Rate-A-Restaurant #385: B Sweet Dessert Bar (Sawtelle)

Restaurant: B Sweet Dessert Bar

Location: 2005 Sawtelle Blvd. (Sawtelle)

Type of restaurant: Dessert

We stipulated: My parents were in town, and we took them to Santa Monica to visit the Museum of Flying at the Santa Monica airport. Afterward, we wanted to grab dessert, and it seemed like the perfect time to finally try B Sweet — I've been dying to try their ube bread pudding forever.

They stipulated: "B Sweet was created to bring back the homemade taste in cakes, cookies, pies and many other pastries. This young company has an unmatched level of quality in its products, and it clearly shows not only through its presentation but also in its taste. Individual handwork and attention to detail enables B Sweet to produce fresher and more authentic flavors then pastries produced in larger corporate kitchens. Using the highest quality ingredients such as fresh fruits purchased from the local farmer’s market make up its 'yummy factor.'"

What we ordered: Banana chocolate bread pudding ($5); ube/buko pandan cake ($6); root beer float ($4)

High point:  The kids were happy, the parents were happy, and much dessert was consumed. Plus it was National Coffee Day, and B Sweet was offering free samples of its Nitro Coffee.

Low point: Turns out the ube bread pudding — my entire reason for wanting to visit B Sweet — isn't always on the menu. And it wasn't when we visited! To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I got the ube/buko pandan cake, which was mighty tasty. But it wasn't the ube bread pudding I craved.

Overall impression: Love the selection of desserts — something for everyone.

Will we return:  Well yes, I need to get back to B Sweet to try the ube bread pudding — but I will call ahead and make sure that it's on the menu before I visit. And we also need to sample B Sweet's halo halo. Before I start another diet, we need to return.

Rate-A-Restaurant #384: The Park's Finest BBQ (Historic Filipinotown)

Restaurant: The Park's Finest BBQ

Location: 1267 W. Temple St. (Historic Filipinotown)

Type of restaurant: BBQ

We stipulated: We were heading downtown to catch the LA Auto Show but wanted to grab a bite to eat first. We knew The Park's Finest was on the way, and it's been on our restaurant bucket list for a while. It was time to check it out.

They stipulated: "This food is the product of a group of friends' adventures growing up and cooking in the hood. This is our party food. What we eat at our celebrations. Mama Leah's Coconut Beef is a reflection of the Philippine islands. Ann's Cornbread Bibingka is the experience of growing up in L.A. Big Tony's hood famous sauce mixes cane, pineapple, simmered soy sauce, peppers, and spices, and is the soundtrack to it all. Meat is the canvas. Smoking is the art. The Park's Finest is the love."

What we ordered: Mount Taal Manok (crispy, seasoned, smoke-roasted chicken) $13; San Pablo Pulled Pork (16-hour roasted pork shoulder confit) $14; Timuay Beef Tri-Tip (tender season-crusted sirloin beef, cut deli-thin and paired with our own horseradish crema) $16; Elote (esquites style corn off the cob, smoked with butter, fresh ground peppers, pink Himalayan salt, and our garlic/onion seasoning blend, served with mayo, freshly grated parmesan reggiano cheese, and topped with cayenne pepper) $7; steamed white rice $3

High point:  First off, love a BBQ place that has rice -- it's something that I miss at most BBQ places, as it feels weird to eat meat without it. Blogger Kid 1.0 loved the elote, and the tri-tip with horseradish crema was just right. Also enjoyed the pulled pork.

Low point: The Park's Finest prides itself on its homemade BBQ sauce, but I found it a bit too sweet. I need spice with my BBQ, and although they did have Sriracha sauce available, a spicy BBQ sauce option would be nice. (The shoyu/vinegar sauce did pair nicely with the pulled pork.)

Overall impression: The Park's Finest does a great job of giving a Filipino twist to BBQ.

Will we return:  We might want to try some of the other offerings -- especially Mama Leah's Coconut Beef and the Mount Mayon Hot Links. But probably not quite a regular stop.

There Will Be Ube, and More Scenes From the Festival of Philippine Art

The 26th annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC) took place on Saturday in Echo Park, and Maria and I brought along the Blogger Kid (the other one was at a party) to take in the sights, sounds... and of course, food.

