Murakami

Mitsuru Cafe
117 Japanese Vlg Plz Mll
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 613-1028

Like all the cool kids, Delicacheena had to visit the Takashi Murakami exhibit at MOCA's Geffen Contemporary. We were bombarded with color, flowers and toothy grins and loved it. As we expect at art exhibits, we experienced moments of "Is that what I think it is?" and of beauty. But we weren't challenged to think too deeply about the art and it was the first time that Delicacheena contemplated buying the same Louis Vuitton bag in a dozen different colors. After deciding we didn't really need to lay down hundreds of dollars on plush flowers (got the coffee table book and pink KaiKai, instead!), we followed our stomachs to Japanese Village Plaza across the street.

Usually we don't miss Mikawaya for mochi ice cream, but it was closed. Fortunately our other standby, Mitsura Cafe was cooking up fresh imagawayaki. They are pancakes filled with red bean paste. INK still wonders who was the first guy to think, "Let's add sugar to beans and make dessert!" Hot off the griddle, theses sweets are irresistible and are the Japanese version of the gorditas de nata enjoyed in Baja. But we can't live on pancakes alone so we also ordered a skewer of takoyaki (octopus balls) drizzled with a sweet sauce, slightly chewy and juicy.

Folks rave about that shabu-shabu spot and the maddening crowd waiting for tables knew what they wanted, but we couldn't endure the wait and a step inside revealed a not-so-nice aroma. We decided to travel west from Japan to Korea. One of Delicacheena's companions, MH, seems to partake in Korean barbecue once a week. We ordered a plate of beef tongue because we could. Hey, it's all you can eat! We decided we don't need to do that again.

In Bruges

Picturesque canals, shopping, seafood, fries, art, good-looking natives, beer--what more could Delicacheena ask for? This quaint town in Belgium was a great way to start a vacation. [We loved the new Colin Farrell/Ralph Fiennes movie!]
Belgium fries in the rain, with mayonaise, of course.

The Chocolate Museum: Chocolate hats and purses, the largest chocolate egg, chocolate demonstrations, free samples!

We found a younger crowd at De Republic. The kip (aka chicken) fajitas, pre-wrapped in tortilla, was palatable. But made all the better by more Bruges Triple beer. Unfortunately, that didn't help the asian-esque spaghetti bolognese.

Our first truly Belgium waffle reminded us of the delight of buying crepes in France. Hmm, what toppings? Nutella is a no-brainer.

Concerts and Waffles

The Waffle
6255 W Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, California 90028
(323) 465-6901

We were not blown away by Nada Surf's latest; it's pleasant, but we had high expectations. Still we had several sing-alongs with the boys at their Wiltern show on the 19th.

Then last Wednesday we had to use our gift certificate before it expired so we got drinks and panini at Hotel Cafe. We think Test Your Reflex would have sounded better without the obnoxious "fans" standing behind us.

What do the above have in common? The Waffle. There's a new go-to food joint in Hollywood for after-concert noshing. The butterscotch-hued diner is near Sunset and Vine, across from the Bowery and Magnolia.

The first night we enjoyed the savory cornmeal and jalapeno waffle with chicken-fried chicken and white gravy; a small comforting chicken pot pie; and a large satisfying steak salad with grilled romaine, mushroom, onions, and peppers; and a bowl of waffle fries. We would have liked both forms of waffles to be crisper, but this was a great late night meal (that we managed to wait for with in case of emergency pretzels from Rockenwagner). The service was friendly, but a bit 2 a.m. wacky. . .

The second night was for dessert after the panini. We shared the waffle sundae with two small malted waffles, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and candied almond slices. A good deal for $5 instead of the $8 sweet waffles from the entree section. The waitress claimed "The Pudding" was butterscotch (like the decor), but it tasted like chocolate milk with a layer of dark fudge underneath and topped with whipped cream and strawberries. We opted not to complain as we dipped the shortbread cookies in the creamy goodness. Who needs the bar upstairs when you got pudding downstairs?

