Unbelievable Night of UnBALLievable Food

Once a month, BREADBAR in Century City departs from its usual fare of bread and bar and invites premier chefs to take over their kitchen for the night. The resto has taken its tradition on the road with the Hatchi Truckstop Series, inviting local food trucks to serve up eight dishes for $8 each one night a month. April's featured food truck was Great Balls on Tires, founded by friends Clint Peralta and Michael Brombart, joined by former Comme Ca Executive Chef, Michael David.

I was so impressed with the depth and sophistication of flavors from this food truck, whose fare surpassed my expectations.

IncrediBall - Snake River Farms "Kobe" Beef Meatball, Applewood Smoked Baacon, Gruyere, Garlic Aiolo, Wild Arugula, Toasted Brioche Bun. My favorite ball of the night. The only negative? I wanted the IncrediBall to be incredibally larger!!!

Ciao Balla - Classic Italian Pork and Veal Meatball, Pancetta Marinara (Amatriciana), Spaghetti, Shaved Parmesan, Fresh Basil. The first time I had this dish, when GBOT's first chef was on board, the balla didn't leave much of an impression. Since Executive Chef Michael David has come on board and revamped the menu, the flavors have been revamped as well. The veal had a kick to it and I couldn't stop eating the al dente spahgetti. I wished there was more sauce.

Ballywood - Garam Marsala Chicken Ball, Coconut Curry, Tomator Chutney, Cilantro Chutney, Basmati Rice, Crispy Onions. The only thing I didn't like about this Indian dish is that it wasn't served with a gallon of the cilantro chutney. So intense and fresh. Love.

Wild Boar Ball - Kurobuta Pork Belly, Sauerkraut. My second favorite dish of the night. The flavors were intense and there was just the right amount of fat to accentuate the flavor without overpowering it or making it too greasy.

Duck Ball - Maple Leaf Farms Duck, Red Cabbage Confit, Napa Slaw. I enjoyed this, but not as much as my friends. Wished it was a bit crispy on the outside.

Mushroom-Fennel Soup - Seitan Sausage. I wish I wasn't so full when this arrived. The soup was packed with flavor and the sausage added a nice spice and texture.

Brown Butter Spice Cake - Banana Cream. I wish I got my friend's reaction on film to her first bite of this dessert. She got lost in the moment and let out a sinful "this is to-die-for" giggle. Each layer had a distinct bold flavor that melted in your mouth.

Vanilla Profiteroles - Chocolate Sauce. Really, GBOT?!?! Are you trying to make me fall more in love with you?!?! This was simply divine. The chocolate sauce was so rich and fresh and heightened the dish. I am regretting not licking the plate.

Still not salivating? Check out Great Balls on Tires.

BREADBAR. Los Angeles, California.

Hole In One at Hole In The Wall Burger Joint

This burger connoisseur had been dying to try Hole In The Wall Burger Joint after reading Elina Shatkin’s “30 Burgers in 30 Days” in the LA Weekly. Especially since it’s right around the corner from my pad and I love hole in the wall grub.

I was picturing myself frantically walking down a dark alley towards a light peering out of a crevice, but thankfully the shop wasn’t as hard to find as I thought. They’ve got a larger-than-expected low frills indoor and outdoor dining area - perfect ambiance for a burger that doesn't need any fancy accessories or celebrity chefs to attract attention.

Orders are placed by checking off what type of burger you’d like and what you’d like on it (a la The Counter). They stick to the basics but this "Working Man's Gourmet Burger" is anything but basic.

For $7.95 (minus any fancy fixings) you get a ginormous 8 oz. burger made to order. I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend the pretzel bun. Did you get that? Highly! Who knew a bun could make such a difference in a burger? I never want to eat a burger on anything but a pretzel bun ever again! It added so much flavor. The meat soaked into the bun and didn’t make it soggy, just accentuated the flavor. I am salivating writing about it.

The patty was so thick and juicy and didn't taste mass produced. The red leaf lettuce, sliced red onions and tomatoes were all fresh and succulent.

Their homemade mustard-pickle relish and ketchup were a sweet complement to the burger. Licking my lips just thinking about it... go!!!

Hole In The Wall Burger Joint. Los Angeles, California.

Don’t Pass Over This Granola

Passover, my favorite Jewish holiday, is upon us. A yearly tradition in my family is to make Passover Granola, a recipe my Mom received years ago from a good family friend.

We always dish out a little for people to munch on during the Seder and I get a big to go bag to take back with me to Los Angeles, which I try hard not to eat on my way back from Palm Desert. It's addicting. Last year I had to put it in the trunk :)

Ingredients:

- 2 1/2 cups of matzo farfel
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 1 cup walnut pieces
- 1/4 cup margarine
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (golden raisins, dried apples, apricot or peaches)

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- On a baking sheet, spread out matzo farfel, almonds and walnuts.

- Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- Remove from oven and transfer to bowl.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine margarine, honey, brown sugar and cinnamon. Simmer until cinnamon is dissolved.
- Pour over matzo farfel/nut mixture. Mix well.
- On a baking sheet, spread out coated matzo farfel/nut mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes.

- Remove from oven and place in a bowl.
- Add raisins and dried fruit mixture. Mix well.

- Transfer to baking sheet and let cool.

Enjoy!

Hey Culver City, Tap This!

