Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  Or should I say, Bonne Année?  It is still the first week of January and so I think I’m not too late in wishing all of you the best for 2012… I hope it is filled with good health, joy, love and a lot of great food that you’ll be able to share with family and friends.  If things go right and you eat well, good food should bring you health, joy and maybe even love!  I know that’s what food does for me… I am grateful to start this new year with my mom and to be able to share some great moments with her.  This is my time to cook for her and also to take her out to try dishes that she might not find in France.  Actually that’s how we closed 2011… Along with two great foodie friends of mine, December 31^st was spent eating our way through Los Angeles.  Mainly in Little Tokyo.  Even though, we didn’t step foot in a Japanese restaurant, we experienced some great cuisines!  And all this thanks to my friend June who drove us around and knew where to take us.  So today, instead of posting a recipe of mine, I want to share with you these places that we went to…

We started with breakfast at Mom's Tamale in Highland Park.  We tried their Spinach and Feta Tamale, a Chile Relleno and a Carnitas Sopa.  It is a little hole in the wall with the restrooms in the back of the kitchen!  So watch your step and enjoy some great Mexican food in a very casual setting.  I particularly loved their carnitas.

From there, we stopped at Langer's next to McArthur’s Park.  Not the best neighborhood for sure, but definitively the best pastrami I’ve ever had!  They even make their own fresh rye bread.  We ordered the legendary #19 and also an appetizer of Chopped Liver.  Everything was very good and our server matched the old feel of this 1947 must-eat!  We quickly got back to our car and headed to Little Tokyo.

The Spice Table restaurant combines the cuisines of Singapore and Vietnam, homes of the owners.  It is rather trendy with high ceilings and an open hearth where they keep the fire going all day to cook some of their dinner food.  We arrived in the early afternoon and at that time, you can order sandwiches or salads and seat in the dining room.  We shared a Bahn Mi which is a traditional cold-cut sandwich from Vietnam.  It was very fresh and delicious!  They make their own baguette on-site and head cheese.  With the addition of the crisp pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro and jalapenos, it was a perfect mid-afternoon treat.

After that we took a stroll in Little Tokyo and did some shopping.  I even scored a fun $10 colorful sweater jacket and a new hat!  You got to eat in style and you got to have a cocktail… So we headed to The Bar at Spitz LT with their very funky décor and unusual libations.  I had the Santorini Collins with an apricot, lemon, date, fig and anise infused vodka topped with fresh lemon juice, soda and infused fruits.  My friends had another one of their creations and their homemade sangria.  Mom got a lemonade.  Just what we needed…

Our next stop was kind on the German side… We went to Wurstkuche.  This a place where they make different types of sausages ranging from alligator to buffalo.  We took it easy on my mom, though I was very close from ordering the rattlesnake sausage, and we shared a Duck and Bacon with Jalapeno Peppers Sausage and a Buffalo, Beef and Pork with Chipotle Peppers Sausage.  We also devoured a side of their French fries like we had never eaten all day!  I’d like to go back and try some of their other fancy creations.

Our last stop was at the The Lazy Ox Canteen.  This is a nice restaurant with global cuisine.  Most of the specials are written on big chalkboards on the walls and the tables are set close together.  This creates a casual setting yet it has a sophisticated feel.  We ordered the Muscovy Duck and Pork Rillettes which was fabulous.  The Fried Rabbit Livers with Hearts of Palm and Anchovy Vinaigrette were not to be missed but I found the breading on the livers to be a little too heavy.  The Caramelized Cauliflower with Mint and Pine Nuts was too chunky for me but the Lamb Cheeks with Semolina and Red Wine Reduction was probably my favorite dish of the day!

We came back to Orange County and ended our day and year with June’s homemade Chocolate and Espresso Snowballs Cookies washed down with a glass of Ruby Port.  At that point, I was very happy and content.  Mom and I washed the ball drop in New York at 9pm, shared our last 2011 hug and went to bed with our fully expanded and happy stomachs ready for 2012!