Tag Archives: unique eats

New Restaurant Sneak Peek: Contemporary Indian Cuisine At Cardamom L.A.

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Copyright Tanaya Ghosh 2014

Here’s the scoop behind the newest Indian restaurant to hit the scene in Mid-City, Cardamom L.A. The restaurant takes residency where India’s Oven long stood. What’s different, you ask, when one Indian restaurant replaces another in the same location?

The answer lies in the contemporary twist on Cardamom’s menu and decor, as the Pani Puris are served in shot glasses, the chef brings experience and cooking techniques from the UK, and the colorful abstract paintings on the wall are even hand-painted by their own team.

Last Wednesday, I was invited to attend a pre-opening media dinner for Cardamom L.A., where I got a taste of the new fare with my friends Karen, Rachael and a number of other fellow food writer & blogger friends. Being an Indian-American girl who could fluently speak their same language, it apparently was a pleasant surprise for the owners.

To be even more festive (it’s not every day I get to attend a food event of my own people!), I even wore an Indian kurti top to dinner :). The hospitality was amazing, and Chef Choudhury warmly invited me to take a peek at the behind the scenes cooking action in the kitchen. Here’s your Desi scoop, in the latest one(ish)-minute Tanaya’s Table episode:

Check out the Pani Puri, Peshwari Naan, Chicken Tikka and more in the video above.

Check out the Pani Puri, Peshwari Naan, Chicken Tikka and more in the video above.

Chef Choudhury takes pride in using the freshest ingredients, never frozen or canned. He travels to India to personally source fresh whole spices, which he brings back to grind in-house. He then uses these freshly ground spices to season each of the 100-plus items on the Cardamom menu. I also learned that the restaurant uses a tandoor oven powered by charcoal instead of the standard gas, resulting in a smokier, richer flavor.

Although I was born in SoCal, being of Indian ethnicity I must explain that contrary to what some may believe, Indian food is not just rich chicken tikka masala and buttery naan. There are so many types of Indian cuisines from numerous regions throughout the subcontinent, including lighter, non-spicy everyday dishes. Cardamom’s extensive menu represents the unique cuisines of many of these parts. Whether you are a vegetarian, meat lover or seafood fan, there’s something for everyone at Cardamom L.A.

My favortites included the presentation of the Pani Puri, as they had the traditional spiced tamarind water in the glass, and the crispy shells sitting atop, stuffed with potatoes and chickpeas (see a demo of how to eat it in the video above). I also loved the Peshwari Naan, served fresh from the tandoor, stuffed with sweet coconut, raisins, dates and nuts. And for spice lovers like myself, Cardamom doesn’t skimp when it comes to their savory fare. They bring the heat, if you want them to.

Cardamom is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, and is located at 7233 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90038. For more information or reservations, visit cardamomLA.com.

Copyright Tanaya Ghosh 2014

VIDEO: How Chicken And Waffle Cones Are Made – Behind The Scenes Of A Food Truck Pop-Up

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So here it is, the insider coverage + video exclusive on this highly anticipated chicken & waffle cone pop-up event!

Update to the previous post alerting you to the amazing chicken & waffle cones pop-up from Carb & Nation: Due to such high demand and continuous long lines, Carb & Nation will be serving both versions of their savory chicken & waffle cones for one more night– next Saturday night (10/4/14) to be exact, on the second night of their Tested LA Saturday night residency!

A common question that may come to mind is, how does one eat a savory waffle cone full of chicken and layers of other good stuff? Well, the guys offer forks with the cones, but from our experience we could just bite into the cone without it breaking apart.

The cone is sturdier and less sweet than your traditional waffle cone, as a result of the chefs’ unique recipe to cut the sugar in half without losing the crispiness of the cone. It’s amazing, actually!

So nope, no problems eating it straight out of the cone, and it’s actually quite delicious as you bite it and get layer by layer of complementary flavor. You can see the layers detailed in the photos below.

Check out the one-minute pre-opening video of their first (and epic) chicken and waffles pop-up yesterday. We even got to get a sneak peek of how they make their chicken & waffle cones (both American & Indonesian versions!) thanks to Chefs Fata Wijaya and Kevin Micheli.

