The Kitchen Review : This Is A Bitchin' Kitchen!

Whether we're just grabbing coffee at Intelligentsia in the morning or I’m riding my bike to Tang’s Donuts to meet for the Wolfpack Hustle, Silverlake is one our favorite places to explore. So, when we heard there was a small place on Sunset and Fountain that had awesome brunches, lunches and dinners, we had to try it. We’ve been to The Kitchen several times for their lunch and dinner menu, but have yet to try the brunch. All I can say is, if their regular weekday menu is any indication of what to expect on weekends, we will definitely eat it up!

The Mac and Cheese at The Kitchen is creamy and has a distinct garlic flavor that you don’t see in most. The “cheese” in the Mac and Cheese is almost like a garlic flavored sharp cheddar bechamel sauce. Also, since they bake theirs it leaves a crispy top with the molten hot cheese on the inside.

Another thing that we enjoy about the food at The Kitchen is how fresh it is. The albacore is sushi grade so you can have it cooked as raw as you’d like. Thin slices of Asian pear make the sandwich light and refreshing. Wasabi mayo is spread on a fresh baguette from La Brea Bakery to serve as your vehicle to flavortown, so just sit back and enjoy.

One of my favorite things to make at home is braised short ribs. So when I saw the Short Rib Sandwich on the menu at The Kitchen, I had to try it. The pickled red onion and arugula add a refreshing bite to the slow cooked beef. The Jack cheese that they put on top of the short rib is good but I’d like to try it with Gruyere next time. My only gripe about the sandwich, be it a very small one, was the thinly sliced sourdough. I would have enjoyed the sandwich more on heartier slices of bread, especially for a sandwich with such a moist and juicy filling like braised short ribs. But I’m willing to overlook the sourdough cracker slices because the short rib was so flavorful. 

The Kitchen
4348 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029

LA Pastrami Review : Capriotti's vs Langer's

Let me just clarify, before anyone starts hootin' and hollerin' about not including The Hat or Johnnie's or even Oinkster in this little food fight, I wanted to compare pastrami sandwiches that had similar toppings. Pastrami sandwiches are definitely one of my favorites and I just wanted to highlight two places here in LA that make some of the best. I know Capriotti's is a franchise, so maybe Langer's might have a slight lead out of the gate. Personally, it's only because Langer's is an LA landmark, and since they are the only one in town you know the pastrami is made fresh in-house. That's not to say Capriotti's doesn't make their pastrami in-house also, I'm not really sure. But since they are a national chain that offers so much more than just pastrami and to protect product integrity across the country, I'd imagine that they have a central "Capriotti's kitchen" somewhere. But enough with the pleasantries, "let's get down to the nity griiity(in a Nacho Libre voice)". Let the battle begin!

Across from MacArthur Park, Langer’s Deli is one of the most popular places for the LA lunch crowd (maybe because they’re only open until 4pm). They also serve your typical deli favorites like corned beef and matzo ball soup. The #19 at Langer’s is not only one of my favorite deli sandwiches, but it is one of my top things to eat in LA. The tender thick slices of pastrami are full flavored and with the crunchy coleslaw, it gives the sandwich a textured bite. The Russian dressing and Swiss cheese don’t overpower the meat but add a creaminess to each bite. Rye bread isn’t my favorite because of the tough crust (I think you can order the sandwich with another kind of bread), but if a place is known for something I usually don’t mess with perfection.

The challenger in this bout, the Capastrami from Capriotti's, stands toe to toe with the LA giant and has a few tricks up its sleeve. As you can tell from the picture, we couldn’t even wait to take a picture of the sandwich intact, we tore into the sandwiches without a second thought. The thinner sliced hot pastrami and refreshing coleslaw are piled into a softer sub roll, which is why Karen likes the Capartami better. Even though the Capastrami is similarly topped with Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and coleslaw, the thinner slices of meat and softer bread really make this sandwich a knockout.

Both of these awesome pastrami sandwiches took us the distance; thick vs. thin slices, deli vs. sub sandwich. Although Karen and I voted this food fight a draw, the real winners were our stomachs. OK, so maybe throwing these two pastrami heavyweights in the ring wasn’t the cleanest food fight but it was sure delicious!

Langer's Deli
704 South Alvarado St.
Los Angeles, CA 90057

Capriotti's Sandwich Shop
9683 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Kalbi Burger Review : As Seen On TV

We are a couple of good ol' Americans with red, white and blue (some purple and gold mixed in there too) running through our veins, so we are always on the look out for a good burger and fries. Imagine the buckets of drool when we came across Kalbi Burger near Koreatown. Their signature Kalbi Burger patty is made with half ground chuck and half Korean marinated short rib. Not to mention, all the burgers they cook are 100% Natural Angus Beef, which means cows raised with no hormones, or antibiotics. I may not be a vegetarian, but these cows are.

That is what chef/owner Hawk Lee spoke to us about during a taping of our friend’s upcoming public access food show “Eat LA”. He is proud of the product he has put out, as far as quality of ingredients and inspiration for his menu, and you can really taste the difference in these burgers. Did I mention you can customize your burger as well? One of our favorite burgers to get here is the Kalbi Burger but with a little kimchi added on. The pickled kimchi and marinated Kalbi patty just go together well. The Asian inspired burgers that Hawk has created are a refreshing twist on the American classic.

Karen's favorites are split between the Kalbi Burger with kimchi and the banh mi inspired Saigon Burger. The jalapeno and cucumber cut thin to give the burger a distinctive crunch like a banh mi sandwich. Hawk confessed he would drive all the way to San Gabriel for a good banh mi.

My vote is also split but between the Kalbi Burger and the LuLu Burger, which comes from da islands brah. The Lulu burger is topped with a grilled pineapple with bacon and a spread of Hawk's secret LuLu sauce.

Kalbi Burger topped with American cheese, standard salad (red onion, tomato, lettuce) with a Korean vinaigrette and Kalbi aioli sauce. Fries were tossed in two different types of sea salt and red wine vinegar.

Whether you are familiar with Korean/Asian flavors or just want to try a fresh, quality burger with a new taste, try a Kalbi Burger and eat it up!

Kalbi Burger
4001 Wilshire Blvd., Unit E
Los Angeles, CA 90010