Starting on July 1, foie gras will be banned from California. While some people are actively protesting it or supporting it, there’s no doubt that the ban has sparked a statewide interest in this delicacy. Foie gras parties are being discussed and restaurants are pulling out all the stops, hoping to attract some eager/curious taste buds before it disappears. One item that caught my attention was the foie gras donut at L.A.’s Umamicatessen.
Umamicatessen is part of the Umami Restaurant Group, best known for their Umami Burger chains. Their burgers are purportedly so rife with flavor that they’re the go-to burger for many L.A. celebrities and wanna-be’s. When we stopped there during an impromptu early-morning trip to Los Angeles, it was too early for burgers… but that was fine. We were there for the donuts.
Umamicatessen’s tongue-wagging & A (the name of their donut bar is “& A” — that’s not a typo) menu features boozy Coke float, sorbet and six distinct, fried-to-order donuts. But due to stomach space, I settled on three donuts to split: tres leches, beignet and foie gras donut.
I approached it like wine — I ate them going from the lightest (the beignets) to the heaviest (foie gras).
An order of beignets ($4) includes two fried puffs with a chilled dipping sauce flavored with chicory coffee and burnt sugar. Having only had beignets only a few times, I didn’t expect much from these but they turned out to be the most satisfying and surprising of the bunch. The beignets were light and fluffy and the addictive sauce with generous vanilla bean speckles was more than enough. We attempted to lick the bowl clean long after the beignets disappeared.
What I thought would be a sure-fire win was a disappointment. We were warned that the tres leches donut ($4) takes an additional 5 minutes of prep to allow the cake donut to soak up the sweetened milk. While the donut was certainly moist, the flavors seemed a bit too delicate for what I normally expect out of tres leches cake. The whipped cream and the sauce were barely sweetened… to a fault. The only redeeming factor in this donut was the fine dusting of cinnamon which punched up the flavor.
The foie gras donut — aptly named FG&J ($8) due to the inclusion of both foie gras AND jam — was interesting to say the least.
Upon first glance, we noticed the donut had two insertion points on opposite ends: one for the foie gras and the second for the jam. Splitting it lengthwise caused both fillings to spill out. If you think eating a donut with a fork is faux pas, an encounter with this one may have you changing your mind. It seemed like the best way to eat it was to cut a piece of the raised donut and dip each piece into the fillings.
The foie gras mousse was reminiscent of lightly whipped peanut butter, further highlighted with the crushed peanuts on top. It was slightly salty (a nice contrast to the sweet jam) but with a light liver taste. Paul’s and my verdict was split. While I found it fine if not a bit funky, Paul decidedly left all the extra foie gras filling for me.
Umamicatessen donuts are served all day. For those with a weaker stomach, I suggest reserving the foie gras donut for later in the day and not first thing in the morning.
Umamicatessen
852 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90014
213.413.8626
There’s a place where the ice cream trucks go to stock up on snacks, chips, candy and — of course — ice cream. And it’s in the last location you would ever imagine: National City.
During a trip back north from my old haunting grounds in the South Bay, I saw from the freeway a sign for Circus Man Ice Cream. Most of National City visible from Interstate 5 is pretty industrial, strewn with military buildings, warehouses and a few homes. It’s really not a destination for me until I saw the sign promising frosty treats.
What I imagined was a warehouse full of ice cream and other confections from my youth: Push-Up Pops, Firecrackers, Dipping Sticks, the list goes on. Yeah, I was the chubby kid that got her exercise by running after the ice cream truck. In reality, what I found was much different.
Circus Man Ice Cream is housed in what can be described as a small open warehouse. Behind the counter are a few people ready to take orders. Past the storefront and around the yard are several parked ice cream trucks – some barely qualifying for the name. If Sanford and Son had an ice cream side business, this place would be it. (The requisite junkyard dog greets you at the entrance.)
No order is too large. Taking the Costco mentality, the larger the order, the bigger the discount. A box of 48 popsicles will set you back a cool $8 for the cheapest variety. But even then pricing is confusing. Prices change regularly according to the staff.