Reporting straight from inside the food truck as they prepped to serve the gigantic line outside, Tanaya’s Table brings you the scoop on a new kind of food in a cone!

Copyright Tanaya Ghosh 2014

Tanaya’s Table brings you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how these innovative chefs make their savory cones… right from inside the food truck!

Here’s a photo of the American Cone, which has figs three ways. Fresh, dried… and in a Guinness beer reduction. Oh yes:

Copyright Tanaya Ghosh 2014

The American Cone, right before we devoured it.

And as promised, here is a breakdown of each cone and its layers of flavor and textures that all work so well together:

Copyright Tanaya Ghosh 2014

The Chicken and Waffle Cone Pop-Up Menu: The American Cone and Indonesian Cone

I highly recommend checking them out at Tested LA next weekend, as Oct. 4 will be your last chance to get your hands on these special cones! You can go anytime between 5-11 p.m. but I would suggest going early, as they ran out due to such large crowds on their first (and only, as originally planned) day of cone service.

One cone is definitely a meal in itself, costs $9 each and is totally worth the wait in line, judging from the reaction of the people I spoke with. We were fortunate to get the first cones of the day, as a result of filming them being built (woo hoo!), and I felt just a wee bit guilty walking by, biting into my cone while people in line fawned over it.

I assured them the wait was worth it, though… and it definitely was.

More photos and location details can be found in the preview post. Go get ’em while you can!

Food Protip: Chicken And Waffles. In A Cone. One Night Only!

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Fried chicken cone indonesian

UPDATE 9/27: Due to such high demand and continuous long lines, Carb & Nation will be serving both versions of their savory chicken & waffle cones next Saturday night (10/4/14) on the second night of their Tested LA residency!

Fried chicken nestled in a waffle cone, in two globally inspired flavors. Who could possibly be the mastermind behind this fascinating food creation coming to Los Angeles this weekend?

That would be chef innovators Fata Wijaya and Kevin Micheli of the Carb & Nation food truck. The event will mark the kickoff to their Saturday night residency at Tested LA, and therefore although the chicken & waffle cones will be a pop-up event, Carb & Nation will actually be back with new goodies every Saturday night.

Here are all the details you need to get your hands on this extremely limited time– and extremely delicious– fusion fare:

Who: Carb & Nation

Where: Tested LA – 3329 Division St. Los Angeles 90065

When: Saturday, Sept. 27 ~ 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.

I had the pleasure of meeting Carb & Nation chef Kevin Micheli at the ROAM Food Truck Academy seminar as part of the Western Foodservice Expo last month, and I’m excited to say that if you are unable to make it to the Glassell Park location, you can still partake in the hype via exclusive coverage right here, as I will be doing a pre-event collaboration with the chefs prior to their opening!

Stay tuned for the post, along with behind-the-scenes video coverage. I will also be posting live updates along with other foodie news as usual, on the Tanaya’s Table Twitter (@TanayaG) & Instagram accounts (@MsTanayaG). Connect with me on those social media handles to get the scoop firsthand, as always. On each platform I share exclusive food tips and content, and love having foodie conversations with all of you!

In the meantime, I present you with a visual sneak peek to get your tastebuds primed and ready for this Saturday night:

The American Waffle Cone

fried chicken cone modern american

Fried chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, goat cheese fondue, fig syrup and an apple slaw with lemon-coriander dressing. Tip: ask to add the housemade buttery habanero hot sauce if you like heat! (source: Carb & Nation)

 

The Indonesian Style Waffle Cone

Fried chicken cone indonesian

Indonesian fried chicken, coconut rice, pickled vegetables, coconut-kaffir lime syrup and sambal chili sauce. (source: Carb & Nation)

Other cities, be jealous. Or, just stay tuned for the Tanaya’s Table exclusive inside Carb & Nation’s chicken & waffle cone pop-up! 😉

VIDEO: The SCOOP On Salt And Straw’s New Ice Cream, From Portland To L.A.

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Copyright 2014 Tanaya Ghosh

The seasonal, locally sourced California Peaches with Lemon Crumble in a waffle cone.

When Salt & Straw just recently opened in L.A., like many other dessert enthusiasts I was curious to see what the hype was about. I mean, come on! We have so many great ice cream shops right here in L.A. like Coolhaus, for example. Since I hadn’t been to Portland since I was 7 years old (before the foodie movement really began), I’d been hoping to go back soon… but for now, I’m just excited that Salt & Straw has come to us here in L.A!

