August 2020 Rundown

Any’s Tamales, Hawthorne.

This past weekend was the beginning of a new home business based in Hawthorne called Any’s Tamales. Any is Ana Roman Morales and like her, her tamales are of Guatemalan descent. Orders can be placed through her Instagram account, and for now everything is pickup only in Hawthorne.

Two varieties are on offer as of now, chicken and a vegetarian version that uses the same ingredients minus the meat. In Guatemala, you will notice a red flag outside of a business or home to signify on Saturdays when the fresh tamales are ready to be purchased. Here at Any’s they hung a red balloon, which was close enough to bring back good memories.

You may be familiar with chuchitos from Guatemalan restaurants or markets around Los Angeles, a type of tamal wrapped in corn husks like their Mexican cousins and a bit drier. These tamales that Any makes are tamales colorados, wrapped and steamed inside of banana leaves, chicken thigh, pumpkin seeds, and a complex red sauce that leads to the name.

The resulting product is full of moisture from all of its ingredients and sauces, and like chuchitos, deeply satisfying. Receiving a package is a pleasant experience, shown above with the care they give to their presentation.

Guatemalan tamales are a bit larger than those Mexican cousins, and one can go quite a ways to filling up a “normal” person. Two should satisfy anyone. Do to the fact that they are weekend or special occasion tradition, it is clear that Any’s will be a welcome addition to customers seeking to bring many tamales back to their homes in Los Angeles with the familiar tastes of back home in Guatemala.

Check out the photos below first of chicken and then vegetarian. Keep up with Any’s Tamales through their Instagram to see when the next batch will be.


Chicken.


Vegetarian.

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Thanks so much for posting!! Those look great and I am eager to try!! I have several friends who will be excited about this as well! :slight_smile:

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Sorrowful Cantonese Yaki chutoro donburi

Ming Kee San Francisco. No egg but this brought me to tears.

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I wonder if Ming Kee will do a take on Sorrowful. Dai Lo make it happen!!!

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A nice thought, but likely and unfortunately not, they are a roasties deli joint, not a HK cafe that also handles roasties.

Scoop, chop, box, and serve is what they do best and have been doing for years.

And I’m not going to push for it, lest Sergio Ming deny me the coveted cuts.

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It was the onions.

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Sushi Kaneyoshi

Nama Chirashi


I had planned to order Nama Chirashi Friday and Futomaki Saturday but plans changed when they posted

Aburi Toro Bara Chirashi


One of my favorite bites out of this box was taking the Uni & Asparagus together followed by a sip of Sake. The background bitterness and clean-crunch texture of the asparagus amplified the never-ending creaminess of the uni.

Their fish came in later than expected and Yoshi-san called me personally to ask if I could pick up thirty minutes later. Such a personal touch and cool crew!!

Saika Yamahai Junmai


Recommended by Yoshi-san as having Banana notes I knew I’d be picking up this Sake. Sturdy and confident mouthfeel while expressing straightforward, subtle notes of banana and grass while not being saccharin.

Antico

Mortadella & Ricotta


If they had a consistent run of sandwiches I’d pick them up more often than I do a pizza. Please do Hot Coppa!!!

Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch

Fat and Flour

Peach Handpie


Probably my favorite treat from Fat & Flour yet. The shell was so soft you barely had to bite yet the whole thing stayed together.

Almond Frangipane with Figs and Lavender Sugar

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looks great and a perfect weekend to eat outside. did the toro chirashi come with nori? and looks like you got some hikarimono in your nama.

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Yes this weekend has been beautiful!

Toro Chirashi did not come with loose nori though there was a thin layer of nori between fish and rice. I had meant to ask and it slipped my mind from the ig pics.

Yes and it was really nice being surrounded by uni and ikura! The SB uni was especially custardy/yolky and played well with the scallop too!

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Tried a new Santa Maria-bbq pop up in Culver City called GoldLand. It was pretty damn good. Chicken and sausage were great; tri tip was good but a little on the overcooked side. Still tender, but would have been better if more rare.

Coleslaw was good. Potato salad was too mayo forward for me. BBQ sauce was good; other two sauces were okay. I would go again.

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Croissants du Tokyo (Gardena)
While perusing the Tokyo Central Market, I found that Croissants du Tokyo are only making their krones (custard/cream-filled cones) Monday - Friday. Weekends are now just for their new cookie-topped cream puffs. The cream puffs come with a crunchy topping likely made with a basic crumble (butter/flour/sugar) mix and placed on top so there’s a crunch when you bite down. They’re filled with the standard vanilla bean, chocolate, or matcha custard filling…or they’ve you can can also choose strawberry or chocolate banana. They are all solid…and at a $1 each…a worthwhile couple of dessert bites if you’re not looking for a full dessert.
Also amazing today was their fresh shokupan which I caught sight of coming fresh out of the oven. It was so hot, they couldn’t slice and bag it. They gave it to me in one of their pastry boxes left open so it wouldn’t steam the bread. It was still warm when I arrived home. The kids went straight for it and made PB&J sandwiches. The bread itself is creamy and buttery and the center crumb is as light and fluffy as a cloud. I loved that the crust still retained its crisp exterior. Nice textural balance.

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Catching up on the week here.

Burmese Please

Tea Leaf Salad: I really can’t say enough about how great this salty, crunch, funky is.

Chicken Curry: buried under a bunch of herbs and toppings, the chicken curry is my favorite to pair with the perfectly sweet coconut rice. It all turns into a mess to eat in a bowl, but the paratha is perfect for cleaning the entire bowl.

Ichijiku Sushi

There’s no omakase option, but it’s a great value to put your own little set together. The ratio between fish and rice leaned towards the former more than I’ve typically had, but I really appreciated that it still created a perfect bite. The highlights were the unagi and yellowtail/habanero cut roll.

Fat and Flour

Peach Hand Pie: Nicole Rucker is the fruit whisperer. Even though she said on her Instagram that she’s resisted hand pies in the past, what she turned out here was incredible.

Strawberry Cream Pie: I’ll use her words–if you didn’t pick this up “ya blew it”.

Mizlala West Adams

Power ranking everything here:

  1. Crispy Broccoli
  2. Brussels Sprouts
  3. Chicken Shewarma
  4. Cauliflower

The hummus and tahini were perfectly creamy, but the pita was really nothing to write home about.

Pearl River Deli

Hainan Chicken from PRD is automatic for me, but this was the first time having the pandan tofu pudding. The custardy smoothness of the tofu with the subtle pandan flavor and ginger syrup was a highlight.

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soooooo f-ing good

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Thanks for the tamale tip! I just ordered a pair of fat ones!

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Hi @Chowseeker1999 Sorry for the late reply. I’m guessing Melisse x Citrin omitted stovetop directions for risotto because most people wouldn’t have the patience to deal with it.

From what a culinary instructor told me, it’s not uncommon for restaurants to prep risotto in advance (partially cook rice very al dente), but finish it in a pan over the stove right before serving.

For a small portion like 1-2 persons, it’s probably safer to finish cooking it over a double boiler with some broth, water or white wine on the side to add to the rice when needed.

The risotto becomes creamy when the starches are released from the rice grains when stirring so you need some elbow grease :muscle:

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Looks like katsu sando, recently of smorgasbord and now new on broadway across from Far East plaza has improved on the sandwich per last time
@Chowseeker1999 had it

It’s a true loin, juicy and tender inside and crispy on the outside. The rice Vinegar slaw is nice too and also seem to be a change for the better.

Worthy of a try.

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Pearl River Delta (Chinatown): Bang Bang Noodles with Pandan Tofu and Thai Milk Tea… Cold noodles, cucumbers, tomatoes and shredded sesame chicken… Just so incredibly refreshing on a hot summer day! Chef Johnny’s ginger molasses in that pandan tofu flower is magic - Someday it will result in world peace.

Joe’s Pizza (Santa Monica): The Pepperoni Pizza here won’t win any beauty contests, and the cups don’t curl, but this is a smoking fine New York pie.

Phoenix Inn & Food Boutique (Chinatown): Office lunch take-out was a huge hit.

