DcFüd On The Road: From Washington to the West Coast

Some go to California for the sunshine. After experiencing nearly a week of rain, I question their judgment. But if you’re looking for a place to gain a quick five pounds? Cali’s got you covered.

That’s where I went last week, and now that my vacation has made me even more voluptuous, I’ll be suffering at Gold’s Gym in Rockville over the next few weeks to make up for it. But my impending torture will be worth it, after eating like a queen in the City of Angels. Here are some of the highlights from my brief visit:

Roscoe’s Chicken And Waffles (West Hollywood and other locations): Food was the first thing on my mind when I arrived at LAX airport, and my friends whisked me away to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles (an unexpected, but unbeatable combination, despite the somewhat sketchy exterior).

The two signature dishes aren’t an either/or proposition: many platters combine crispy hunks of poultry and chewy slabs of waffle with abandon. The fried chicken was arguably the best I’ve had (granted, I’m no connoisseur), with a crunchy but flavorful skin covering juicy, perfectly-done meat. I’ve had better waffles, but these were more flavorful than most. I recommend a side dish of biscuits and gravy, which nearly melt with the touch of a fork. If you’re skeptical of Roscoe’s, don’t take my word for it —during my visit, we spotted none other than Stevie Wonder stopping by for a snack.

Boba World/Noodle World (locations throughout CA): Bubble tea has gotten a surprising amount of play on DcFud; I didn’t realize it had much of a following outside Chinatown in Manhattan, where I first sampled it. In California, Boba’s everywhere. There’s Tapioca World. Tapiocaland. Boba-riffic. Ok, now I’m just making stuff up.

My friend Eve is a regular at the two Boba Worlds near Pasadena, and we made at least three stops there during my stay. Its convenient hours (still doing a booming business at 1 a.m.), variety of colorful drinks and steaming noodle dishes make it a great late-night dinner stop. A roast duck lo mein was hearty and tasty, but I was even more fond of rice noodles with beef and Chinese broccoli. I also couldn’t help stealing bites of my friends’ chicken satay (huge hunks of meat and a tangy peanut sauce; possibly the best incarnation of the dish I’ve tasted) and pineapple fried rice, accented with chicken and raisins.

The drinks, though, make this place famous, and you can add Boba, or tapioca pearls, to any of them for just 25 cents. I enjoyed the Thai Iced Tea and Blended Japanese Green Tea, but they have everything from plum to green apple to taro for more adventurous drinkers who like their beverages sweet and icy.

(as a note, if you end up hitting Tapioca World instead, their hot ginger milk tea with boba is unbeatable – tastes like a warm ginger beer).

Pataya Café, Pasadena: In general, I was rarely disappointed with the Asian Cuisine I sampled in California. One highlight was Pataya Café, a small Thai restaurant near the Cal Tech campus in Pasadena. I went there for lunch, and for a $5 special including rice and a spring roll, I had a delicious helping of pork with garlic and ginger. Spicy without being overwhelming. I could have licked the plate, the sauce was so tasty. I nixed that particular breach of decorum in favor of spilling something on myself during EVERY SINGLE meal I ate in CA. I’d also recommend the yellow chicken curry – while nothing particularly unusual, a tasty and subtle rendering of a familiar dish. And don’t forget to order a Thai Iced Tea Slush (tastes just as it sounds) with your meal.

Imperial Palace (Las Vegas): The Imperial is one of the less glitzy casino options in Vegas, with its scantily clad waitresses and more unassuming presence on the strip (unassuming being an extremely relative term in this scenario). Also, rumor has it, it was once owned by Nazi-sympathizers and designed to look like a swastika, but that just may be my coworker running his mouth off.

At any rate, once 11 p.m. hits, the Imperial is home to one of Vegas’ best-kept secrets: its buffet-turned-24-hour coffee shop. An unassuming diner on the second floor, the place runs night-owl specials, including its prime rib sandwich platter with fries for a mere $5.25. The sandwich is huge and unbelievably rare and juicy – the crisp fries to match are a great late-night craving satisfier, particularly when dipped in au jus. Vegas may leave you broke, but spend your last roll of quarters at the Imperial, and you'll go home poor but happy.