I finally was able to check the cute little ice cream shop out with my fellow foodie and friend Alanna, and we lucked out because the line only had us waiting about five minutes before we got a lick of that much buzzed-about ice cream. We were amazed at how rich, creamy and flavorful pretty much all the samples we had tasted! And they weren’t stingy with offering samples, either. A total plus! The storefront, located on Larchmont, has flavors like Cinnamon Apple Doughnuts, and even California Peaches with Lemon Crumble.

After tasting most of the seasonal flavors– had to since they rotate them each month!– I decided on the California Peaches. The sweet, gooey peaches and the tart crunchiness of the lemon crumble made it heavenly mixed into the cool, creamy ice cream base.

For those who prefer a more classic flavor or just don’t love fruit in their dessert, the Salted Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough off their regular menu, as suggested to me by the S&S employee, was also amazingly delicious!

What I love about this place besides their quality of ice cream and friendly service, is that even though they’re from Portland, they’ve developed flavors just for their L.A. fans using locally sourced ingredients.

Although there are already a ton of great ice cream places in Los Angeles, I think each one brings something unique. And with ice cream-loving Angelenos and sunny weather almost year-round, there’s room for all of them right here in the lower half of the Golden State!

Copyright 2014 Tanaya Ghosh

Explore unique ice cream flavors exclusive to the California location and see what all the hype is about!

You can find more information on visiting the ice cream parlor over at Salt & Straw’s website. Stay cool, and hope you enjoy tasting all the great flavors as much as I did!

VIDEO: The Taste of Mexico Media Preview Night

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Copyright 2014 Tanaya Ghosh

As summer winds down, one might think that food festivals are also on the decline. Well, that’s not the case here in Los Angeles, and a prime example of that is The Taste of Mexico, taking place on September 27 at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in downtown. Last night, I had the opportunity to attend their media preview night to get the early scoop to share with you!

The festival, celebrating Mexican food, heritage and culture, was founded in 2010 and has grown exponentially over the past four years. For the first time, the food fair is expanding to include a daytime family brunch event in addition to its annual evening of food, drinks and dancing.

Copyright 2014 Tanaya Ghosh

Thanks for the torta education, Torta Company!

The Torta Co., part of the Lotería Grill family, served up a variety of tasty tortas, including ones with poblano peppers, Oaxacan cheese, breaded chicken cutlets, sirloin tips, a tuna melt and even a take on the PB & J!

Mezcal and tequila made for a festive evening, but my favorite were the Micheladas were served from Guelaguetza’s famous Miche Mobil. They were made with Montejo beer, a Mexican pale lager that debuted in the U.S. for the first time just a few weeks ago at Dodger Stadium. It was exciting to get a first taste, as it is slowly rolling out here in specific markets.

Copyright 2014 Tanaya Ghosh

An array of colorful dessert samplings from Compañía de Café.

Another favorite of mine was from Yuca’s, which not only had a warm demeanor in serving us, but also had amazing food like the Nuevo Relleno, a Pasilla chile oozing with cheese and chunks of portobello mushroom. I soon after learned that Yuca’s is also a James Beard award-winning restaurant! Well-deserved, for sure.

Candela Taco Bar had a refreshing spinach & pineapple agua fresca, and Artesana Pops’ spinach & pineapple popsicles were another great take on the same fruit-and-veggie power couple.

Copyright 2014 Tanaya Ghosh

Mexikosher’s plate was diverse in texture and flavor.

Finally, “Chopped” champion and Season 12 “Top Chef: Boston” contender Katsuji Tanabe of Mexikosher served a big hunk of miso-marinated pastrami with figs, peaches and a habanero sauce. Check him out presenting his dish in the recap video below!

Copyright 2014 Tanaya Ghosh

Get a preview of the variety of Mexican fare you’ll find at Taste of Mexico!

There were many more tasty bites throughout the night, so check out the rest with the family or some friends on 9/27!

 

The 4th Annual Taste of Mexico essentials:

September 27, 2014 at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

Farmers Market Family Picnic: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Dinner, Drinks and Dancing: 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.

 ¡Salud!