While a bulk pack of one flavor (24 count) is daunting for a household of two people, they also sell individual bars in a separate bin. But quality tends to be an issue. A Big Dipper (a Drumstick equivalent) felt flat when I picked it up, obviously crushed by outside forces. It’s buyer beware in the single serve bin, but it’s a chance to try the Dora the Explorer pop with bubble gum eyes or Blue Bunny ice cream. And again, pricing is random. A box of 13 mixed bars came up to $11.75 with some sort of undefined discount.
There are more treats found in an adjacent shed, loaded with discounted chips and candies. My advice: don’t be afraid to ask if you’re looking for something in particular. They might just have it.
Circus Man Ice Cream is open 7 days a week (call for operating hours). It can found at the west end of Harding Avenue where it dead ends with signs directing you to the store.
Circus Man Ice Cream
1037 Harding Avenue
National City, CA 91950
619.477.4722
Frozen Avocado Treats: Ice Cream and Popsicles
My mind has been on frozen treats lately. Ice cream, popsicles, shave ice, shakes — you name it. And with temperatures on the rise, all I can think about are recipes for my ice cream maker and popsicle molds (a discount four-pack I found in the Target clearance aisle). While I’m a fan of the tried and true chocolate and vanilla flavors, I wanted to mix things up a bit using avocado. After discovering my surprising love for avocado cheesecake and having a taste of avocado Twinkies last year, I started doing research for avocado ice cream and popsicles.
Avocados are naturally creamy on their own, but by just adding a little milk, cream and sugar, they transforms into surprisingly easy desserts that can either be poured into into popsicle molds or made into ice cream with an ice cream maker. The choice is yours on how you prefer to eat it: from a spoon or on a stick. Each of the four servings is half an avocado – a big plus if you’re an avocado fiend like me. The only hard part is not drinking the avocado mixture before it’s completely set.
Avocado Ice Cream/Popsicles
Serves four
2 medium-sized ripe avocados
Squeeze of lemon juice
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup sugar (add more sugar if necessary to fit your taste)
In a blender, add peeled and pitted avocados, lemon juice, milk, cream and sugar.
Blend until avocado is broken up.
For popsicles: pour into popsicle molds and freeze until firm (about 6 hours).
For ice cream: Refrigerate mixture for approximately an hour or until thoroughly chilled. When cold, pour into ice cream maker and use according to manufacturer’s directions.
Shawarma Bandwagon: The Kebab Shop
Here’s the thing: I hate staying until the end of the credits after a long movie. My butt often hurts and I’m just aching to get out and stretch my legs despite Paul’s pleas to wait just a bit longer. I’m so glad I did after “The Avengers.” I was rewarded with a scene paying homage to one of my favorite foods: shawarmas!
And shawarmas are blowing up. Literally. Immediately after the release of the movie a few weeks ago, several restaurants in L.A. specializing in shawarmas has business going through the roof. For us in San Diego, there’s only one place I trust for my Middle Eastern food fix: The Kebab Shop.
The Kebab Shop recently opened up its fourth location in Little Italy on the corner of Beech and Union. The other three locations are in Encinitas, Mira Mesa and East Village near the ballpark.
All locations are essentially the same. For an outstanding meal — something that will be hard to diverge from once you have it — go for either the shawarma or doner kebabs.
Their shawarmas and doner kebab wraps ($6.79 each) are packed with your choice of filling (lamb, chicken, falafel or mixed meat), folded with a salad mix (lettuce, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and mint) and topped with their addicting sauces (I highly recommend the garlic yogurt). The difference between the shawarma and doner kebab wrap is whether you want the extra carbs or not.
Those who order the shawarma are rewarded with a thick, crusty bread with a generous filling. But the flat bread wrap is nothing to shirk at either, coming in at 10 inches. Yes, size does matter when it comes to something this good. Every bite is a harmonious combination of all the ingredients –- something that can’t be replicated with the plates.
Both are hefty meals in itself, but if you insist on a side there’s a selection of fresh salads ($3.99-$8.99), french fries ($1.99-$2.58), saffron rice ($2.59) and falafel ($1.99-$2.59). The salads are displayed in the case and all the hot sides are freshly cooked. But for those who want more than just a salad, go for falafels— seasoned ground chick peas formed into balls and fried. Where other places overcook their falafels, The Kebab Shop’s are cooked perfectly with a tender crust that are complimented by their sauces.
Regardless of location, all four shops have online ordering for those on the go or just wanting to fulfill a craving after seeing “The Avengers.”
The Kebab Shop
630 9th Avenue (downtown)
9450 Mira Mesa Blvd. (Mira Mesa)
127 N. El Camino Real #127-E (Encinitas)
303 W. Beech Street (Little Italy)
Momisms and Mini Pecan Tarts
“Don’t sleep with your hair wet or you’ll go blind.”
“You have carpal tunnel syndrome because you wash your hands in cold water.”
“Don’t eat uncooked rice or your stomach will explode.”
As ridiculous as these seem, these are just some of my mom’s “sage words of advice.” I try not to laugh or roll my eyes but there’s not denying that my mom is a great cook. She fostered my curiosity to play around in the kitchen and to stretch my sense of adventure in eating even though I initially resisted. Lobster? No way. I obviously got over that.
Cooking with her in the kitchen was a hands-on-experience. I always had a job.
I knew there was a special occasion when my mom pulled out her recipe for mini pecan tarts. My job was taking the small balls of dough to create the tart shells and fill each shell with a few pecans which she later topped off with sweet filling. Watching them bake and waiting for them to cool was tedious. But once they were ready to eat, they’re impossible to resist. The crust is tender, flaky and truly melts in your mouth. (There’s no need to oil the tart pan — there’s enough butter to keep it lubricated.) And it’s easily finished in two bites. One bite if you really like pecan tarts.
Going back to my momisms, another one is “Why do you blog? I don’t get it.” I blog because I get to say things like “Happy Mother’s Day” to her online. I love you, mom.
Mini Pecan Tarts
Makes 48 mini tarts
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add flour and mix well.
Form into 48 balls and place one ball in each cup of a mini tart/cupcake pan. Using fingers, evenly spread the dough into the pan. Sprinkle some pecans into each complete mold.
Break the eggs into medium bowl and beat with a fork for a few seconds.
Add sugar, melted butter, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Fill the tart shells with filling.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly brown.
I love discovering new places, especially ones known for fresh Japanese food. Sometimes getting away from the familiar and going to someplace new works wonders for your sense of adventure. For a fan of Japanese food, Shimabashi Izakaya should be on their must-try list.
Shimbashi Izakaya is located in Del Mar right along scenic Camino Del Mar. They offer indoor and outdoor seating; it’s a no-brainer to choose outside for the fresh air and ocean view.
One sign this is an authentic Japanese establishment is the menu is bilingual with photos highlighting all the dishes. Shimbashi Izakaya specializes in small plates to share and large entrees for bigger appetites. While I’m all for large entrees, the small plates at Shimbashi give you a little taste of everything on the menu.
Starters like the roasted ginko nuts ($5) are served on top of kosher salt. The nuts are freshly toasted with the tops removed, revealing their meaty interior. It’s a perfect appetizer with drinks, and you can nibble while pondering your next courses. The extensive menu is separated into different sections: appetizer, soup & salad, stir fried, fried, grilled, rice & noodles, hotpot, sushi/sashimi, rolls/hand rolls, specialty rolls and dessert. Whew! The helpful servers and attentive manager are available to guide you.
For those unfamiliar with ginko nuts, they taste like soybeans. They are very tender and meaty but one caveat: eat too much and it could cause gastrointestial problems. And touching them raw can have a bad skin reaction. With that said, I suffered no after effects and found them to be better than peanuts and enjoyed the alternating tastes between sweet and slightly bitter. Trying ginko nuts at Shimbaya Izakaya is an excellent introduction.
Another recommended item is the agedashi tofu ($6) served in a shallow bowl with dashi broth. This has become my favorite go-to dish at any Japanese restaurant and Shimbashi Izakaya’s tofu is lightly coated with tempura batter.
We couldn’t seem to stray too far from the fried section when the lobster tempura ($13.50) caught our eye. Half a slipper tail lobster is dipped in tempura batter, fried and served with a side salad dressed with a ginger dressing. This dish was nearly impossible to tear away from Paul. Between its tartar sauce and greaseless tempura it’s perfect. Order two if there is more than one lobster fan in your party.
I always try sushi at a Japanese establishment to rate its freshness. Shimbashi Izakaya did not disappoint.
Among Shimbashi Izakaya’s recommended items of the day was the simmered duck nigiri sushi ($9). The duck is lightly cooked, cut across the grain and placed atop of sushi rice. No additional seasoning is needed beyond the tiny dab of hot mustard on top of each piece. Completely unique but absolutely delicious.
Slightly less adventurous but not lacking in taste is their Del Mar roll ($20), which piqued my attention because of the name. Garlic-seasoned potatoes and asparagus is rolled into sushi rice and topped with seared beef and crispy onions with spicy mayo. For sushi aficionados, this roll may be too basic but the chef’s choice sashimi (prices vary) may be right up your alley.
The chef’s choice for this day was yellowtail, salmon and tuna topped with jalapeno and a fine sprinkling of garlic-infused oil. The bare accompaniments highlights the freshness. For ultra-fresh fans who don’t mind a little squiggling on their plate, there’s a selection of live clams, shrimp and scallops ($8.50-$22). Check the daily recommendations to see what’s available.
For this Mother’s Day, Shimbashi Izakaya is offering a choice of ankake pan-fried salmon or crab meat-stuffed chicken breast with plum basil sauce. All entrees are served with tuna poki, a mini sashimi bowl, green tea mousse and lychee sherbet for $28 a person. The offer is good through Sunday, May 13.
Reservations either the Mother’s Day special or any meal are highly recommended.
Shimbashi Izakaya
1555 Camino Del Mar #201
Del Mar, CA 92104
The meal was provided complimentary of Shimbashi Izakaya and BAM Communications. Opinions are entirely my own.
Has Faygo in San Diego FayGONE??
The San Diego distributors of Faygo have gone out of business. Yes, you read that right… all you Faygo afficinados who’ve been doing searches for “where to find Faygo in San Diego” and have landed on this site.
My first inkling was the decreasing stock and variety of Faygo in 24 oz. and 2-liter plastic bottles in all the usual places (see map above). One of the few flavors left at Fat Boy’s Corner Store & Deli in North Park is Faygo Cola. The owner — a Michigan transplant — confirmed that his supply is drying up. Right about this time time, emails from readers started coming in and when Outwest Beverage Company failed to return several of my calls, I knew Faygo’s future in San Diego was in trouble.
Fortunately (or unfortunately depending how you look at it), Faygo is still available at various BevMo retailers as well as other specialty retailers like Iowa Meat Farms. But it comes at a price — the astronomical price of about $10 for a six-pack of 12 oz. glass bottles you can’t mix-and-match (CRV is not included). Faygo has always tasted best in glass bottles, but the flavor variety is very limited. You can still find cans of Old Fashioned root beer here and there, but prices hover around the $1 range for a sole can. There are a multitude of solutions to the supply problem that can be resolved with a trip to L.A. (Galco’s Soda Pop Stop and Rock Fizz come to mind) but to my knowledge, their supply is limited to glass bottles.
If and when sightings of the coveted and affordable plastic bottles show up in mass quantities again, I’ll update.
Related: Finding Faygo in San Diego, Faygo Flavor Primer, That’s Why They Make Faygo
Darlene
Our Man Horn