First launched in 1992 as part of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department’s Festivals Program, the FPAC continues to grow; this year's theme was Salin-Lahi, or "Bridging Generations," and featured headliners including Apl.de.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas. The event is organized by the Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture(FilAm ARTS).

Various pavilions showcased wellness, culinary, seniors, literary and youth programs. We, of course, headed straight for the food. Some pics from this year's event:

Rate-A-Restaurant #361: Rice Bar (Downtown LA)

Restaurant: Rice Bar

Location: 419 W. 7th St. (Downtown)



Type of restaurant: Filipino

We stipulated: We've been dying to try Rice Bowl for a long time. Filipino favorites like longganisa, but in a bowl with heirloom rice? IN.





They stipulated: No reservations. See the rules above. "Ricebar is a Filipino restaurant in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. We feature non-GMO, fair-trade grains, imported from various islands in the Philippines. It is our vehicle to highlight our vibrant yet humble cuisine. It evokes a sense of comfort, happiness, and a whole lot of soul. For these very reasons, we built RICEBAR."



What we ordered:
PORK LONGGANISA (House Made Sweet & Spicy Sausage with Pickled Vegetables & Garlic Crumbs, with Garlic Fried rice: 8.75); CHICKEN TINOLA (Free-Range Chicken Simmered in Aromatic Ginger Broth, Green Papaya, Chili Leaves, with Tinowan Fancy rice: 8.75); BISTEG TAGALOG (Soy Marinated Black Angus Beef Sirloin, Pan Seared, with Red Onions & Calamansi, with Kalinga Unoy rice: 9.75)



High point:  The chicken broth had a nice ginger flavor, but the real winner was the Bisteg Tagalog -- and I'm not usually a beef person.



Low point:  I love longganisa -- when it's spicy. This longganisa was more sweet than spicy, and I didn't get the kick I was looking for.





Overall impression: It's a tight space, but your food will come up fast -- and you'll usually figure out how and where to eat. Rice Bar's hours are limited, so plan your trip.



Will we return: Absolutely!

L.A. Cameo: Max's Glendale as "Fresh Off the Boat's" Cattleman's Ranch

On ABC's new comedy "Fresh of the Boat," young Eddie Huang's family moves to 1994 Orlando in order to open a steak restaurant called "Cattleman's Ranch."



In real life, the establishing shot is actually the Glendale location of fried chicken chain Max's of Manila. Here's our 2006 Rate-A-Restaurant review of Max's, which is a staple for big family gatherings.

Rate-A-Restaurant #331: White Rabbit (Food Truck)

Restaurant: White Rabbit Truck

Location: Food truck (various)

Type of restaurant: Filipino



We stipulated: We were in downtown's Grand Park for the annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture, and it was lunch time. After a treat of halo halo, we decided to grab lunch. The White Rabbit truck, offering "Filipino Fusion," looked promising.

They stipulated: "The idea started with a tight group of friends noticing the lack of Filipino cuisine in the mainstream. They started with under $1000 and experimented with various menu items for nearly one year at their home kitchen. After sampling their cuisine to hundreds of friends and family. With the rise of the popularity of Filipino food, we noticed that there were no places that served true Filipino Fusion food."


What we ordered: Chicken adobo bowl ($10)

High point:  I love the effort to bring Filipino cuisine to the mainstream, while giving it a twist.

Low point:  For $10, I figured there would be more chicken.

Overall impression: Decent. But it doesn't come close to Maria's spin on chicken adobo. (And it needed more sauce.)

Will we return: I'd be interested in trying more things on the menu.

Oinkster Hosts Philippine Arts Festival Kick-Off Tonight

Head over to our fave "slow fast food" joint, Eagle Rock's The Oinkster, tonight to help support FilAm ARTS' annual 19th Annual Festival of Philippine
Arts & Culture, which takes place this weekend at San Pedro's Point Fermin Park.

The Taste of FPAC event starts at 6 p.m. at The Oinkster, 2005 Colorado Blvd., in Eagle Rock.

Details:

Chef Andre Guerrero promises a special sample menu featuring some exclusive, off-menu items, but will certainly include his house smoked and cured Pastrami, Belgian French Fries (named "Best in LA" by LA Weekly) and the famous Oinkster Ube Milkshakes. The evening also presents a specially selected tasting menu prepared by The Manila Machine, Southern California’s first Filipino food truck and already a popular draw in the competitive world of mobile food culture.

