Travel – Page 9 – Yogurtsoda

Addendum

September 4, 2015September 4, 2015

Listen, I know that Thomas Keller is Napa’s patron saint of fine dining and all things trendy, but really all I care about is his fried chicken at Addendum. Addendum is essentially the outdoor lunch expansion at Yountville’s Ad Hoc (sans booze), and it’s stolen the show. Open only Thursdays through Saturdays, your best bet is to reserve your lunch online, as long lines can and do often form.

What’s on the menu? Fried chicken, of course. (There’s also pulled pork and ribs, but that’s not my vibe). For a mere $16.50, lunch comes with cornbread and two sides that rotate daily, and when I visited, it was coleslaw and baked beans. The coleslaw is about as exciting as potato salad or broiled salmon (read: not exciting) but the baked beans are smoky and sweet and the cornbread is just right.

But let’s go back to the chicken. If ever there was a way to make buttermilk fried chicken elegant yet satisfyingly delicious, Thomas Keller has nailed it. Flecked with bits of rosemary and sea salt, this chicken is crispy on the outside and juicy and flavorful on the inside.

There’s not much that beats sitting outside at a picnic table eating a down home meal in Napa on a warm summer day, so what are you waiting for? Book that online reservation and go for the casual side of Yountville. The chicken is worth it.

Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles

June 26, 2015

Does Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles really even need a review? I used to visit the Roscoe’s on West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles back in the early 2000s, and it wasn’t until last year that I tried out the Roscoe’s in Long Beach. It was Nishan’s first time in Los Angeles, and after a long day of sightseeing at the Griffith Observatory and Beverly Hills, we stopped at Roscoe’s for some fried chicken.

For those who have visited, you already know that the menu at Roscoe’s is primarily countless iterations of magical fried chicken served alongside heaps of whipped butter, waffles, and or collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and cornbread. I’d sung Roscoe’s praises to Nishan for years, but it wasn’t until he tasted it for the first time that he understood what I’d meant.

We had reservations at Jose Andres’ Bazaar the following night. I am not at all ashamed to say that we cancelled our reservations and went back to Roscoe’s for dinner again. When in Rome, eat all the Roscoe’s. Wait, what?

Come to southern California for the sights, stay for the Roscoe’s.

Hama Sushi

June 25, 2015

I was in Long Beach last year for a conference, and whenever I’m anywhere near Los Angeles’ radius, I have to go to Little Tokyo for sushi. I’m a proud Bay Arean, but LA has us beat when it comes to Japanese cuisine.

Hama Sushi is a tiny little restaurant along East 2nd Street in Little Tokyo, and it’s my favorite. There are signs telling patrons to not to ask about teriyaki or tempura; this simply isn’t that kind of place. The long wait is well worth the reward and once we were sitting at the sushi bar, I began ordering in earnest. We began with the albacore sashimi, which was delicious, gorgeously presented, and did I mention delicious?

Next came a parade of nigiri and I quickly lost track of what kind of fish we were eating; retaining only that they were all sublimely flavored and incredibly fresh.

We capped off our feast with some of the best uni I’ve ever tasted in my life. The only other uni that comes close is what I’ve had in Tokyo. This uni was creamy and mind blowingly flavorful. More of this, please.

Hama Sushi may be a no-frills type of joint, but it delivers like no other. Space is limited, and ordering is fast and to-the-point, but Hama Sushi does not mess around.

Yin Du Wonton Noodle

May 28, 2015

The number five. I always order the number five.

Yin Du Wonton Noodle opened up in Chinatown less than two years ago and early on, I became a regular. A short walk from work, I go there whenever I’m craving a warm, comforting bowl of Chinese soup (which is often).

Yin Du’s cash-only menu is somewhat limited, and despite trying a few of their other dishes, I always come back to the number five: dumpling noodle soup. The chewy egg noodles and shrimp and wood ear mushroom-filled sui gao are perfect with a drop of fiery chili sauce. I often order their steamed beef brisket and noodle soup too, which is equally satisfying. The beef brisket sauce is delicious enough to stand on its own. The wonton noodle soup is pretty good too.

Yin Du Wonton Noodle is a casual operation and closes early at seven in the evening and is often packed for lunch. Plan accordingly and the next time you’re craving noodle soup, go for the number five.

The Parish Cafe

September 16, 2014

Fancy an authentic po’ boy but can’t make it to Louisiana? How about Healdsburg instead? Seriously, some of the best New Orleans cuisine I’ve had this side of the Mississippi is in none other but Sonoma County. Go figure.

The Parish Cafe is only a couple of years old but it’s already garnered a following. Wanting to stay on the healthier side, I ordered a blackened catfish po’ boy and it did not disappoint. Fresh-tasting and full of spicy flavor, I could have easily been eating this in NOLA. The Parish Cafe’s lunch menu is primarily po’ boys but next time, I’m also going for the specials, like the gumbo and muffaletta.

Any airs I had about being healthy went out the window when our group ordered a plate of beignets to share. Now, this might be blasphemy, but these beignets were actually better than any I’ve tasted in New Orleans. It took every ounce of self-control to not order another plate of these.

The Parish Cafe is open only for breakfast and lunch, so go early. And while the menu isn’t all Creole or Cajun, their Louisianian transplant chef has made sure it’s all New Orleans and all delicious.