Beer tap. At your table. SOLD!

I was excited to check out Ken Kaufman and Brian McKeaney’s new Culver City watering hole, City Tavern, as I’m a fan of their other hot spot down the street, Rush Street, and heard that City Tavern is the first state approved establishment to offer a computertized draft beer system at its tables – Table Tap booths! Patrons are able to reserve one of three tables and pour their own beer. At their table. Ummm... does it get any better?!?! So much fun!

We had a selection of Telegraph White Ale, Stone IPA and Downtown Brown. I loved the White Ale. Perfect summer brew.

The amount of beer available is based on how many people are at the table and you can reserve one of three tables for up to two hours (there is plenty of other seating, just not with taps at the table).

There were two of us so we had 64 hours before we “tapped out.” It was super fun to try as much or as little of each beer as we wanted. Highly recommend making a reservation and testing these booths our!

I love the distressed brick walls, wood floors and wood tables of the bar. It was pretty busy when we got there during Happy Hour and was packed when we left around 9:00 p.m.

We of course had to get some grub too! The cheesy poofs, essentially fried manchego cheese, were like crack. What could be better than fried cheese? A whole bowl of it! While I was addicted, I would have liked thicker slices of cheese to even out the cheese to fried bits ratio to taste more cheese.

The meatballs with sweet and spicy sauce were ok.

The thyme-roasted 1/2 jidori chicken with baby carrots was fantastic. Flavorful and moist and just fell of the bone.

You know me and Brussels sprouts, if they’re on the menu, I must order them. Made with bacon and preserved lemon, I was a fan.

The baby green salad with pistachios and dried apricots was a nice complement all the bites but was very ordinary.

Overall the food leaned towards being a bit too oily, but I thought the food was better than Rush Street but my friend thought otherwise.

While there are some kinks to work out, one thing stood out to us - we felt pressured to keep ordering more food at our highly coveted table. We weren't being cheap, we just weren't *that* hungry! This made us very uncomfortable. I hope their wait staff (or at least our waitress) refines their approach.

City Tavern. Culver City, California.

Red Hot Nights at Red Medicine

Eating good food makes me feel alive, and after eating at Red Medicine, I felt like jumping on the table, beating my fists on my chest like King Kong and screaming: “I. Love. Exquisite. Food!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

I had mixed feelings about dining here after the Los Angeles Times scandal, but was mesmerized by all the food photos I’d seen, so was determined to go. Was I ever glad I did.

I'm not sure which has become more sophisticated... my palate or restaurant cuisine. Maybe both have. I wanted to admire each dish that came out instead of eat it. Is that wrong?!?! Each was so unique and looked like a work of art.

First to come out were the Brussels sprouts with caramelized shallots, fish sauce and vermouth. I have a love affair with Brussels sprouts. Maybe it’s because my Mom never forced me to eat them as a kid so I never grew a strong hatred towards them. I’ve eaten pounds of them and have even cooked them myself, but have never indulged in sprouts prepared like this.

My favorite dish from the “Hands” portion of the menu was the not-so-dumpy chicken dumplings with caramelized sugar, pork fat, lemongrass and confitures. I was expecting typical dumplings to come out, but these dumplings were anything but typical. The presentation was gorgeous and it was fun to build our own Vietnamese tacos. Each bite had such depth and was a combination of intricate, fresh, clean flavors. I could eat this every day.

The soft rice paper with rock shrimp, jackfruit, black garlic and bean sprouts looked so delicate and feminine with flowers peering through the rice paper.

Crispy spring rolls with Dungeness crab, Meyer lemon, pea pods, fines herbs and chili came plated like a masterpiece, but were forgettable.

The “banh mi” with foie gras and pate de campagne was a sophisticated take on the infamous Vietnamese dish but was a bit too rich for my taste, but for the record, I am not a huge foie gras fan, so that’s probably why.

Hello, heaven? I have arrived. When the lamb belly with hoisin, hibiscus-onion, sunflower seeds, salsify and lady apple arrived at our table, I was taken aback. It looked like a work of art. I’m not one of those eaters that compartmentalizes food on the plate and eats in quantrants. I like a little taste of everything all in one bite so I thoroughly enjoyed taking a bit of each flavor and making that perfect bite.

I wanted to bathe in the brown butter-soy milk that the Alaskan halibut was perched in. Complete with verbena, pomelo and lettuce stems, this hearty, thick piece of fish was delicate and delicious.

And now for the main event… the dessert, which makes sense as chef/partner Jordan Kahn has an intense background in pastry. I felt like a novice foodie when our desserts came out because they were deconstructed presentations of pure magic that I've seen in photos but have not had the pleasure of eating... until now.

The carmaelized profiteroles with cognac custard, mango, cola and black sesame were stunning.

My breathe was taken away by the bitter chocolate with kecap manis, oats, parsnip, brown butter and soy milk sorbet. Senational presentation. I encourage Red Medicine to remove the word “bitter” from this dish name as it was a deterrent at the beginning, as we don’t enjoy bitter chocolate, but was ever so enjoyed.

My least favorite part of the evening was not the food, but the poor waitress service, which was redeemed by the stimulating conversation with managing partner, Noah Ellis, on the way out. Always thrilling to talk to another foodie about your favorite bites!

Red Medicine. Los Angeles, California.