Tix are $50 and include food and non-alcoholic drinks.
The 19th Annual FPAC takes place this year on Sept. 11 and 12 in San Pedro.

First Taste: The Manila Machine Food Truck

As we wrote the other day, Filipino food is finally represented among L.A.'s ever-growing legion of food trucks.

The food bloggers behind Burnt Lumpia and Let Me Eat Cake are behind The Manila Machine, which we finally visited last Thursday.

Immediately after watching the Lakers grab the 2010 NBA Finals, I headed around the corner to Glassell Park, where the Manila Machine was parked outside the Verdugo Bar. (Actually, we got there at the same time, so I waited as the Machine powered up). The early verdict: The Manila Machine serves as a good ambassador for Filipino cuisine -- which, let's face it, most food truck customers probably aren't familiar with.

Here's what we tried the first time out:


Chicken adobo -- $4. Good value. Maria still makes the best chicken adobo anywhere (sorry, Manila Machine), but this was a decent substitute, especially at the price.


Two sliders, at $2.50 a piece: longganisang hubad (“naked” sausage) -- sweet pork and garlic sausage patties, caramelized onions, arugula, and mango jam on a pan de sal roll; and tapa -- sweet calamansi beef, achara slaw, and spicy sriracha mayo on a pan de sal roll. I could eat many of these.

There's more on the Manila Machine menu, so I'm sure we'll try more soon.

L.A.'s Latest Food Truck, "The Manila Machine," Powers Up

Maria and I were just discussing the lack of upscale, gourmet-style Filipino restaurants. (The subject was also the focus of a recent L.A. Times Food section article.)

That led us to eventually start wondering why there wasn't yet a Filipino entry among L.A.'s ever-increasing army of food trucks. Such a truck could offer up unique takes on adobo or lumpia, we imagined.

Finally, someone is taking up the cause. The food bloggers behind Burnt Lumpia and Let Me Eat Cake are launching The Manila Machine in the coming days.

The Manila Machine's menu includes pan de sal sliders, lumpia and two kinds of adobo (chicken and pork belly/pineapple). Desserts include halo halo, turon and leche flan. Follow the Manila Machine's Twitter here.

Why Is It So Hard To Find an Upscale Filipino Restaurant?

(Flickr pic by Alexandra Moss.)

Wednesday afternoon, Maria and I were having this very discussion: Where are all the upscale Filipino restaurants? It's easy to find fast food Filipino joints (including chains like Jollibee); buffet-style mom and pop spots; and sit-down restaurant/bakeries (like Goldilocks and Red Ribbon). Even the fanciest of the lot are more of the "fast casual" variety.

It's not for a lack of top-notch chefs of Filipino descent in Los Angeles. Coincidentally, the morning after we brought up this topic, the Los Angeles Times examined it for its lead Food section article:

Some cuisines, such as the deeply flavorful mélange of foods from the Philippines, seem to resist assimilation into mainstream culture, thriving in home kitchens but stubbornly remaining there.

And for the many chefs of Filipino heritage who cook in some of the finest restaurants in Los Angeles, there is a very distinct line drawn between their private and professional kitchens — the food of their home culture may be cooked for staff meals, but it rarely crosses the pass into the dining room itself.

"I love it. I grew up eating it," says (Oinkster's Andre) Guerrero, a Filipino American chef who has owned or partnered in a string of restaurants in Los Angeles over the last 25 years. "But how does it fit into what we do? It really doesn't."

Guerrero had put the traditional Filipino parfait halo-halo and an upscale version of his classic chicken adobo on the menu at his earlier restaurant Max, and milkshakes made from the purple yam ube are a favorite at the Oinkster. But for the most part, the cuisine of his home stays there...

"It's probably one of the least understood cuisines," says Rodelio Aglibot, a Filipino chef who was the executive chef at Koi before opening the now-shuttered Yi Cuisine, perhaps the only upscale Filipino restaurant Los Angeles has had. "Are we Pacific Islanders? Are we Asians? There isn't, like, a defined identity," says Aglibot, who is now chef-partner of Sunda in Chicago.

Adobo-themed restaurant, anyone?

The blog Burnt Lumpia further discusses the topic here.