Kotoya

Ramen is one of the dominant trends in Los Angeles right now. For the last couple of years, it seems that I've read about a new ramen shop opening every week or so. Kotoya opened on Santa Monica Boulevard in West LA in August just a few blocks from where I live. I've been several times since then.

The chef, Shinsuke Horinouch, previously worked in real estate in Tokyo. He decided to move to Los Angeles and open a ramen shop.Quite a change, but with great results thus far. 

The shop itself is small, but has a very warm atmosphere with a few tables and a bar overlooking an open kitchen. The menu features three types of broth, tsukemen, and a number of appetizers.

One of the appetizers I've tried is this curried beef bowl served over rice with pickled ginger. Good, but I'm not really into beef.

This dish, called Kotoya-ko on the menu, features cold tofu served with two different garnishes. The preparation on the right is served with tempura batter crumbs, adding a great crunch. The version on the left has a chili sauce and green onions. Simple, light, and refreshing -an excellent dish.

Though I haven't tried them yet, the plates of gyoza and karaage  (Japanese style friend chicken) look great. 

I've tried all four of Kotoya's ramen broths. This is the miso broth, which has been my favorite. Great miso flavor and a bit of spice. The noodles have are nicely al dente with a bit of chew. The chasu (pork loin) is very tender. Green onions, bean sprouts, and nori sheets round out the ramen. I also recommend adding an egg, preferably the half boiled version.

Next is the shio (salt) broth, which is the lightest of the broths. Probably my least favorite, but not bad by any means.

I've also tried the shoyu (soy sauce) and red ramen. The shoyu ramen has a nice depth of flavor. For the red ramen, you can specify if you want spice level one, two, or three. I tried it at level two and didn't think it was too spicy.

Tsukemen has started showing up a lot more lately. In tsukemen, the broth is served separately from the rest of the dish. The noodles are then dipped into the broth as they are eaten. The noodels used here are slightly thicker than the noods used for the ramen. I only tried the tsukemen during Kotoya's soft opening, so I'll have to try it again sometime soon, but I remember it being decent. The broth was a bit tangy. 

I'm glad that Kotoya opened close by. The chef and his staff obviously work very hard. After soft opening, they weren't happy with the product, so the restaurant was shut down for a few days while they got things rights. Its really nice to see such care put into a simple ramen shop. Kotoya now seems to always have a steady stream of customers. 

Kotoya Japanese Ramen

11901 Santa Monica Blvd
Ste 111

Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 477-1199

Bibere: Line 39, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011, North Coast

Bibere is an occasional column in which my girlfriend and I will independently taste a wine, make notes on it, and then review the wine. If you have tried the wine, please comment below with your thoughts. 

Tonight we were looking for a cabernet and decided to try something from outside of Napa or Sonoma. We settled on the  Line 39 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon  from California's North Coast ($8.99 at Ralph's).

Edie's notes: At first, a weak dusty well with hints of vanilla, blackberry, and tobacco. Also vanilla, tobacco, pomegranate, and blackberry  on the palate. Needs to be agitated.

My notes: Very little smell at first. Opens up quickly with a scent of cranberry. Soil, metal, and dark fruit tastes.Some tobacco.and pomegranate.

This wine was a bit unusual. It had a very dark purple color. At first, it had almost no smell at all. Only through a lot of agitation did it develop any sort of properties. Its definitely not a Napa or Sonoma Cabernet. The experience with the first taste right out of the bottle was similar - very light, very dusty and not so pleasent. However, it opened up in just a couple of minutes and greatly improved. I don't think I've experienced a wine that has changed so quickly.

Maybe food would help , but I didn't particularly care for it.

Previous post in Bibere:

Luisi Barbera D'Asti

Bodega Norton Malbec

Gen 5 Cabernet Sauvignon

Firefly Ridge Syrah

Redd

This summer, we spent a few days in Napa Valley. While doing research for the trip, Redd was one of the most highly recommended restaurants Located in Yountville, its just a few blocks from The French Laundry and several other highly regarded restaurants.

The menu certainly looked interesting and gave a good variety of choices. Far too many dishes I wanted to try.

We started with a couple of cocktails. I don't remember exactly what they were, but one involved a green tea liquor and berries. They were good.

For the first appetizer, we had an off the menu special of sweetbreads with English peas and a foie gras based sauce. I've had very good and very bad sweetbreads, and these were among the former. Nicely crispy with a great depth of flavor.

Our second appetizer consisted of three different cold foie gras preparations (this was before California's ban became effective). The three were a pate, a mouse, and a torchon. I've mostly been a fan of hot foie gras preparations, but this was another wonderful appetizer and the highlight of the meal. Cherries and peaches in various forms, whole and pureed, accompanied the dish. Frisee with a tangy citric dressing served as a nice jolt to the palate between bites of the different preparations. All three preparations had a strong foie gras taste, but each had their own slight variation and a unique texture. The pate was rich and dense and the mouse very light and airy. The torchon with its pistachio crust was my favorite of the three. The slices of yellow peach  were among the best I've tasted. I also loved the presentation of this dish.

