New Favorites: Go Greek Yogurt

I really like Greek yogurt. And from the looks of the ever expanding supermarket yogurt sections, so do a lot of other people. The grocery store varietal however is more "Greek-style," than truly Greek yogurt. None of it is actually made and strained in Greece. A new hopeful fast casual chain, Go Greek Yogurt, wants to authenticate the whole shebang by offering real Greek yogurt from Greece, Europe, Planet Earth. And from my first impression of the product, Go Greek may soon have all Los Angelenos yelling, "Opa!" (sorry, had to do it...).

When the Go Greek peeps invited me down to the Bedford Drive shop to sample their fare, I really didn't know what to expect. It's laid out very similarly to a Pinkberry - you pick a yogurt and then choose amongst a potpourri of toppings. What, aside from the healthier regular yogurt, differentiates itself from Pinkberry? It doesn't suck. The yogurt is actually really good and the topping offerings would impress even the dullest milquetoast. After choosing amongst three yogurt types (non-fat, reduced fat and regular; there's also a few frozen Greek yogurts, but I stuck to the non-frozen stuff), you move on to the ornamentations, all of which either originate from Greece (three honeys, seven marmalades) or local California purveyors (24 fruits, 20 "dry goods"). We're not just talking, YAWN, yogurt chips and recently defrosted strawberry either. Intriguing options like carrot or rose marmalade (both highly recommended), raw cacao nibs, flaxseed, dried cherries and goji berries, amongst others.

I fully prepared myself to have to grab lunch after my Go Greek visit, but the beautiful specimen you see above filled me up for hours. It definitely can be a time-strapped breakfast or lunch replacement. That said, it can also be a late morning or late afternoon filler - in between the normal U.E. gluttony (let's be honest...). Go Greek is the sort of place that will make you feel better about yourself, while not wanting to cut your tongue off with a Swiss Army knife. I look forward to the future Brentwood store, coming in early 2014.

If you're wondering, the Unemployed Eater Yogurt above there is the reduced fat yogurt, sage honey, blackberries, fig and raw peanut butter chews. And it is real. And it is glorious.  

Get This Burger On The 25 Degrees Menu!

Yesterday the kind denizens of Hollywood's 25 Degrees gourmet burger joint, located at the schwanky as heck Roosevelt, invited a few bloggers for a late lunch to create our own burgers. The task seemed simple enough: using any of their ingredients, assemble a burger worthy enough of the menu. However, it had been a while since my last 25 Degrees visit and I forgot their DIY burger section lists four patty types (sirloin, turkey, tuna and veggie), FOURTEEN fancy cheeses, FOURTEEN toppings and FOURTEEN different sauces. So... assemblage wasn't simple at all. After much deliberation (no joke - probably took me 25 sweaty minutes...), The Unemployed Eater Burger was born...

A turkey burger topped with smoked mozzarella, roasted peppers, well-done bacon, avocado, pesto and garlic-parmesan aioli.

It is a thing of beauty.

And since it's the season of giving, I was hoping you would help a needy blogger out. To get the U.E. Burger permanently on the 25 Degrees menu, I need you to like/favorite one of my Twitter or Instagram posts of it. The contest ends this afternoon.

Here's the Instagram post to like.

Thank you!

HALF OFF A KEURIG: BE THE BEST THANKSGIVUKKAH/CHRISTMAS PRESENT GIVER THIS YEAR

Recently the super rad peeps over at Keurig sent me a K-Cup homebrewing system - and I have to admit I love the thing. It makes individual cups of solid Joe, quickly, without any of the normal clean up. And I'm lazy as eff, so imagine my adoration for this convenient coffeemaker. It gets even better: I recently discovered Peet's makes K-Cups. 

Anyway, the Keurig kin didn't want the fun to stop with lolely ole me. They want to share the love with my friends, family, enemies, neurologists, fellow Unemployed Eaters... Everyone, even people randomly ending up on my blog and not sure how they got here and not sure if they like it or not. Pretty much, YOU. To make this happen, Keurig provided TEN coupons for HALF OFF A KEURIG COFFEEMAKER. Simply order before 12/31/13 through the Keurig site and enter your Personal Coupon Code at checkout. That's it. They're even throwing in FREE SHIPPING.