Trattoria Acqua (La Jolla, California). The Trattoria is the kind of place I wouldn’t ordinarily go unless someone else was footing the bill, as it was in this case. The place lived up to its moderately-high prices, though. Unique touches at this ocean-view location make the dining experience memorable, such as homemade hummus served with warm bread before the meal.

The calamari was lightly breaded as I like it, but a little gummy for my taste. The baked mussels, however, doused in a pesto-like butter, were amazing. I ordered the Brazillian sea bass, and while the tomato-based sauce wasn’t what I’d expected, the hints of lemon and green pepper added character to the tender but bland fish. A friend enjoyed a lobster and avocado salad appetizer, but unfortunately, we were seated too far apart to sample each other’s choices. I also eyed a dining companion’s lamb chops stuffed with gorgonzola longingly, and a shrimp-covered miniature pizza satisfied another friend’s taste.

Casa De Bandini (Old Town San Diego). Heavy on atmosphere, this largely al-fresco restaurant in Old Town has a competent kitchen to match. We had a light lunch, which became a little less so after filling up on gigantic strawberry and mango margaritas, as well as complimentary chips and salsa. The meatball soup was salty and satisfying. I was less impressed with the tomato-based Aztec soup (to me, it almost tasted like Manhattan clam chowder with some cilantro and sour cream thrown in), but my friend thought it was excellent. The big hit at our table was the taquitos combination platter, serving crispy chicken and beef concoctions with sumptuous homemade guacamole. The service is accommodating and gracious, and the only thing the place lacks are the strolling mariachis a neighboring Mexican joint boasts.

Original Farmer’s Market (Los Angeles): Don’t step on the premises of the farmer’s market in LA and expect to be greeted with hustling stalls, rows of fresh vegetables or brusque butchers. You’ll find them, but they’re nestled between rows of yuppie-shops which have taken off in recent years. But once you escape the faux streets lined with Crate & Barrel and Barnes & Noble, you find an authentic market with too many choices to stick with just one food stand.

We got a quarter pound of the New-Orleans Seasoned Peel and Eat Shrimp at Tusquellas Seafood (I’m still trying to put my fingers on the dominant spice used – my wager is allspice berries), and a bowl of gumbo, served with rice, cornbread and sweet potato chips, at The Gumbo Pot. The gumbo was amazing, subtly spiced enough that a bite of andouille gives an added kick each time you come across a sampling of it. The chips were a little burned-tasting, but when dipped in gumbo, complaints were washed away.

In N Out Burger (various locations): California even does fast food a little bit differently (and no, I’m not talking about the numerous franchises we passed of the dubious Wienerschnitzel). In-N-Out Burger takes fresh to a new level – they don’t even have freezers at their locations, and their fries are often cut that day. My In-N-Out Burger was the first fast food sandwich I’ve had where I didn’t remove the wilted lettuce topping it with disdain. Its bun was crunchy, and the meat patties, while thin, were juicy and satisfying (the thinness explains why many are psyched to order such concoctions as a Double-Double or 4x4).

Much has been made of the restaurant’s "secret menu"; there are even web sites devoted toward the restaurant’s code phrases which debunk some of the urban myths surrounding the place. We had success when ordering a burger "Animal Style," where mustard is cooked with the beef, and having the fries "Well Done" for extra crispiness. Note: skip the "special sauce" if you dislike Thousand Island dressing. The chain likes to brag about its milkshakes, but I found them mediocre.

Now, I could tell you about even more of my meals; my two Dim Sum brunches in Pasadena, an Etrian snack in Culver City, a sampling of the Holy Rings of Betazed at Quark’s Bar in the Hilton in Vegas. We even got commercial and tried to determine if California Pizza Kitchen tastes better in its founding state (the difference is negligible). But I’ve already rambled for far too long—this is DcFüd, not California Cuisine—so I’ll stop my restaurant reminiscing and head back to the gym.