Our first entree was petrale sole, with coconut jasmine rice, clams, chorizo, and saffron curry nage. The fish was firm and the clams added the right amount of ocean taste. The combination of chorizo with the coconut rice was interesting and provided the right amount of spice. The German Riesling suggested by our server paired well with the Thai-influenced dish. 

Duck is often poorly cooked producing a chewy and bland piece of meat. This dish of Sonoma duck breast with turnip puree, spinach, and brown butter hazelnut and orange jus was the opposite. It was succulent and flavorful. The turnip puree was especially noteworthy.

I, unfortunately, neglected to take pictures of dessert. At first, we ordered an interesting sounding yogurt parfait with cherries  However, upon taking the first bite we realized it was made with goat's milk yogurt, a fact which was not listed on the menu. Since Edie has a huge aversion to goat's milk, the server offered to replace the dish. Instead, we had an above average butterscotch pudding. 

Even after all of the hype of Redd I found during my research, it did not disappoint. The portions were huge, the food was wonderful, and the price was very reasonable. I would definitely return on my next trip to wine country. I hear really good things about their tasting menu, and at 5 courses for $80, sounds like a great deal. Unlike tasting menus at most restaurants  each person received different dishes with each course. 

Our trip to Napa was also highly successful. Two highlights which I would recommend to visitors  were Acacia Winery in Caneros and Smith-Madron on Spring Mountain. As I mentioned, Redd is down the street from The French Laundry. Here's a couple of pictures of the garden across the street where The French Laundry grows their own produce. Its actually a lot bigger than it looks here:

6480 Washington Street  

Yountville CA 94599
(707) 944-2222

Bibere: Luisi, Barbera D'Asti, 2010

Bibere is an occasional column in which my girlfriend and I will independently taste a wine, make notes on it, and then review the wine. If you have tried the wine, please comment below with your thoughts. 

Tonight we were in the mood for a spicy Italian wine. We recently had a Barbera we liked at Tavern. Since BevMo is currently in the midst of one of its 5 cent wine sales, we decided to look for one there. We found the 2010 Luisi Barbera D'Asti ($17.04 for two).

Edie's notes: Lightly scented with pomegranate and pine needles. Dark, red apple color. Light texture and not very dry.  Red apple skins and pomegranate taste with basil and oregano. Simple but enjoyable.

My notes: Earthy and sweet nose. Some berries on the palate. Restrained palate without too much fruit. Some sort of spice which I couldn't quite describe. Taste is drier than the smell. Medium, lingering finish. Would pair well with fatty meats.

Looking back on Edie's notes, I think she got the pomegranate and oregano which I had trouble describing. I'll have to try a few more Barberas, but as far as Italian varietals, I so far prefer it to Chianti but would rather have a Montepulciano. From what I understand, a Barbera is usually a bit fruitier than this one.  Like many wines I've tried from BevMo's 5 cent sale, I think this was decent for the price but not spectacular.

Previous post in Bibere:

Bodega Norton Malbec

Gen 5 Cabernet Sauvignon

Firefly Ridge Syrah

Culinary Historians of Southern California Members Party: Celebrating the Lousiana Bicentennial

I recently attended the annual members party for the Culinary Historian of Southern California. The group sponsors monthly lectures at the Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles pertaining to culinary history. I've been attending the lectures for about a year. Topics have included the history of Mexican cooking the United States, Moroccon cooking, cooking in Jane Austen's novels, history of the cookbook, Jewish cooking in France, the histories of gin and rum, the rise of California's tuna industry, Native American cooking in Southern California, and cooking in The Arabian Nights. There's a lectures this Saturday titled Los Angeles' Classic Desserts. The quality is usually very high.

The theme for this year's members party was New Orleans cooking in order to celebrate the Louisiana bicentennial. Cajun cooking is an interesting mix of French (meaning lots of butter and cream) and the spicier cuisines endemic to the area. Attendees were each responsible for supplying an assigned dish. Below is some of what we had.

First the appetizers:

Alligator Nuggets

Spiced Pecans

Andouille Sausage

Andouille Sausage

Spices Pecans

Each of the spiced pecan dishes used a unique spice blend and were very interesting. The alligator nuggets tasted basically like chicken.


Entrees:

Jambalaya

Jambalaya

Jambalaya

Chicken Creole

Marque Choux

Marque Choux

Minted Green beans

Minted Green beans

Pepper Salad

Looks like the dish we prepared was left out of the pictures. It was a casserole of eggplant, shrimp garlic, and bread. Turned out better than expected. Another guest equated it to stuffing. Definitely a strange dish. There were many versions of jambalaya. Others dishes including a sweet potato salad and a shrimp and tomato salad.

A couple plates of the offerings:

Finally dessert:

Apple Pie

Monkey Pudding

Fig and Pecan pie

Spiced Orange Cake

Applie Pie

Apple Pie

Cheese Cake

Far more sweets than needed. Another I didn't get a picture of was bread pudding with bourbon sauce. There were three versions presented, all using a different bourbon. All quite powerful. My favorite dessert was the fig and pecan pie. 

The party was a good time with a lot of good food. Now I really want to visit New Orleans at some point and try authentic Cajun and Creole cooking. I suggest the Culinary Historians' lecture series to anyone interested in learning a bit more about the food we eat.