Wurstkuche- Exotic Sausages in DTLA

Finally got to try this place last weekend and it was definitely worth the trip to downtown. We parked on the street for free right next to the restaurant. As we walked up we saw a long ass line and were I felt kinda annoyed since waiting for food has never been my thing. However, I took one for team and sucked it up. Waited about 25 minutes to order and another 20 minutes for the food to be done.

menu

in line to order

Here's what we got:

Rattlesnake and rabbit sausage: AMAZING and sooo juicy. I loved it. For those of you wondering what the heck that tastes like.. well, chicken. Doesn't everything taste like chicken in some way? I got sauerkraut and spicy peppers for my toppings and they really balanced out the sausage. Yummy.

Duck and bacon sausage: This one was a bit dry which was kinda disappointing since it sounded so juicy. It had a smoky flavor to it as well. Not sure I'd recommend this.


L- R: truffle fries, kielbasa, rabbit + rattlesnake, duck + bacon, rabbit + veal

Kielbasa: Yum, very tasty and one of the "normal" sausages. This one is good for those faint of heart and less adventurous.

Rabbit and veal sausage: Tender and juicy as well. Tasted very similar to the rattlesnake and rabbit one. But, the RR one still ranks #1 in my book!


Rabbit + rattlesnake with sauerkraut + spicy peppers

mmm mmm good

Fries with truffle oil glaze: OMG. I'm not a fan of bigger cut fries, but these suckers were delish! I could totally taste the truffle oil too ($2 extra), but it's so worth it. We also got 4 dipping sauces to go with it. 2 chipotle aioli, 1 pesto mayo and 1 buttermilk ranch. The chipotle aioli was our favorite, good flavor with a kick.

There is also a mustard stand where you can serve yourself. My favorite was the sweet mustard. So tasty with fries too!

As far as drinks go, they have plenty of beer and sodas. I got a Pellegrino for myself and my dining companions got a vanilla cream soda (yum) and an orange soda (decent). 

In terms of price, not cheap! Our lunch was $56. The dipping sauces should be free instead of $0.75 each. 


view from our table

Good food, decent seating and alright pricing. Just remember to get the rattlesnake and rabbit!


4****


Wurstkuche
800 E 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 687-444

'Lette Macarons

I'm in love. With macarons. And, I'm not even a sweets fan.

We came here the other day because my friend had been raving about these sweet concoctions and I just HAD to try them.

The store is located on the corner of Beverly and Charleville. It's very clean and bright inside with a minimalistic vibe.

Service was quick and friendly and she even threw in a free macaron. I got 13 for the price of 12 ($19).

OMFG. If you have to pick 3 flavors, definitely get the Sweet Almond, Caramel and Pistachio. Those 3 blew my mind! I couldn't stop saying mmmmm.. mmmmmm. omg. mmmmm.

The filling is incredible and the macarons are totally worth it at $1.60 a pop.

I have yet to try the other remaining flavors, but that's cause I'm saving it for another day. They are just too pretty to eat!

If you do go, make sure to get 2 of each ,so you don't have to share half with someone.

Parking is available in the lot or snag street parking.

Enjoy the orgasmic overload of macaron goodness!  

5****

'Lette Macarons
9466 Charleville Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 275-0023

Koraku Ramen- Sherman Oaks

Located in a strip mall off Ventura Blvd, Koraku is pretty easy to miss. The only reason I came upon this place was because we were craving ramen and this was the only restaurant close by.

We rolled up around 2 pm on a weekend and the place was pretty empty except for another party sitting at the bar. We chose a booth and started ordering right away. Everything looked good, but then again, everything looks good when you are starving.

The waitress was efficient and semi-helpful only because her English wasn't that good. I changed my order and she didn't seem to mind so definite plus.

Rice balls: One came with bonito and the other had salmon in it. Nice presentation, but I didn't eat any. My companions did and said they were okay. Too much rice, not enough filling.

Mapo tofu ramen: I love mapo tofu. It's one of my favorite Chinese dishes. So, when I saw this epic combo, I was super stoked to try it. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as it sounded. The broth lacked flavor which is surprising considering all the ground pork and tofu it came with. I couldn't finish the bowl, just wasn't good to me.

Popeye ramen: Cool name and sure lived up to it. Packed with tons of spinach and slices of pork, this ramen was tastier than mine. It's in a soy based broth so that could be the reason.

Croquette: Pretty tasty! Potato croquette with ground pork served with some julienned cabbage and some dipping sauce. Wish it came with more than just one per order.

Pork fried rice: My favorite! The portion was a bit small for sharing, especially with how tasty it was. I liked the small bits of egg, carrots and green onion mixed in there. Yum.

Overall, the food and service were good. I would come back and give their ramen a second chance.

3***

Koraku Ramen
14425 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423(818) 906-0045

Pho 88- NYC

After a night of endless drinks, we were hankering for some pho.

I looked on Yelp and found Pho 88 within walking distance of our hotel. On the trek there, we came across a few other pho restaurants that were closer, but kept going because I read that the pho here had less sodium than other places.

The restaurant is relatively new and pretty clean.

We sat down at a small table for two and ordered 2 orders of pho tai, 1 order of banh beo and 1 order of summer rolls.

I liked the summer rolls a lot and found them very fresh and tasty. The shrimp, noodles and veggies inside were all good. Some places give you some questionable rolls, but 88 did well.

Banh beo was okay, but not what I'm used to. It came with some potato salad like topping which I'm not sure I was down with.



