The first time I ate at Church & State, I was with Kris. We enjoy having dinner together in order to catch up and see what is new in our lives. Whenever I go out with her, I always have a good time and enjoy great food. I do feel guilty about it, just because I want to share the delicious dishes with Taro as well. We were finally able to go to Church & State together and wow, was it a different experience all together! First, it was jammed pack; I couldn’t even hear a word Taro said to me without leaning in, giving a quizzical look, and finally a “HUH???” The table itself wasn’t that big so you can imagine the noise level in the restaurant! I heard the conversations to the left and right of me, but when Taro spoke, there literally was a wall that broke up our conversation. The second noticeable difference was the oyster bar stationed close to the entrance. On Tuesday nights, they set it up and the oysters are shucked and served on the spot. Other than that, it was the same quality as the last time.
Immediately upon sitting, we ordered a half dozen oysters to share. I really enjoyed the Endless Summer ones out of the three different types. This time around, we had Steak Tartare – hand-cut hanger steak, mesclun salad – as a starter. Part of Taro just could not get over the fact that it was raw meat. However, I dug right in and despite it being underseasoned, it had a nice flavor with the capers mixed in with the steak. If you ate it with the garlic toast croutons provided with the tartare, it added the salt needed. However, I preferred it on the fresh, warm bread, hence lacking a bit of seasoning. Overall, though, it was a nice starter. The second appetizer we had was the Moelle de Boeuf – roasted marrow bone. I tried it with Kris the first time and I just wanted Taro to at least try bone marrow to see what he thought. Part of him thought it was good, the other part of him could not get over the oddity of eating bone marrow and the texture itself. However, by the end of the night, he said that he would have it again, but to share amongst many people rather than just the two of us. For the entree, we ordered the Ratatouille – zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes. It balanced well with the tartare and bone marrow since it was strictly vegetables. I love vegetables, but if we didn’t order the two appetizers, I don’t think I would have been satisfied eating the Ratatouille alone – keep in mind I didn’t see the description of the dish since Taro picked it out.
Overall, it was a good experience and Taro enjoyed the decor and overall atmosphere of Church & State. Now, for the Lazy Ox Burger…
We ended the night by getting ice cream at Fosselman’s, one of our favorite, local ice cream shops in our neighborhood. If you are ever in Alhambra, this is the place to go for some fresh, homemade ice cream, minus Taro’s of course!
We love using Yelp to discover new places to eat at so when Taro suggested having Mexican food for dinner, we consulted the site and came up with Elvira’s Homemade Mexican Food in Eagle Rock. It is a small restaurant located basically in a strip mall with Elvira herself serving you the dishes. The decor reminded us a bit of Cabo San Lucas and since the restaurant advertised tamales and tacos, we had to try both. We started off with chips and salsa and ordered chicken soup, which very much gave us the feel of home-style cooking. There were chunks of chicken mixed in with fresh vegetables in a delicious broth – the chicken and bones must have been in there for hours. The tamales and tacos – chicken, carne asada, and machaca – came out after. Although they were good, it was not that the to die for Mexican place we have been in search of. The chicken soup and carne asada and machaca tacos stood out, but we still think there must be something better out in Los Angeles.
We will still be on the hunt for stellar Mexican food, but for now, it was a fun attempt at trying a new restaurant in L.A.
A place that we love to go to in San Diego is Richard Walker’s Pancake House. We seriously love their breakfast – pancakes, waffles, omelettes, corned beef hash – and anticipate going there every single time we are down in San Diego. Yes, the line might seem long, at times reaching the signal light, but do not let it discourage you or shoo you away! Patience is the key and when you get closer to the front of the line, and you can breathe in the smell of freshly cooked pancakes, your stomach will thank you later.
Whenever I go to Richard Walker’s, I cannot resist getting the waffles. This time I chose the Fresh Strawberry Patch Waffle (instead of just the plain waffle) with a side of bacon (always!). There were tons of strawberries loaded on top of the waffle and as always, the waffle was light and fluffy. Taro was going to order Corned Beef Hash and Basted Eggs, but then reconsidered and focused his attention on getting an omelette. BUT then, the one breakfast item that we always see – and of course, always after we have ordered – came out and immediately Taro asked our waiter what it was. It was the Apple Pancake – Fresh Granny Smith Apples and pure Saigon Cinnamon glaze. It takes 20 minutes to make and whenever we see other people order it, it is a huge, puffed up looking pastry that overfills the plate. It almost resembles a souffle (poke a fork through and it deflates). So Taro ordered it…along with a side of corned beef hash.
As you can imagine, our table was covered with food along with our two cups of coffee. The neighboring tables looked on with curiosity at the Apple Pancake, which I can only describe as a hearty version of an apple pie with cinnamon with every bite. It is a very sweet pancake and if you have a sweet tooth and you love apple pie, this is something to try. However, it is not something that you can conquer alone; the Apple Pancake can easily feed 3-4 people.
Richard Walker’s Pancake House definitely completed our mini-trip down to San Diego. I cannot wait to come back – possibly in September? – and enjoy the city that has a special place in my heart.
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