The Steamed Chicken with Ginger & Onions was as legit as Chef @JLee professed that it would be.

The Char Siu Pork Fried Rice was quite good thanks to the nice porky fat, but the wok work here was a bit hasty and uneven (not all the rice got flavored up).

House Special Stir-Fried Thick Noodles made up nicely for the minor deficiencies encountered in the fried rice. An office-pleaser!

Mayonnaise shrimp with glazed walnuts (not my choice, but my staff loves this stuff)… Eat’em while they’re hot! (The leftover replay value of this dish is near nil…)

Mango Custard… I can think of few better ways to incorporate mango into a dessert as this near-perfect custard!

Fresh Melons Tapioca… WOW! Drink of the month, right here! The slight crunch of the cool melon, almond tea, and small caliber tapioca are spot on! Where has this drink been all my summers past?!

Chilled Steamed Egg White with Milk & Ginger… Very subtle. Very Cantonese, and that’s a huge compliment.

Long Family Pastry (Chinatown) was nearby when I picked up lunch from Phoenix Inn, so I grabbed a few buns and a date mooncake to go as well. The Snowy BBQ Pork Buns and Baked BBQ Pork Buns were delicious (as usual), and bolo (pineapple) bun is usually well made, but man! That mooncake was disgusting. I think it had expired on display, and tasted like hockey puck. Beware - In retrospect, I realized I made the rookie mistake of buying mooncake in summer (low customer turnover)…

Simpang Asia (Palms)… For me, Southeast Asian food really complements the hot weather. I ordered from Simpang Asia multiple times this past month.

Nasi Kuning (Festival Rice)… Still my favorite dish here. Super balanced tastes, in one compact dish!

Mie Tek Tek… Delicious street food memories come rushing back - Fried egg noodles, egg, chicken, cabbage. Superb when washed down with an Es Cendol (coconut milk on ice, added palm sugar, with pandan jelly)!

Grilled Chicken with soy coconut marinade… Deftly prepared. This is straight-up delicious with the rice.

Martabak Manis… Indonesian pancake slice with chocolate, cheese, peanut, sesame seeds & milk. Such a treat to get have this available on the Westside!

Char Kwey Teow… Malay street food classic is executed nicely here. It satisfies the hankering when you can’t be in KL.

Serendipity (seafood garlic noodles, with shrimp, calamari & fishballs)… Fairly tasty first bite, but then it got a bite greasy after that. Maybe an off-day for the kitchen.

Nasi Bungkus (‘The #8’ banana leaf wrap containing chicken curry, rendang, sambal egg, vegetable curry & rice)… Dense, and very filling. It is smashingly good.

Mie Ayam (garlic egg noodles with chicken, yu choy, eggs, scallions, and served with a side of chicken broth)… Flavorful and really comforting.

Roti Paratha with Curry Dip… A wonderful appetizer.

Rames (basic Indonesian rice plate, with lime-turmeric chicken, rendang, fried noodles, garlic string beans & rice)… Outstanding!

Artelice Pâtisserie (Sawtelle Japantown) has moved to its new home (only two doors down from its old digs)! All the pretty offerings are still there, and their pain aux pommes is buttery and flaky. They are open on weekends only for now.

Crustacean (Beverly Hills) is famous (infamous?) for their garlic noodles, which certainly has its fans. The secret is butter, and lots and lots of it. These noodles go well with the shrimp, but performs poorly on re-heating as leftovers. Eat those noodles on the first attempt. The wagyu satay was quite good, and though the ‘Secret Kitchen’ Egg White Fried Rice with Scallops smells appealing, the rice itself was too moist, and relied on the grease to impart the taste, with nary a hint of the desired wok hay.

The outdoor seating area at Crustacean is sheltered from the brutal Beverly Hills sun…

Frances Pâtisserie (South Pasadena), formerly known in Little Tokyo as Frances Bakery in Honda Plaza, is alive and well. I’m happy to report that their pastries are as good as ever.

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I love their mango tapioca drink!

Thanks for the reminder on simpang Asia i haven’t been in a few years they did a fantastic job on the inside. Looks great

Also need to try that pastry from Artelisse

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I must try.

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