Welcome!
- Oanh Love
- Hi! Welcome to my myriad of foodie excursions! If it is comestible I will eat it! I use to be a picky eater but I realized that I’ve been missing out! If you don't open up your palate, YOU HAVE NOT LIVED! I learned to appreciate other cultures through different cuisines & I have TONS of favorites! Caribbean (I’m an east coast girl at heart! Jamaican patties were my staple!), Middle Eastern (I CRAVE basmati rice.. like CRAVE), sushi & Izakaya (if I die tomorrow I would like to have uni and ankimo to be the last thing I eat), Italian (I am WEAK to burrata with EVOO & balsamic dressing drizzled all over on a bed of sour dough), Philipino food (Pork sisig is SO effin good!), Indian (garlic naan dipped in tikka marsala MMMM!), AUTHENTIC Mexican (lamb soup from a Mexican crawl in East LA WOWED me!) and to my own very ethnic food such as Vietnamese (bo kho, bo luc lac, bun rieu, etc. etc. ETC!), Hainanese (I love Savoy!) and French (uhh EVERYTHING!). I'm the happiest when I find a great hole in the wall, appreciate the occasional fine dining experience (not too often to lose its luster), and best of all, good ol’ home cooking. I just love ALL FOOD!
Up to Date Archive
-
►
2011
(45)
-
►
May
(11)
- Heart Attack Dog!
- My Lucky Night at Velvet Margarita
- First Ecuadorian Experience at El Caserio
- Take 2 on Bastide
- Liang's Kitchen
- The BEST Mexican food EVER.
- They know me as Anne at Nate's Korner
- A Taste of the New Son of a Gun
- 'Bidness' Din with the owner of Playa Rivera
- Brunch at Scarpetta
- "Crackanara" at Spoon House
-
►
March
(14)
- Home Cooking: White Truffle Oil
- EXTENDED RSVP Date!
- Chowing Down at Eat Chow
- Catching up over Mac n' Cheese at Westside Tavern
- Let's See What the Hype is All About with Aburiya ...
- PbP LA's Chapter Retreat Dinner at Xiomara
- It was More than Koo
- The BEST Breakfast Food at the Pacific Dining Car!...
- Healthy Alternatives at True Food Kitchen
- Ohshima, the Affordable Version of Urasawa
- Surprise Birthday Dinner at Totoraku by my Love!
- 30th Dinner at Bastide with the Girls
- No Reservations at Ad Hoc
-
►
May
(11)
Eateries & Experiences
- CHI - Frontera Grill (1)
- CHI - Girl and the Goat (1)
- CHI - Hot Dougs (1)
- Ethnic - American (New) (17)
- Ethnic - American (Traditional) (6)
- Ethnic - Asian Fusion (3)
- Ethnic - Belgian (1)
- Ethnic - Brazilian (1)
- Ethnic - Chinese (1)
- Ethnic - Ecuadorian (1)
- Ethnic - Egyptian (3)
- Ethnic - Filipino (1)
- Ethnic - French (12)
- Ethnic - Indian (1)
- Ethnic - Italian (7)
- Ethnic - Japanese (10)
- Ethnic - Korean (1)
- Ethnic - Latin (1)
- Ethnic - Mediterrenean (1)
- Ethnic - Mexican (5)
- Ethnic - Middle Eastern (1)
- Ethnic - Morrocan (1)
- Ethnic - Steakhouses (1)
- Ethnic - Taiwanese (1)
- Ethnic - Vietnamese (1)
- Food Blogger - kevinEats (2)
- Food Blogger - Ravenous Couple (1)
- Food Blogger - StreetGourmetLA (2)
- Holiday Feasts (1)
- Home cooking - Black cod (1)
- Home cooking - Cilantro (1)
- Home cooking - Octopus (1)
- Home cooking - Pastrami brisket (1)
- Home cooking - Pure white miso paste (1)
- Home cooking - Ribeye steak (1)
- Home cooking - White truffle oil (1)
- LA - 8 oz Burger (1)
