Another year has come and gone and it almost makes one misty. Sing it out with me in honor of 2007…
So let’s join in just one last chorus
Visitors, staff and guests.
What we've shared won't be forgotten
Good food is the best!
Join hands and hearts and voices
Voices, hearts and hands…
You know the rest.
As ’07 gives way to ’08 (election time, here we come!), it’s time for a “Best Of” List to honor what made this year grand. Drum roll please….
The Best Restaurants of 2007:
1. Best Newcomer-Larkin’s (Eagle Rock):
Several months ago I had the supreme good fortune of being invited to a friends and family tasting at Larkin’s, the little haute soul food dynamo that could. One bite of Larkin’s catfish with its thick, crunchy crust forked up with a mouthful of blisteringly spicy greens and stewed tomatoes and any fool can see that Larkin’s is a restaurant for the ages. It should come as no surprise that Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer Prize winning food writer for LA Weekly, has taken this Eagle Rock gem under his wing and is singing its praises to high heaven just like everyone else who gets a bite of their black eyed pea caviar, salmon cakes, fried chicken or sweet potato pie. Juice up the tank and git ‘er done, there isn’t a single miss on the menu! Larkin’s is bringing soul, fire, grace and gumption back into the kitchen.
Original review: http://www.la2day.com/dining/slap_your_grandma_good
2. Best Meal After a Nine Month Wait-Pizzeria Mozza (
I tried to hold a grudge but it was simply too exquisite to condemn. Pizzeria Mozza, despite the death grip they maintain over the reservation book, is divinity incarnate. As heavenly as earth can hold, the dough seems like it is kneaded by angels while cherubs fling about toppings and a finger to inspire Michelangelo nudges each perfect pie into the wood burning stove. At least, that’s what I can remember. My first and last meal there (to date) was
Original review: http://www.la2day.com/dining/pizzeria_mozza_pizza_of_troy
3. Best Five Bucks You Can Spend on Your Mouth-Best Fish Tacos in
The name is long, the menu short, the prices low and the addiction level through the roof. It’s a Pringles situation at this spare little taco shack, very Godfather; just when you thought that you were out they pull you back in! Why fight it? There’s no use being pugnacious with anything so yummy. Rather than being a culinary dilettante, proprietor Joseph and his taco making minions have decided to do one thing and do it exceedingly well, offering only fish or shrimp tacos, both of which are finger-sucking, salsa-shrapnel-flying, don’t-get-close-or-I’ll-eat-yours-too delicious. Let them make you an offer you can’t refuse…and then top it with crema and cabbage.
Original review: http://www.la2day.com/dining/best_fish_taco_in_ensenada_and_los_feliz
To be fair and insure we have some yin to balance our yang, the worst meal must be mentioned as well. This year, that devious honor goes to….
The Worst-Mo’s (
There are meals that live in infamy, never to be forgotten, or forgiven. Mo’s has a reputation for exceptional burgers and I take heavy exception! After a trip to Mo’s earlier this year, I ended up in a state of gastric distress that is unmentionable in a food section. It was a three day extravaganza that would’ve made Montezuma blush. Details can be left to the imagination but, needless to say, it was vicious and a turkey burger with grilled onions and sautéed mushrooms will never look the same. Buyer beware!!!
DON’T GO HERE:
Mo’s
4301
And thus, we bring the year that was to a close. Thank you to everyone who came along on our culinary adventures in 2007. Wishing you a wonderful New Year filled with luck, love and even more scrumptious food. Like we said in 6th grade: See you next year, KIT!
What other recipe could we end the year with than the most functional? Here’s how to make a Bloody Mary when you wake up on
Bloody Mary
Serves One Hangover
Ingredients:
1½ oz. Good Vodka (Ketel, Grey Goose, treat yourself right today)
Juice of ½ a lemon or lime
Worcestershire sauce to taste (1-3 dashes usually)
Tabasco sauce to taste (2-4 drops usually)
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
8 ounces tomato juice, chilled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Celery sticks and lemon or lime slices (optional for garnish)
- Combine all ingredients except garnish in a large shaker.
- Shake mixture well and strain into a tall glass filled with ice cubes.
- Garnish with celery sticks, lemon or lime slices (if using).
- Gulp down two aspirin and a few Pepto tablets with first sips.
- Curl up on the couch with a good DVD or the Rose Bowl Game (Go USC!!!!)
- Enjoy the New Year!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment