Los Angeles Day 4: LA Mill Coffee and Chano’s

I’m running out of witty or creative titles, although the title does explain what the post is about, at least. What I do have in plenty of supply, though, are pictures of food! Oh, glorious sustainer of life!

LA Mill Coffee wasn’t really on the top of my list, or the middle of my list, either. It was kind of a snap decision that I decided to see if the coffeehouse/cafe/restaurant really did live up to all the hype. Even on a Monday morning at 10:30, the place was pretty packed. I figured that people worked odd hours that allowed them the luxury of free mornings, or they were just jobless. But the menu is quite expensive, as I will explain, so unemployment really isn’t conducive to eating here. Another possibility is that people were spending money that was earned by more important people.

Enough with the digressions; there’s plenty to discuss about LA Mill. As anyone can see from pictures on the interwebs, this place is pretty chic with its bold color combination and un-indie furniture. What you won’t see, though, is that they serve water in glasses that look like they were washed with sand and dried by sand. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but since the place obviously caters to a poshier clientele (with its faux(?)-alligator skin seats and GIANT chandelier), I figured they would pay more attention to the nitty gritty. Or maybe that’s the way I was raised and edumacated while working at my parent’s restaurant; it’s all in the details. Also, I figured that I would get nicer water glasses for a lunch that cost almost $60 for two.

Anyway, let’s move past the speckled glasses. We drink coffee, afterall. Not water.

I ordered a Blanco y Negro, which contained coffee granita, madagascar vanilla bean ice cream, vanilla scented, and chilled. By chilled, they meant shards of ice in your coffee. I like the presentation of it, fitting of a $6.50 drink, but the drink never hit the spot. I’ve been drinking black coffee for the past 2.5 years, only making a few exceptions for cappucinos–why did I order this all of a sudden? It was the atmosphere. I was caught up in the hype. The specialty drinks were calling my name. Damn you fancy menu! It doesn’t lie: the drink was coffee and ice cream. But that was the problem. I like coffee. I really like coffee. I like ice cream. Just not together. I should’ve ordered a black coffee.

My partner in crime had a Pink Lady, which had sweetened berry hibiscus tea topped with soda. Actually, I’m not sure she had this, but the description matches the picture. And now that I know the red stuff is hibiscus, I think the drink did have some hibiscus flavor in it, though it wasn’t the disgusting flavor of jamaica, but rather real hibiscus–sour and medicine-like. I didn’t have much, but it looked nice!

We started out with a butternut squash soup (I couldn’t find it on the online menu) with sourdough croutons. A server came out and poured the soup in front of us, mixing soup from a pitcher and some sort of cream in the bowl. It also came with ground pepper on the serving plate. Huh. Interesting. The soup was delicious, though, and the croutons were tart and squishy, soaked with buttery goodness. This was a winner.

I ordered the much-talked-about ABLT, or Asian BLT, with pork belly, arugula, tomato, and preserved black bean. The meat was fatty and flavorful, but I just couldn’t take the taste of black bean and pork in a panini. I needed rice. Call me Asian what have you, but black bean sauce only goes with rice, and maybe noodles, not bread. I would also like to note that I did not get the preserved cippolinis and assorments of olives that were supposed to come with plate. Again, we paid almost $60 for lunch. I have some expectations when my meals exceed $25. Not trying to be whiney, but…strike two.

Gina had an order of vegetarian hen eggs with mushroom. It was an average breakfast, only it wasn’t served in a gargantuan portion that breakfast houses are notorious for using–the dish wasn’t coma-inducing. The bread did have the texture of something stale. It didn’t sit quite right with us. Maybe it was the way it was toasted/baked (no sign of toastage), or maybe I’m not into bread that much. I still finished off the dish for her when she didn’t want anymore because that’s what fatties do: they try everything, and then they finish everything because they don’t want starving kids in Africa to eat their food (I’m greedy).