- LA - Akasha (1)
- LA - Angelini Osteria (2)
- LA - Animal (4)
- LA - AOC (2)
- LA - Asia de Cuba (1)
- LA - Bar 210 (1)
- LA - Bar Pintxo (1)
- LA - Bashan (1)
- LA - Bastide (2)
- LA - Bistro LQ (1)
- LA - BLD (3)
- LA - BLT Steak (1)
- LA - Border Grill (1)
- LA - Bottega Louie (2)
- LA - Bouchon (2)
- LA - Boxwood Cafe (2)
- LA - Cache (1)
- LA - Cafe Pinot (4)
- LA - Chaya Brasserie (1)
- LA - Checkers (1)
- LA - Chego (1)
- LA - Church n State (2)
- LA - Ciudad (1)
- LA - Cleo (1)
- LA - Comme Ca (1)
- LA - CUT (1)
- LA - Delphine Eatery and Bar (1)
- LA - El Caserio (1)
- LA - FIG (2)
- LA - First and Hope (1)
- LA - Gordon Ramsay (1)
- LA - Grace (1)
- LA - Hatfield's (2)
- LA - Ivan Kane's Cafe (1)
- LA - Jar (1)
- LA - JiRaffe (1)
- LA - Joe's Restaurant (1)
- LA - K-ZO (1)
- LA - La Cachette Bistro (1)
- LA - La Guelaguetza (1)
- LA - Lago (1)
- LA - Liang's Kitchen (1)
- LA - Little Bear (1)
- LA - Loteria (1)
- LA - LQ at SK (1)
- LA - Lucques (1)
- LA - M Cafe (1)
- LA - Mar'sel (1)
- LA - Melisse (1)
- LA - Moonshadows (1)
- LA - Musha (1)
- LA - Nobu Matsuhisa (1)
- LA - Oinkster (1)
- LA - Ojiya (1)
- LA - Osteria Mamma (1)
- LA - Pacific Dining Cart (1)
- LA - Patina (1)
- LA - Petrossian Paris (1)
- LA - Playa (1)
- LA - Providence (2)
- LA - Public Roosevelt (1)
- LA - Scarpetta (3)
- LA - Simon LA (1)
- LA - Son of a Gun (1)
- LA - Sona (1)
- LA - Spoon House (2)
- LA - Sprinkles (1)
- LA - Starry Kitchen (2)
- LA - Tavern (1)
- LA - Test Kitchen (4)
- LA - The Dining Room (2)
- LA - The India Restaurant (1)
- LA - The Penthouse (1)
- LA - The W Hotel (2)
- LA - Toronako (1)
- LA - Totoraku (1)
- LA - Umami Burger (2)
- LA - Vault XXI (1)
- LA - Velvet Margarita (1)
- LA - Westside Tavern (1)
- LA - WP24 (2)
- LA - Xiomara on Melrose (1)
- LA - XIV (2)
- LV - Sushi Samba (1)
- NYC - 53rd and 6th (2)
- NYC - Adour (1)
- NYC - Arirang (1)
- NYC - Fatty 'Cue (1)
- NYC - Grimaldi's (1)
- NYC - Jean Georges (1)
- NYC - Joe's Shanghai (1)
- NYC - Lombardi's (1)
- NYC - Maison Laduree (1)
- NYC - Momofuku Noodle Bar (1)
- NYC - Peter Luger Steak House (2)
- NYC - Pizza (1)
- NYC - Shake Shack (1)
- NYC - Yakitori Taisho (1)
- NYC Plate by Plate (2)
- OC - AnQi by Crustacean (1)
- OC - Charlie Palmer (5)
- OC - Eat Chow (1)
- OC - ECCO (1)
- OC - Favori (1)
- OC - Kappo Honda (1)
- OC - Marché Moderne (1)
- OC - Nate's Korner (1)
- OC - Ohshima (1)
- OC - Old Vine Cafe (2)
- OC - Pizzeria Ortica (1)
- OC - The Hacienda (1)
- OC - True Food Kitchen (1)
- Plate by Plate (8)
- Project by Project (8)
- SD - Extraordinary Desserts (1)
- SD - Nine Ten (1)
- SF - Koo (1)
- Taste of the Nation LA (4)
- The Society (1)
- Yelp (2)
- Yountville - Ad Hoc (1)
- Yountville - Bouchon Bakery (1)
- Yountville - French Laundry (1)
Fellow Foodie Friends
Other Goodies
Monday, June 14, 2010
Bill Esparza hosts Andrew Zimmern's Viewing Party for Bizarre Foods in the Baja
3014 Olympic Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90006
Accolades: "Auténtica Comida Oaxaqueña" which means Authentic Oaxaca Food. Lauded by Travel + Leisure Magazine to be the purest form that's "unmixed" from other regions of Mexico.
