laying around and felt like I could splurge in this crap economy, I would. So please do it for yourself and report back. Pretty please?

Restaurant Review: The Tasting Kitchen (1633 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice)

Yesterday evening I had planned to have dinner with a dear friend of mine - a celebratory friend date, actually, rejoicing in her new role as mommy and also reconnecting over a glass of wine and tasty treats sans the little one. Although we had originally planned to try Cjelina, the wait was 45 minutes (apparently Cjelina is not experiencing that little thing called a recession). Rather than waiting, we strolled down the street and, serendipitously, in fact, happened upon the Tasting Kitchen. When we came upon it my friend remarked that she had read something about in a blog or article recently and wanted to try it. We walked past the lovely bamboo covering the windows and into a homey little restaurant with lots of wood and cozy tables. Rather than walking straight into the dining room, there is a suspended wall separating the dining room from the door way, making a sort of hall/entry way, at the end of which is the host. When we were ushered around the wall and seated at the table, we noticed that contained in the suspended wall is a fireplace, adding to the comforting atmosphere.

Apparently the Tasting Kitchen (which replaced a defunct restaurant) is a temporary set-up while the restaurant undergoes some changes. I hope it doesn’t undergo too many changes because it is just delightful the way that it is. The menu is handwritten everyday, with spaces to be filled in for various food groups. I.e., "hen", "pork", "beans", etc. It's roughly set up into four sections with the first two supposedly being more like appetizers (as the server informed us), then entrees and then desserts. The division between the sections is really nothing more than a few extra spaces, so I'm still not sure what makes a "hamburger" more of an appetizer rather than an entrée, but I digress.

Unique takes on comfort foods with lots of seasonal ingredients is how I would describe the menu. The wines are listed at the end. Service was extraordinarily friendly and pleasant, and when I asked for a red that was really fruity I was told that although they didn't have one that evening that he would recommend, that he would be happy to open a bottle of an Italian wine that he thought would fit the bill. I also appreciated the fact that he volunteered that his suggestion was only $8/glass instead of leading me astray.

In any case, the La Crima was delicious, with lots of blueberry and notes of vanilla, setting off the evening and allowing us to settle in with the menu. We ended up sharing a really lovely dish of sautéed green beans, crushed toasted almonds, pancetta and a few chunks of creamy burrata thrown in - a nice use of burrata outside of the usual burrata caprese route. The other appetizer was also unique - endive, just barely coated in a browned butter sauce, with a little soft apricot compote and a tiny bit of sage. Fresh, not overwhelming, and delicious. I opted for the roasted hen with baby rutabagas and kale and my friend opted for the burger. I did not try the burger, but it looked great and I can attest to the quality of the fries - made better by the addictive aioli dipping sauce which was more sage than garlic and obviously using very very high quality olive oil. Again, a unique take on the usual garlic aioli. The chicken was perfectly cooked, juicy, and just what I was looking for. A shared apricot tart rounded out the meal with flaky pastry, ripe apricots and a little vanilla ice cream on top. Not cheap but not outrageous - the entire bill was 100 (before tip, with three glasses of wine).

I recommend trying it before they revamp the place (target date - the beginning of Fall).

Hydration - And Possible Migraine Relief? Vita Coco Coconut Water

The first time I ever had coconut water was on a tropical Brazilian beach. The vendor brandished his machete, hacked a coconut off of one of the branches he had in his stall, gouged a hole in the top and handed it over with a straw in it. Because it had been sitting on ice, the liquid inside was cool and refreshing. Not to be confused with coconut milk, coconut water has the consistency of water, is clear in color, with a slightly sweet flavor and a cucumber-like cool aftertaste. Throughout the trip I enjoyed "Coco" on many occasions and learned from the locals that it is their recommended cure for stomach ailments, hangovers, or just as a treat on a hot day. I shudder to think of the number of coconut shells that I left behind, still with their delicious coconut jelly inside, which I could not get at unless I bothered the vendor to hack it open for me.

In anycase, coconut water is now being marketed in a box as a drink (you can pick it up in 1L boxes as well as single serving packages at Whole Foods), and the taste is almost as perfect as that which you would find on a Brazilian beach. Of course drinking from a box isn't quite as romantic as drinking from the coconut itself, but it is nice that the flavor hasn't suffered. I've been drinking a lot of it lately -a glass after exercise - and because of the high levels of potassium and electrolytes in it, it has been doing wonders for my hydration (yes, I'm guilty of failing to drink my RDA of water). Many people claim to have gained migraine relief from drinking it as well, since dehydration can sometimes cause migraines. I don't know if that is really the case, but since I've been downing it lately I haven't had any migraines in the past few weeks. It is much better for you than those sugared and artificial sports drinks and only has 45 calories per serving. There are two brands available at Whole Foods and I haven't really noticed a difference between either. What can I say - I'm a fan. Of course I'd rather be in Brazil, but in this case, you can let Brazil come to you!

A MUST For Any Tea Drinker: Tea Mug With Infuser (17.99)

There is nothing that beats a really good cup of tea. And while pre packaged sachets of tea work in a bind, nothing can hold a candle to a hot cup of tea brewed from real tea leaves and using hot water heated in a kettle. And non of that microwaved stuff. For some reason the microwave leaves a weird bubbly film of what must be radiation in the water. Ick!

Anyway, the idea of a tea mug with an infuser is one of those things that generally seems better in theory than in practice. (Not unlike other things that I could name, but this a G-rated blog, so I won't say anymore!) Usually the infusers don't fit properly and have holes so big that you are left with a mug of tea mud that must be chewed because of the sludge formed by all of the escaped tea leaves. Hardly appetizing. And those little ball infusers are not much better since they often don't close properly and the holes are also too big, allowing too many leaves to sneak through. Not to mention that your mug of tea goes cold while it is steeping. And while tea pots are another option, many of us don't need to make tea for four.

Well, this is the best tea mug that I have ever seen and, having tested it this morning, operates just as you always imagined a tea mug with an infuser SHOULD operate, only possibly better. It is nice and big, holding 14 oz. I don't know about you, but I hate little cups of tea that hardly allow me to enjoy even a minute of my show or a paragraph of my book before it is gone. The infuser is very fine so nothing is leaking through, plus it sits snugly into a ceramic base which is then plopped into the cup, making a seal so that no steam escapes around the edges and the contraption can be easily cleaned. And then there is the lid, which fits over it all so tightly that the mug will stay nice and hot while steeping. And even better, the lid flips over so that you can lay it alongside your mug and there is a groove in the middle wherein you can place your used and dripping infuser safely to the side while you sip. It really can't get much better. I was lucky enough to receive mine as a gift, but after doing some research this morning, you can order yours from Amazon. It is distributed by a company called For Life Design, but it looks like they only sell wholesale through their site so you need to get it from Amazon Marketplace. For Life Design also has a nice photo of the mug, so you can see how the infuser sits in the lid. I'm a HUGE, HUGE fan!