Overall, I would say, “Color me not impressed.” “Not impressed” would probably be an ugly color, like olive or puce. A lot of people probably LOVE the place. Frankly, I wouldn’t pay that much for the food or coffee. I can find better quality everything, sans turquoise aligator seats, in a lot of places in Los Angeles. Hell, we even have a $10,000 espresso machine at EMW Tea Co! We could make stuff like that and charge exorbitant amounts of money. But maybe that’s why I don’t like LA Mill: they do something different and get praised, hyped, and actually get customers. I’m jealous. We try to do something like that in Fresno, and the tea shop gets the stink eye from most people who pass by the window. Yes, it’s true that I’m envious of LA Mill’s ability to attract many customers who pay $10 for a pot of tea while EMW Tea Co has trouble selling pots of tea at $6. But(!), I still think $60 for lunch is way too much for the quality of meal/service/amenities we received.

At dinner, we had Chano’s and Cup of Joy, two staples of my undergraduate dining. It’s food that’s cheap and tasty, and even more delicious when drunk. I won’t say much, except for that each item was meaty and savory, the way all food (with or without MSG) should taste.

Popcorn chicken from Cup of Joy. Nothing compared to the tobasco rim jobs one will receive after eating at Prince’s, but maybe that’s a good thing.

Minced mushroom and meat on rice combo. The English translation of this Taiwanese dish is offensive to both cooks and customers. I with Taiwan would come up with an official translation for my favorite dish from childhood.

Carnitas tacos. My first exposure to real Mexican food in over a year. I’m speechless. My stomach cries acidic tears of joy when eating this, though.

Mix-up burger. It’s a cheeseburger with pastrami. Not really Mexican, but I had an urge to get something really unhealthy, but not deadly like their nacho plates.

I also got a large cup of horchata. I thoroughly enjoyed each sip of rice, cinammon, and sugar, and then passed out from food coma. It was what I could consider a good dinner.

Aye Dios Mios! Mamacita

Sometimes, a good meal is all you need to make a night memorable. Other times, a good dining companion is all you need to make a terrible meal enjoyable. And then there are those rare moments when the planets and stars align, when the food is fantasically tasty and you dining companion is equally tasty in a non-cannibalistic sort of way. Those are the moments we should be hoping for when we eat.

I never planned on going to Mamacita on my last trip to San Francisco. In fact, I had never even heard of it. The decision to go there was a last minute choice over Circa, which is also on Chestnut. When I was first told of Mamacita’s Mexican cuisine, I was expecting sort of a run down and dingy place, when I could order tacos and horchata. On the contrary, Mamacita is quite the opposite of any Mexican place I’ve ever been to–it’s clean, slightly pricey, doesn’t serve horchata, and (most importantly) doesn’t look like the inside of a pueblo or mud hut. Mamacita’s light blue interior was a nice choice, but that’s probably because I’m partial to blue. And purple.

But the food is the real reason for my becoming a fan of the restuarant. How often is that just looking at a picture invokes the taste of a meal that happened over three weeks ago? The menu consists mostly of tapas that are meant for sharing. On this occasion, we did our best to balance our meal with plant/fruit matter, and more importantly, with three different types of meat (pork, beef, fish).

The jicama salad came with julienned slices of jicama mixed with cilantro, arugula, grapefruit, and strawberries in a vinagrette. While I don’t think jicama really has a flavor of its own, it adds a nice crunchy texture. The other ingredients, like cilantro, arugula, grapefruit, and strawberries, create a mix and mash of aromas and flavors that more than make up for jicama’s lack of flavor. They also make for an extremely colorful salad. I would eat this for a meal alone any day.

Next up were the tamales stuffed with carnitas and topped with mole and sour cream, and further topped with arugula (this becomes a recurring theme with their dishes I think). The corn meal worked well as a sponge to soak up the juices of the pork and sauce, and the meat was soft and tender. Usually, mole is a pretty strong sauce and can easily mask the flavor of everything else on a dish, but I think the sour cream softens the intensity of mole and allows for other flavors to come through, such as the corn meal and pork. And arugula, like always, adds a bitter taste to the dish just in case  you want something not as tasty as meaty flavors.