I was invited to come to a viewing party hosted by Bill Esparza from Street Gourmet LA for Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods Baja Episode for the Travel Channel (LA Times article on the event Street Gourmet LA on 'Bizarre Foods'). Bill has his own popular blog http://www.streetgourmetla.com/ that caught Andrew's attention resulting in the show reaching out to him for a Baja story and was a Top Chef Masters judge.
I did not know what to expect in terms of how the event was going to be like or what kind of bizarre food that will be served. I am open minded so anything goes! The viewing party was held at La Guelaguetza in K-town of Los Angeles. I can't even pronounce that word so that shows you how authentic the Mexican food must be. Bill keeps it real!
Ordered all 6 items to try.
The red sauce on the chips had a slight sweetness to it while the salsa had a pretty good spicy kick. I am weak to chips and salsa and I couldn't stop stuffing my face with this.
So Bill came to say hi to my table and offered us to try some of these fried grasshoppers. Ok I knew the bizarreness had to start somehow. I was a bit hesitant to put these in my mouth and actually had that anxiety feeling but screw it... I came here for this reason right? To my surprise these were excellent! They were crunchy, savory, salty, citrusy and a bit spicy or altogether in other words according to Bill... they were umami! I think the look on his face waiting for my reaction was priceless. He knew that he opened up my foodie world.
Clayudas con Mole Negro
That orange color in the middle of the pie was from the flash of my fellow food blogger. This was quite simple. The mole was on the sweeter side but very subtle and soft in flavor. The imported Tlayuda tortilla was soft but not to the point where the slices went limp.
Crispy Quesadillas
I wasn't too crazy about this one. It tasted mostly like thick layers of the the Tlayuda tortilla.
Botano de Molotes
I believe I never had this before. It was like a stuffed potato with a slight meatiness to it. I doused it with the guacamole and spicy salsa.
Taquitos Fritos
Mmmm I love taquitos. The chicken filling was soft and moist while the exterior of the taquitos was nice and crispy.
Chapulines al Mexicana
Oh boy more fried grasshoppers from Oaxacan. It tasted great with the sauteed vegetables and avocado. I couldn't stop eating it even after being so stuffed! This for sure was the best dish out of the 6 because of its great flavors. Like the first fried grasshopper appetizer in the beginning... it pretty much tasted the same. I ended up ordering another order to go to share with my loved ones at home. The census... they loved it!
Up close and personal.
Bill Esparza! Such an awesome guy! He graciously thanked everyone for attending and introduced Andrew Z.
Andrew greeted everyone via video.
Bill himself on the show!
Thanks for a really cool party, Bill!
This was definitely one of the most interesting foodie excursions I've had and I LOVED IT! As a child I grew up extremely picky on what I would eat. Now... I want to try all the bizarre delicacies out there! With some exceptions of course. After tonight's dinner I have definitely developed a whole different respect for Mexican food. It's beyond the tacos, carne asada and burritos that I am exposed to. Screw fine dining... I think I want to start this new adventure of eating the most authentic food from every ethnicity out there. Hmmm... what's next? I was told to NOT try Ethiopian food. Are you kidding me? That's BEEN on my list to try!
Right now what will impress me is GREAT authentic ethnic food. So what's good out there, folks??
Labels:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
Who all was there?
I found chapulines to have a very complex, sweet-sour-salty flavor.
Chapulines are the yums! Lol. Hmmmmm I recognized MyLastBite and the Hubby counter part of Ravenous Couple was there besides Helen and Jin. I don't really know many food bloggers.
Hey Oanh, I love this post. So, are you ready to to go on some food crawls with me?
Funny, we tried to keep real safe items on the menu so there would be something for everyone, and decided that 1 exotic dish was enough, but now I'm thinking we should have gone all out. A woman sitting near me was so grossed out by the grasshoppers, I thought she was going to pass out! You ladies are pros. Whoever told you not to try Ethiopian is a pinhead. "Screw fine dining..." I love it!
YES! Just tell me when!
Oh man... next time GO ALL OUT! The weirder the better! Awww too much for that woman to handle? I would be in her position if it was something that grossed me out like big giant spiders or something.
A friend told me to not try Ethiopian food. He doesn't know jack sh*t! Hahahaha.
WOW! you had your own fear factor experience!
kim
your hubby too! hehehehe.
you definitely need to try Ethiopian food..so good..however i'm not too crazy about the bread that they eat.. but their stew is delicious!!!
i HEARD! ok i need to make this happen pronto.
Post a Comment