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What Kind of Burger Was That?

To show how far behind the trendoids I am, I had never been to Umami Burger--until a friend suggested we go last week.

The specials at the La Brea branch included an ahi tuna burger and a Hawaiian burger (with pineapple and teriyaki sauce). But we wanted the Umami Burger, the one described on the menu as "our signature burger." 

A classic like that (no distracting truffles, Hatch chiles, Stilton cheese or bacon lardons) would show what this place could do. 

How was the burger?  Well, the "smushed" potatoes, little twice-fried Dutch yellow creamer potatoes with roasted garlic aoli oozing around them, were great.

How was the burger? The ginseng ginger ale was tangy, icy and perfect for sipping on the  patio.

But how was the burger?  The stack of brown paper napkins was generous. And when I pointed out that my knife wasn't clean, it was replaced immediately.

But how was the burger?  Fine--after I sent it back and got a new one. My friend's second burger (at right) was OK too.

When we cut our first burgers in half, raw meat dripped out onto our plates. You can see that at the top.

Were these seared beef tartare burgers? I guess not. There's no such thing on the menu, which states that  meat is cooked medium rare.

A line under the Umami Burger listing says, "You will crave this one."  Well, thanks anyway. I wouldn't mind another order of smushed potatoes, but I'll pass on the burger.  

Umami Burger, 850 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036. (323) 931-3000.

Mexican? Indian? It's Both

This chicken dish smoothly blends two cultures. The chipotle seasoning and achiote oil make it Mexican. The yogurt marinade and turmeric are Indian. Cumin belongs to both cuisines.

Fusion doesn't always work, but in this case  the ingredients are harmonious.  You marinate the chicken overnight so it absorbs the flavors. The next day, there's nothing to do but put it in the oven and then enjoy.

INDIAN-MEXICAN BAKED CHICKEN

4 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon achiote seeds
3 cloves garlic
3 mini chipotle cubes (Knorr) or 2 canned chipotles
1/4 teaspoon (rounded) ground cumin
Salt
3/4 cup plain yogurt
3 pounds chicken thighs, about 6, skinned

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the achiote seeds and cook until the oil turns a deep yellow.  Let cool, then strain out the seeds.

Combine the garlic, chipotle cubes, cumin and salt to taste in a mortar and pound until blended into a paste.

Place the yogurt in a bowl. Add the strained achiote oil and the pounded seasonings and mix well.

Place the chicken in a storage container. Add the yogurt mixture and turn the pieces to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray. Place the chicken pieces in the pan. Bake 1 hour. Remove from the oven and arrange in a serving dish.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.   

 

Yang Chow's Two Top Dishes

Yang Chow's slippery shrimp gets all the attention. But it has a rival, in my opinion.

And that is Szechuan beef with orange peel sauce (above).  It's food candy--sweet and crunchy, like a meaty lollipop.

At lunch the other day in the downtown Yang Chow, I spotted a platter of slippery shrimp on every table.

There's no secret to the dish, which has been around for more than 30 years. I wrote up the recipe for the LA Times in 2005. 

Brown and saucy, Szechuan beef doesn't stand out. It looks like a lot of other brownish Chinese dishes. But its nonstop crisp, crunchy sweetness is irresistible.

Why choose between the two? My friends ordered both, and that was the best of all possible lunches.

Yang Chow, 819 N.Broadway, Los Angeles CA 90012. Tel: (213) 625-0811.

 

It's Cool: An Icy Daiquiri

 
It has been too hot and humid to think of anything but something cold to drink. 

And here it is, an icy strawberry daiquiri.

Get out the blender, put in some good rum (I use Mount Gay special reserve that I brought home from the West Indies), add a dash of triple sec, sugar and a squeeze of Mexican lime juice.

Then put in strawberries and ice and whir until everything blends into a gorgeous red drink.

The color may be hot, but the drink couldn't be cooler.

STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI

2 ounces white rum
1 ounce triple sec
Juice of 1 small Mexican lime
1 teaspoon sugar, or more to taste
4 strawberries, stems removed, plus 1 for garnish
4 ice cubes

In a blender container, combine the rum, triple sec, lime juice, sugar, 4 strawberries and ice cubes.

Blend until pureed, up to 1 minute. Taste and add more sugar if needed. The amount will depend upon the sweetness of the strawberries.

Pour into a deep cocktail glass. Garnish with a strawberry on the rim.

Makes 1 serving.

 

 

Roasted Corn for the 4th

Two barbecues celebrated the Fourth.  One with smoky ribs and lots of side dishes. The other with chicken, grilled vegetables and potato salad.

Appetizers for the chicken dinner included thin-sliced cured pork and paprika-coated Spanish goat cheese. Afterward came homemade cherry ice cream and cherry clafoutis (the contributors had picked the cherries themselves) and French vanilla with caramel-passion fruit sauce.

As an appreciative guest, I did very little--other than to clean my assorted plates.  For the chicken barbecue, I brought a bottle of Côtes du Rhône rosé. For the ribs, I roasted corn kernels with garlic and fresh basil from the garden. 

This is the perfect dish to take to a party, because it's good at room temperature, so you don't have to fuss about reheating it in someone else's kitchen.

The proportions are flexible. Put in as much garlic and basil as you like.

ROASTED CORN WITH GARLIC AND BASIL

9 ears corn (choose corn with large kernels)
Olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
9 to 10 large leaves basil, shredded

With a sharp knife, slice the kernels off the cobs.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat.  Add enough olive oil to lightly film the surface.

Add 1/3 of the corn kernels and 2 garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt to taste and a few grinds black pepper. Roast, tossing often, until the corn is lightly flecked with brown but not burned. Stir in 1/3 of the basil.  Remove to a serving bowl.

Repeat twice, adding 1/3 of the ingredients each time. The corn should be in as thin a layer as possible to avoid steaming.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

The Pizza of the Week

Actually, it was the only pizza I ate this week, so I chose carefully, and it was fine.

The place was Terroni, and the pizza was a white one called mangiabhun, with mozzarella, rapini, garlic and little blobs of Italian sausage that is made at the restaurant. With its light topping, it seemed the right thing to order on the first hot day of summer.

Others at the table chose a pizza with red sauce, but that wasn't heavy either, as the tomato sauce was spread very thin.

Topped with, mozzarella, gorgonzola, Italian sausage and red onion slivers in addition to the tomato, this one was called smendozzata.

Terroni's menu states that the pizzas are to be eaten with knife and fork. However, slicing them required two people, one to hold the pizza in place and the other to cut. The crusts are thin, but they are chewy, and a serrated knife isn't powerful enough to get through them. 

Therefore, we all wound up eating our pizzas with our hands, and hoping that Terroni wouldn't send out the kitchen police to scold us. 

Mangiabhun and smendozzata pizzas are $17 at Terroni, 7605 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036. Tel: (323) 954-0300.