The carne asada tacos were a tad smaller than your usual taco truck tacos, but still packed quite a punch. The carne asada was soft and smoky, not too fatty, and just a little chewy. I forgot what kind of cheese topped the tacos, but it quite crumbly, and I want to say that it reminded me of feta cheese, except not as strong. And of course, it was topped with arugula. It’s not your regular taco with meat, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro, but it does retain the essence of a taco that you could get on the street while incorporating elements that justify raising the price several-fold (like fancy-pants arugula).

Finally, we ended our meal with halibut (or some other whitefish) with ratatouille (although I couldn’t seem to find it on their online menu). The fish was cooked thoroughly and flaked off without much effort, and had a lemony taste to it, probably from some lemon zest in the crust. The ratatouille was also quite good, as it tasted more like an actual vegetable dish rather than extra chunky salsa, which could very well pass as Mexican ratatouille. I don’t quite remember what the chunk of cornbread-looking thing was made out of, but it wasn’t cornmeal. I’d like to say chickpea, but it was more grainy than that. I also really enjoyed eating that as well. As you may well know by reading my previous entries, I’m pretty good at remembering how things taste, but not what they’re called.

I hope I can return soon and partake in some particularly awesome Mexican food and rest easy afterwards, knowing that I won’t get the same digestive problems after eating Mexican food like I do at other hole-in-the-walls. Unfortunately, since I’m a student, my budget slightly limits my menu options and how frequently I can go to places like this. Maybe some day in the future, when I’m financially stable, I won’t have to worry about throwing down a Benjamin or two for a dinner for two like this. Note: the meal only cost about $70 and my stomach was brimming full, but I would undoubtedly order more food if I had the opportunity, no matter how much pain I was in afterwards from stuffing my face silly. It’s just that good.

Mamacita

2317 Chestnut St

San Francisco, CA

(415) 346-8494‎

The Battle For A Mother’s Love (or at least Herndon and Blackstone) – Robertito’s

I’ve finally knowingly eaten at Robertito’s, and I’m more convinced than ever that they are owned and operated by brothers (possibly battling it out in a classic match of sibling rivalry for the affection of their mother or just customers). How did I come to this conclusion? You will see shortly that their methods for food preparation are similar and entirely unique to these stores: their tacos are overstuffed, bordering on burrito status, and their burritos are just tacos with a larger tortilla, filled with only meat, guacamole, onions, and tomatoes. Every other place I’ve visited has made tacos that can be folded into a recognizable half-circle and made burritos filled with meat, cheese, rice, beans, and other toppings (because burritos need to be more than just oversized tacos).

And plus, there’s a portrait on the wall showing three brothers with arms around shoulders. Might their names be Robertito, Arsenio, and Alberto?

Since it’s called Robertito’s Taco Shop, I expected a lot from the tacos. I got a carnitas, and since my friend ordered a carne asada burrito, I ordered a fish taco also for the sake of avoiding redundancy. When they first came out on the tray, wrapped in their yellow paper veils, both taco and burrito were almost indistinguishable in size (the taco was only slightly smaller). With the wrapper peeled away, I could see why it was so large: the taco had an overwhelming amount of stuffing, almost as much as a burrito. When folded in half, the tips of the tortilla couldn’t touch without innards spilling out. Now if I wasn’t such a fatty and actually had reservations about eating food that fell out of the taco, I’d be sad to see such a waste of precious pork filling. And the pork was indeed precious-juicy, shredded, and soft, it was leagues beyond the fried carnitas chunks at Arsenio’s. Score one for Robertito’s.

My fish taco was similarly gargantuan in size, with a small salad of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions on top of two fried pieces of fish. The fish was a little dark, either because it was in the fryer too long or because it’s been fried multiple times. Either way, it tasted old and greasy. The fish tacos I had at Arsenio’s tasted-in comparison-slightly fresher and came with a tartar-like sauce, fitting of a product made with a fried fish. Score one for Arsenio’s. As a side note, the tacos at Robertito’s are slightly cheaper at about $2.29 or so.

The first bite of the carne asada burrito had a lot of expectations riding on it: would it be like Arsenio’s and have only meat or would it be like the burritos of famous NorCal and SoCal establishments, containing a harmony of beans, rice, and meat? It was the former, and our hopes were quickly dashed. These are just like Arsenio’s, containing essentially the same fillings of meat, guacamole, tomatoes, and onions. The carne asada itself was extremely salty, and was difficult to swallow without a couple gulps of horchata. My brother said that it wasn’t normally this salty, so it may have been a preparation difference. Anyway, I’ll have to give a both places a tie for their unbalanced burritos.

So how am I going to decide who wins their mother’s-and my-love? Will it be Robertito’s squeaky-clean interior in a new strip mall versus Arsenio’s dingy interior inside an old Burger King? No, this battle will be decided with horchata! Robertito’s horchata is a little too watery and cinnamony for my taste. I think this is what would happen if I mixed Cinnamon Toast Crunch with water and some creamer. And as we all know, water and cereal don’t mix. Therefore, I declare Arsenio’s to be winner by virtue of its superior horchata.

But that doesn’t mean I won’t be crossing Herndon and Blackstone every now and then for some good carnitas.

Robertito’s Taco Shop

4509 N Blackstone Ave

Fresno, CA

(559) 226-8205

Note: Robertito’s and Arsenio’s are probably not related, but then that would eliminate all the drama

My New Obsession

I recently happened on to one of the greatest things since the powers that be created the almighty Internets (How would I waste my time without it?). ALOE JUICE. Yes, I know, it kinda sounds gross if you live in Fresno, having been exposed to soda and possibly horchata (one of the other greatest inventions since the Internets!), but this isn’t simply the stuff that you rub on burns in liquid form. Actually, it very well could be what I rub over my sunburns in a liquid form, but it’s tasty and refreshing and ranks up there in deliciousness with horchata. Except rather being milky and creamy like horchata, this is more watery, and therefore has much more potential to be refreshing on these hot summer days in the valley when consumed ice cold.

It’s a little odd how I stumbled upon this new love of mine: I was at my friend’s family barbecue, where there seemed to only be beer, when her little brother pulled out a tall, skyscraper-shaped, translucent green bottle that said “Aloe Juice.”

“Hmm…where did that come from?” I asked her later. “Did he just bring that with him?”

“Yeah, probably. He drinks it a lot. I hear it’s also good for your skin.”

Good for my skin? That got the cogs in my head turning. I remember drinking an American version of aloe juice that my parents bought from Costco years ago. Back then, it was like medicine because my dad forced me to drink a cup every day. So why did I buy it at a 99 Ranch Market on the way back from San Francisco? Beats me. Just cuz? Probably.

Anyway, that random act of consumerism has exposed me to a drink that’s watery, yet still tastes somewhat reminiscent to fruity syrup. But even though it tastes like syrup, it’s light in calories, only 70 per serving (for those of you who may be obsessive compulsive calorie counters like I am). However, the best part, or rather, the cherry on top, is the aloe pulp that’s in the drink: they’re like little packets of juice and gelatin matter that pop when you chew them. This isn’t like citrus pulp; it’s bigger and filled up, and almost feel foreign for people who haven’t had Asian drinks with boba and jellies. Interestingly enough, though, aloe juice is made by companies in Korea and Taiwan, but there are also Mexican versions of aloe juice as well, so I guess other Mexican drinks may also have little tasties floating in them.

In Fresno, you can get them at any Asian supermarket, like R-N, and maybe also at Mexican supermarkets. However, the Mexican version is sweetened with honey, and super sweet compared to the Asian versions. I prefer the Korean versions. Drink up!

Arsenio’s (or possibly Alberto’s)

EDIT: So according to Google Maps, it’s called Alberto’s, not Arsenio’s, but I could’ve sworn it said Arsenio’s on the sign. GAH!