Pho tai was good, but the broth was lacking in flavor! I had to add a ton of hot sauce and jalapenos to give it some depth.



But, at around $6 a bowl, can you really complain?

Service was good for an Asian place.

Cash only.

3.5***

Pho 88
51 Bayard St
(between Bowery & Elizabeth St)
Manhattan, NY 10013
Neighborhood: Chinatown

Noir Wine Bar

Not sure why this place is called Noir Wine bar, but hey, it's the food that matters right?

We came here on a Tuesday night and parking was quite easy to find in the residential area. Big plus, it's free!

The place was completely empty at 7 pm, except for us, but I didn't mind. Better service for us!

We ordered the beef shabu shabu, 7 oz with brown rice that cost $1 more. I should have just had the white rice, since the brown rice was weird and sticky. But, trying to eat healthy so I stuck with it.

Shabu came with napa cabbage, tofu, mushrooms, broccoli, squash and udon noodles. Napa cabbage was all you can eat, so we got some more after we finished ours. The ponzu sauce was amazing! It had a slightly sweet taste to it without being overly sweet. We got more because good ponzu is hard to find. The sesame sauce was pretty tasty too.

Veggies





You also get a choice of salad. I got the tuna sashimi salad and OMG, it was soooo good! The dressing must have crack in it. I wanted more when I was done.



I guess 7 ounces of beef is actually quite large since it took me a while to finish it. Very fresh and tasty dipped in the ponzu.

We only had one pot, but it had a divider in the middle so it's okay. I prefer having my own pot though.

Service was friendly and accommodating. Bill came to $30 each.

Not the cheapest shabu, but I'd come back. Mizu is still my #1 though.
 
3.5 ***

Noir Wine Bar
801 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Dip's Grill

Dip's Grill really has it going on. My friends and I made the trek here from the westside the other day for lunch because we've been hearing such rave reviews for it.

The place is modern and clean and service is spot on. We sat a booth and started perusing the menu.

Since we were starving we ended up ordering more than we could eat. But, hey, better to have more food than not enough food.

Steamed rice cakes (banh beo)- I've never had these in my life and they were delish! A huge portion of rice cakes arrived each sprinkled with scallions, dried shrimp and fried garlic. Pretty damn tasty! Eat them individually and top off with some fish sauce and you've got an addiction in the making.



Fried crepe with seafood and bean sprouts- Another solid dish. Never had these either, but when you eat them wrapped inside a lettuce leaf along with mint and other veggies, it's really flavorful and well-balanced. Of course, don't forget to dip in the special sauce.



Fried shrimp rolls- These were okay. Kinda lacking in shrimp and forgettable.



Vermicelli plate with egg rolls, beef and pork - Tasty mix of vermicelli noodles, beef, fried egg rolls and veggies. I liked it quite a bit. My other dining companions weren't too gung ho about it. Oh wells, more for me!



Spicy beef noodle soup (bun bo hue)- Oh hells yea! This came last and was worth the wait. Rice noodles in a spicy red broth along with big chunks of beef. Man, what more can you ask for? The noodles were alright, but we all loved the broth. Beef was substantial and they didn't skimp on the pieces. It was very flavorful with just the right amount of spiciness. I highly recommend this dish.


We ate till we reached an unanimous food coma. Total cost of lunch - $45.

Not a bad deal. Oh, if you check in on Yelp, you get 10% off your bill. We checked in and were supposed to get 10%, but I guess the waiter forgot. We didn't realize it till we left anyway. So, hopefully next time!

I'm still thinking of that spicy broth. Yum-o.

4****

Dip's Grill
1412 E Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 284-3477

Bao Dim Sum

Dim sum in Weho? Sign me up!

When I first heard of this new restaurant opening, I was so excited. No more driving to the SGV or Chinatown for dim sum. And the best part is they serve dim sum at all hours. You can get your fix at night if your heart desired.



We arrived for dinner one night and were seated immediately. The place was pretty empty, but then again it was only 6 pm. I noticed that all the diners were non Asian. That didn't faze me since we were in Weho, not Chinatown.

Service was great, but food was hit or miss.

Xiao Long Bao: Four steamed dumplings per order. I liked how they were sitting on individuals foil cups. Pretty tasty, but nothing like Din Tai Fung.



Har Gow: Steamed shrimp dumplings, four per order. These suckers were huge! I thought they were pretty authentic, nice job.




Shrimp dumplings with chives: I liked these even better than the har gow. The chives give it a nice kick. Three per order. Boo.



Tripe: Hells to the yeahhhh... I love steamed white tripe. Served with ginger, carrots and cilantro. Very tasty, thumbs up!



Radish Cake: This is one of my must haves when I eat dim sum. I was disappointed in theirs though. Way too soft and undercooked. I like radish cake slightly fried with a crust on the bottom. Meh.




Crispy taro balls: 3 per order. Basically fried taro balls. I think there was pork in there, but not sure. Not a bad dish actually.



Crispy seafood chow mein: Ehhh, this was tasteless. No flavor and pretty small serving. I would pass.




Wonton soup: Way too salty. Wontons were weird tasting. None of us liked it. Pass.

I'm not sure if I'd come back, but if the craving hits at night, I probably would.

Oh yeah, they forgot our green tea, but charged us anyway. However, the manager removed it with a smile. Can't beat good service at a Chinese restaurant.

3***

Bao Dim Sum
8256 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-6556