We'll Be Frank

Hole in the Wall
11058 Santa Monica Blvd. (Behind the Winchell's)
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-312-3632

Father's Office
3229 Helms Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90034
310-736-2224

Let's Be Frank
Helms Avenue between Washington Blvd. and Venice Blvd. on the East side of the street.
Culver City, CA

We didn't realize Hole in the Wall was closed on Sundays so we popped down to Father's Office at Helm's Bakery figuring it would be easier to find parking and a table than in Santa Monica. The Rogue Hazelnut was rich and the Grimbergen Blonde--recommended as similar to Hoegaarden--was spicy. The shoestring and sweet potato fries with aioli were addictive as usual and the oatmeal stout ribs were sweet and tender, but the burger was not up to par. The roll was over toasted and therefore crumbly and dry and the medium rare patty was closer to medium. Our neighbors at our table had a rare burger that was supposed to be medium. INK is used to the Office Burger being juicy and messy and this one wasn't.

Good thing the fries didn't fail and we were content to bring home a coupla $5 beef dogs from the Let's Be Frank truck (which used to be just a cart) across the street to eat while watching the game. . . We're always planning the next meal. Hole in the Wall burger for lunch tomorrow?

We'll let you know how the frank/Hoegaarden pairing goes.

UPDATE: The lightly spiced with a hint of lemon Hoegaarden complimented the peppery dogs. They were dense and beefy, but lacked snap. The grilled onions had just enough bite and sweetness. If we had eaten the hot dogs right away, we would have added kraut and/or the homemade relish, but the brown mustard sufficed.

between meals

Tommy's chili fries at 2 am are pretty darn tasty even after waiting until you're across town and get dropped off at home. You can engage in a lengthy discussion of the Lakers versus the Celtics whether you want to or not while in queue. Plus the line's shorter than at Pink's on a Friday night. . .

Saturday Afternoon

Amandine Patissiere
12225 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025-1105
(424) 901-1249

After a lunch of ice tea with the vegetable omelette, the ratatouille omelette, and the tuna sandwich on soft pain de mie (each with side salad and sour cornichons), you can’t leave Amandine without dessert. We shared the rich, flourless chocolate gateau with a walnut crust at the café and brought home an almond croissant, a banana chocolate tart and an odd, but cute “zoo animal” brioche mouse.

Citrus at Social

Social Hollywood
6525 Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028
323-337-9797

Happy Birthday to BP! We were keeping our expectations low because restaurants attached to clubs. . . well, you know. Social's restaurant make-over with new chef consultant, Michel Richard, and chef de cuisine Remi Lauvand, was written up as an improvement on the former Moroccan-themed place.

It definitely is a lovely space of green satin and velvet booths and armchairs, a large picture of citrus fruits over the fireplace, yellow curtains hanging ceiling to floor, the essence of oranges and limes in the air, the original arched and frescoed ceilings. The large spacious room feels fresh and inviting in the daylight and warm and modern when the sun goes down. Unfortunately, the Money Mart signs shines through the west facing windows day and night.

The Valentino cocktail is sweet and goes down easy, but is tempered by the aroma of the whole basil leaf reclining in the yellow green liquid. The cu cu cocktail is refreshing with cointreau, cucumber and cilantro.

Looking at the individual prices of the appetizers and entrees, the table decides to order the prix fixe menu. We start with the amuse bouche--a flavorful mushroom cigar of finely chopped mushrooms wrapped in crisp filo dough like taquitos in a yogurt sauce.

Our first appetizer is a choice of two. The cold potato leek soup is poured into a dish where an upside-down glass has just been removed to allow an avalanche of potato flakes. MH says the soup is like cereal and INK agrees it is, but in a good way. The milk-white soup is creamy; the flakes have a hint of crispness then melt on your tongue. The beet and tuna salad, red cubes of the ubiquitous starter menu ingredients, also please.

The second appetizer is sablefish with artichokes or monkfish with duck au jus. Both are large portions. The sablefish is delicate; the monkfish meaty.

Two of us order the pork chop as a main course. It is small and lonely on the plate, but is juicy and complemented with chanterelles. Luckily MH and GG ordered the lobster burger to share. The meat is moist, but the sauce is a bit too sweet. The fries, which the table shares, are great--thick, hot, crisp and with a fresh potato flavor. The other entree option is the rib eye accompanied by a creamy polenta and a reduction sauce. All taste fine, but the thinly sliced meat is a bit overwhelmed by the sauce and polenta.

Desserts make us ooh and ah. The Kit Kat looks like a large piece of the candy bar with a chocolate and white chocolate bulls eye set upright in the center. The chocolate, noisette (hazelnut) and crisp layers are irresistible. The orange souffle with vanilla bean ice cream sounds simple. The elements come on a four section platter: the unmolded souffle resting on a thin cookie wafer, the ice cream in a ramekin next to a pitcher of caramel, sour orange segments, whipped cream with almond slices. The waiter pours the caramel on the perfectly formed, delicate souffle and we have fun mixing and matching.

We're Published!

Read Delicacheena's articles in Breaks Magazine.

Antwerp(en): Fashion and Food Capitol

We only had one day in Antwerp, the fashion capitol of Belgium. We knew we were in for a treat when we arrived in the beautiful art deco train station with one of those giant vending machines--diapers, wine, or Coca-cola Light, anyone?

At Renzo, we went Italian with ham, mozzarella, and pesto panini. INK wanted to try a the handmade "warm chocolate special" to drink. JM had ice tea (peach and fizzy, of course).

We loaded up on chocolate gifts at Pierre Marcolini and biscuits at Phillip's Biscuits. We looked out for ourselves at Goossen Pastries, an Antwerp institution with a long line of locals out the door.

Much to gusta at Gusto, a mondern little restaurant with orange lights and only one cook and one waitress. We started with a mixed antipasta. JM complimented her mushroom linguini with Fanta. INK had potatoes and gambas. We would eat there all the time if it was in L.A.

A shot of Belgium 45 Degrees added to the atmosphere of dark wood and scarred cats at the neighborhood gin bar. Our dessert was a shot of hazelnut creme gin.

We finished off the Goossen for breakfast the next day before catching our train to Amsterdam.

Stuffed!

Munky King
7308 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Our Murakami day was pop art and food. This time the art was food. The Munky King on Melrose had a small, but satisfying exhibit of plush food. Handcrafted of felt and cotton by a variety of artists, the food was too cute and thus disturbing in its cuteness--Food with smiles or forlorn eyes, ready for consumption. Turkey legs, sticks of butter, cupcakes, and sushi rolls. Haminal, a pink rectangular guinea pig-like creature with a jaunty pineapple ring on his ear, came in a range of sizes and, as the ad claimed, was boneless and fit perfectly in the can. Delicacheena now has a small haminal at home. Tasty!



We planned on eating a late lunch/early dinner at Angeli Caffe for its comfort Italian since it was just steps away, but we always forget that they aren't open until 5 on the weekends. We turned around and snapped up a booth at The Village Idiot. We watched the last remaining light disappear as we enjoyed our meal of Fish and Chips with our beer and ice tea.