Today, I’m writing about Arsenio’s on Blackstone and Herndon. I’m stating this as blunt as I can because I know it can be confusing trying to get all the Mexican fast food places in Fresno in order. I remember there being an Albertito’s and Robertito’s in addition to the Arsenio’s all on Blackstone. They’re all fast food places, they all serve pretty authentic Mexican food, and they all have similar logos. Before I got my facts straight, I was referring to Arsenio’s as Robertito’s. Why can’t there be a Juan’s? Why do they all have to rhyme? Are they all brothers running competing businesses? And you know what? I think they all taste the same. At least that’s what I’ve come to expect from the times my brother told me that it was Robertito’s instead of Arsenio’s.

Anyways, Mexican food always invokes images of late night drunken munchies, or other intoxicated sorts of munchies. I think when Mexican food tastes good when sober, however, then it’s truly good. Just like how beer goggles can do wonders for the opposite sex, the drunchies (that’s drunk munchies) can work wonders on your palate as well. Arsenio’s seems to fall in to the category of good when drunk. I’m quite used to eating there when drunk, but this time I decided to get it for an actual dinner, sans alcohol.

I remember getting the tacos the first time I was there this summer, post-imbibement of course, and was shocked at the price. $2.50 for one taco?! I thought $1.80 was expensive, and it still is in Los Angeles. So what did I get for $2.50? It was like they put two tacos and combined them into one, Voltron-style; two tortillas, lots of huge chunks of carnitas (not shredded), guacamole, onions, and tomatoes. If you don’t believe the size, here is a comparison shot of one taco against a 12 inch Powerbook. IT’S HUGE!

I wish the carnitas was shredded and juicier, but I guess it can be remedied with enough salsa rojas. The carne asade was pretty good, but I wish there was more smokiness in the flavor. I don’t know why guacamole is in the mix. It adds too much volume to an already overloaded taco. Most of the contents spill out the other side when one side is bitten. They should cut down on the amount and cut down the prices as well.

I got a carnitas burrito as well to eat the next day (I’m not that big of a fatty! Wait…yes I am). The burrito is basically a taco with more meat and a larger tortilla. The only contents of my carnitas burrito were meat, guac, tomatoes, and onions. If I knew there wouldn’t be any rice or beans, I would’ve gotten something else. I didn’t want to order the same thing thrice over in different iterations.

While Arsenio’s has some faults that make them inferior to the great tacos of Los Angeles, they do have one redeeming factor that helps me overlook their minor flaws: HORCHATA! It’s the nectar of the gods, if horchata came from fruit, that is. I can’t believe this isn’t sold in more places in Fresno. It hasn’t been declared as an offical gauge, but I use the presence of horchata in a restaurant to determine if it’s authentic. And for me, a place with horchata and not-hard-shelled tacos is all the authenticity I need for Fresno.

Arsenio’s (or Alberto’s)

5386 N Blackstone Ave

Fresno, CA

(559) 221-0121‎

Burrito Loco

I don’t think there’s not much I can say about Burrito Loco. In high school, I used to frequent this place with my friends, and this was about as authentic Mexican as it got for me. “Taco Bell? Please, I go to Burrito Loco. I’m totally down with Mexican food. I even use Tapatio!” I guess I was really naive before I moved to Los Angeles and got a kick in the face when I started going to places like Chano’s and La Taquiza. I’m not even going to compare the establishments because they’re two different cuisines catering to different customers. La Taquiza serves those who want real food with bold tastes. Burrito Loco serves those in North Fresno who, like me, consider this real Mexican compared to Taco Bell. But it’s not. It’s just really bland. And the salsa (or really just chunky V8 Tomato juice) doesn’t help either. I got the chile verde carnitas burrito, or something that sounds similar. All those ingredients should meld together to give a good, bold kick of flavor usually. Even if one of these ingredients had a dash of flavor, the burrito would have been good. But there was none to be found. And I was sad. Very sad. So sad and devoid of flavor to kick me in the face that I must use an emoticon.

The end.

I’ll stick to Arsenio’s and Robertito’s for Mexican food that will beat my taste buds in with flavor.

Burrito Loco

8963 N Cedar Ave

Fresno, CA

(559) 435-8226‎