June 2022 Rundown

I’m not sure (I don’t think I’ve had it the other times I’ve gone), but it was there last weekend. Different presentation (not on top of the hard shell) but has that glorious pineapple habanero salsa from back in the day and everything. Gotta say the lobster tom yum tacos were better than any of the old tacos at TPC 1.0 (as they should be for $20 for 2) too.

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Stopped in at Bari the other night. Ran into a friend of mine who’s working in the kitchen now. Colby hasn’t been involved for at least a few months it seems. According to my friend it’s for the better.

Also I was told a sous chef from Felix is coming over and they’re expanding the pasta menu to eight or so options. Skewers were not on the menu last night and the overall focus has slightly shifted.

I didn’t take a picture of the menu and don’t remember specifics.

Crudo dish (a gift)

Grilled Radicchio

Dry Aged Sea Bass

Rabbit Rigatoni

Tiramisu (a gift)

Ceci’s Gastronomica

Frittata del Giorno, Zucchine alla Parmigiana, Fagioli Sotto al Pesto, Torta della Nonna

Caponata in Focaccina w/ Burrata

Quarter Sheets Pizza Club

Golden State at Cofax

Fried Chicken Sandwich

Dune Atwater

Fried Chicken “Shawarma”

Bacio di Latte

Turmeric & Coffee

Needle - perfect end to an evening bike ride

Honey Walnut Shrimp Skewer

Chow Udon + Chinese Donuts

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How was the turmeric ice cream? Looks diabolical.

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Yeah vibrant color, pure straightforward turmeric. Ginger and something else were also added to the base. Paired great with the coffee

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I remember when $15 seemed super spendy for a “regular” lunch. :frowning:

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It was!

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That’s why I appreciate California Chicken Cafe and Sweetgreen still having options at $15 or lower (even after adding hot dark rotisserie chicken at CCC). ::sigh:: I know the mom and pop’s don’t have that kind of purchasing power, so I don’t begrudge them the price hikes.

I had a rabbit fettuccine in Florence (at place that is/was recommended in Rick Steve’s guide). Italian in LA was NOT impressive back then (2004), and this was the first truly well-done Italian I had ever had. The pasta was quite thin and wide (I’d describe it as a pappardelle). The bread was warm and came in a small brown paper bag. The place was low-lit, quiet, intimate, and just lovely. Your post brought back such good memories. I’ll have to give Bari a try.

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I’ve had that Bari rigatoni a couple times now and I love it.

Different menu but if you find yourself in silverlake you should check out ceci’s gastronomica. I’m glad I made it over there.

Similar kinda story some good family friends, the husband grew up in Palermo and cooked in kitchens for a long time. When I was a kid he made frittata one night when we were all having dinner.

It’s been years since I’ve had his and the frittata at cecis brought me back to those days.

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Never heard of this place until today but saw this article on LA Mag website

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why?

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You know I should say it seemed like that’s who he was talking about but I didn’t confirm. Though i noticed Bari isn’t mentioned in the header of colbys ig profile. His last post mentioning Bari is from last month.

Just that the kitchen was kinda a mess and haphazard. He’s been putting in long days getting it into better shape. That said the restaurant before Bari was Kassi which barely lasted and before that was Goldie which was like burgers and easy eats, so who knows what kinda kitchen they walked into.

I could be totally wrong though and my friend was just talking about the former cdc at bari

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good intel

despite the Chef-of-the-Month “system,” my two visits to Bari have been really good – both the kitchen and bar. sounds like it will continue to be solid.

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Likewise, my 3 visits to Bari have been good, although the last one in May '22 was not as good as the first one in Nov '21. I think there are fewer antipasti/appetizers now than before. Skewers were quite good.

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Broad Street opened today in GCM. I could see myself stopping by for uni after work once in a while.

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Haven’t been back to Ji Rong for a few years but tonight’s ducks were very meh. Meat was flavorless and a bit dry…skin wasnt very crispy either…

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Otafuku lunch today



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I’m in Phoenix and genuinely randomly encountered…

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Good, bad, amazing? Lives up to hype?

Morangak is back. Saturday 11:30am and the line is around 75 people. Every table inside and outside under the tent is filled. My mom rolled up at 11am when they opened to put our name down since we had a party of 10. When we left at 1pm the line was down to 40.

The ban chan is very good. They were giving out raw spicy marinated crabs today. The favorite of the meats were the brisket and marinated galbi. The naeygmyeon was great but the broth is a little on the sweeter side.





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Heh, sorry, I posted a pic of the menu b/f ordering b/c I was so excited to have stumbled upon it!

Was the hype that it’s the best pizza in the US? I never followed the discussion here very closely.

It’s really, REALLY good. Thankfully, pizza and Italian (we also had the housemade pappardelle today) in LA has improved so much in the last 10 yrs that I cannot say that Pizzeria Bianco blows the best of LA out of the water. But it’s def up there, IMHO. The pizza (Wiseguy) was really superb. You could smell the sausage when you brought the pizza up to your nose. A hint of smoke and salt in the cornicione by itself. Partner (who is not normally a cornicione fan) ate all of his. And the pappardelle had good chew and the bolognese was at least as good as, let’s say, Colapasta (Bianco’s is lighter w/ less meat). But Colapasta doesn’t offer pizza or bread.

I have not eaten at the high-end Italian places (eg., Mother Wolf), so I cannot make a comparison w/ those places. But the food at Bianco is also not as expensive as high-end Italian in LA.

If the LA branch can eventually taste as good as what I had today, it’ll be a great addition to the city and well worth seeking out.

I’ll post photos later (no undercarriage shots, was too busy eating b/f passing out from the heat). Cooling down in the hotel room now.

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