[We couldn't help but read some of the other blogs. Perhaps the post-concert, post-1 a.m., on a weekday is the only way to go.]

P.S.
Bell X1 can be a bit sleepy and atmospheric on the album, but they shook the Troubadour last Monday. You name the hand held percussion instrument and they got it--maracas, cowbell, ear of corn shaker. . . See it always comes back to food.

side dish: Masa at Echo Park

Masa at Echo Park
1800 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 989-1558

When you've stood in line for over an hour and finally admit to yourself that you're not gonna get inside to see the Kooks, turn around and trudge to Masa on the corner. Delicacheena was denied entry to the Echo, but at least we could enjoy a late dinner in a friendly setting.

The regular tables were taken, but Delicacheena was happy to sit back in the "living room" area. We started with the compressed manchego salad--refreshing, sweet, crunchy. The pasta fresca a la Siciliana--penne, basil, tomatoes, mushrooms and pine nuts--and the Masa penne--mushroom pasta and sun-dried tomato pesto with cream--were fresh, flavorful and hearty. A chat with our waiter and a glass of Blackstone Pinot Noir also helped to erase the indignity of loitering on the sidewalk.

We ended the night with the ultimate comfort food chocolate croissant bread pudding. . . and felt better that we weren't like our fellow diners who had been in line since 3 in the afternoon and still didn't make it inside.

side dish: Osteria Mozza

Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323)297-0100

Believe all the hype--the Osteria has amazing food.

Delicacheena had its Christmas dinner there in January. (What? You think we only procrastinate when it comes to blogging?) Each dish had layers of flavors and textures. The wait staff needed to back off a bit--yes, we are going to eat each and every bite so don't clear our plates yet. They were friendly and helpful, if a bit too eager to move things along.

We started with crispy pigs trotter with cicoria and mustard. We fell in love with burricotti with braised artichokes, pine nuts, currants and mint pesto. How many incarnations of mozzarella are there? The Osteria can introduce you to all of them.

The francobolli di brasato with thyme was perfectly cooked ravioli-type pasta pockets of braised beef. The same beef without pasta was served as brasato with polenta & horseradish gremolata. BP enjoyed the grilled quail wrapped in pancetta with radicchio and sage honey.

The standout desserts were rosemary olive oil cakes with olive oil gelato and rosemary brittle. It took us back to Arles where we enjoyed olive oil gelato cones. That sprinkling of sea salt does wonders as it does for the budino offered next door at the pizzeria. The torta della nonna, with more honey for BP to enjoy and pine nuts, was a wonderfully warm and light cheesecake in a tart crust.

Save Dainties!

Dainties Cupcakes
11058 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

One Saturday afternoon, INK drove up to the tiny storefront of Dainties and was afraid to read the sign posted in the door. She missed business hours by 30 minutes.

It's not closed for good, but apparently there was not enough retail/walk-in business. The retail hours are now limited to 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday only. You can still make pre-orders for Tuesday through Saturday by phone or internet, but not in person at the store.

Don't let it disappear. A dozen cupcakes a week is all we ask!

Happy Birthday to Me: Rose Garden Tea Room

Rose Garden Tea Room
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108

The Huntingon Library is well known for its gorgeous botanical gardens and historical art and manuscript collection. Tucked away in the center of it all is the Rose Garden Tea Room and Cafe. High tea was a bit different from the standard loose leaf selection and crumpets and biscuits tower. Instead, we were given 4 teabag choices and the finger foods were located in a buffet type cart in the center of the room. The egg salad sandwich left a nice buttery aftertaste but the other sandwiches were just decent. There were a good selection of cheeses and the caviar was a nice touch. The cookies and cakes were cute and delightful but after seeing a couple customers stick their heads underneath the cart, we decided to end our tea experience.

The Huntington Library should not be spent indoors. Instead, bring a picnic basket, find a nice shaded spot and just enjoy the scenery.