They make great holiday gifts for loved ones, or, you know, more importantly, yourself.

Want one of these coupons? Email me your request and I'll respond with your personal code. 

I ask for nothing in return - unless you're not already following U.E. on Facebook. Why the heck not, bro? If this is the case, throw me a holiday bone and LIKE U.E. please... A very Happy Thanksgivukkah to all. 

BOGO: Treats Froyo And Shaved Ice Anniversary Deal Thursday

Treats in Santa Monica will be celebrating their one year anniversary on Thursday, November 14th and they want you to be part of the celebration. Known for their artisanal, schmancy froyo (Salted Caramel and Chai Tea are U.E.'s personal faves) and shaved ice, the Ocean Park swirler will be serving up Buy One, Get One Free All Day. Also, from 3-6 pm, there will be a frozen yogurt eating contest, face painting, a photo booth, as well as raffle giveaways. 

Can't make it tomorrow? Swing by Saturday or Sunday as 20% of all weekend proceeds will be donated to the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation. 

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Treats

1700 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica

FREE FREE FREE: Win FREE Slaw Dogs For A Year

Purveyors of some of the city's finer sausage/ toppings concoctions, The Slaw Dogs, want to give you FREE MEALS FOR A YEAR. Yep, one free Slaw Dogs Meal per week, for the entirety of 2014. You'll be Scrooge McDuck'in it in their signature dogs, fries and burgers. All you have to do is join their Mobile Club before 12/15 by texting "244326" or by signing up here. That's it. A Club member will be chosen at random for the grand prize, while ten others will receive one free meal. 

The deal is solely for their Woodland Hills location. 

If/when you win, I recommend the #6, The Green Monster (1/4 lb Vienna beef, roasted pasilla, chipotle mayo, grilled onion, pepper jack and garlic salsa verde). 

New Favorites: South End

Venice's new South End may advertise itself as a "European-style wine bar and cafe," but don't be fooled. South End is for pizza - slinging out some of the westside's best pies. Sure, there are a few salads, cheese and charcuterie plates and "tartes" (also known as a flatbreads/pizzas at other joints) and they even offer some nice vino varietals. The menu though is dominated by pizza and the reason South End has been popping since inception at the corner of Abbot Kinney and Washington Blvd. Is this place Mozza? Not exactly. Yet it shares three very important characteristics with the vaunted Melrose restaurant: 1) A former Mozza chef (Frank Fermin), 2) A tiny space (making the spot always busy and reservations in demand) and 3) Top notch crust. The sourdough-ish crust is also topped with fine, fresh, local ingredients. South End is also the complete opposite of that other schmancy Abbot Kinney pizza spot, Gjelina. No cold shoulder, I'm attractive, so I can just sorta treat you however here. At South End, you're immediately welcomed with a firm handshake and smile from co-owner Mario Vollera. And that personality shines in the pizzas. Especially the Venus (Roma tomatoes, salami, mozzarella, Fresno chilies and red onion) and the Winward (spinach, garlic, black pepper and Fontina and Piave cheeses). Definitely a welcomed addition to the westside pizza scene.

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South End
2805 Abbot Kinney Blvd (entrance off Washington), Venice

First Thoughts: The Church Key

When caught in the harried midst of opening a restaurant in today's merciless LA culinary landscape, restauranteurs often forget the most important aspect of all. Sure, they get a young chef from some spot that people think is cool. They pack the menu with local, sustainable ingredients. They hire the hot mixologist (or whatever the heck you want to call bartenders these days) to make creative, expensive, schmancy cocktails. Train the front of the house staff like mad. They even get the designer to make the place's interior rustic. Yet contemporary. Yet industrial. Yet modern minimalist...

Despite all of these fine touches, restauranteurs let one thing slip their mind: IS THE RESTAURANT ACTUALLY FUN TO EAT AT? Not like in a Dave & Buster's sorta way, but in a, would I want to take a date/visiting friends/parents/enemies/a lady of the night there? In 2013, Los Angeles is a wonderful food city. There are a dizzying array of dining options every evening. So much so, that I (and many others, I'm sure) find themselves often only able to eat a restaurant one time. Maybe two. Ever. Not because I dislike the restaurant - but simply out of necessity. There are too many other restaurants to try.

This brings me to the point of this whole post: The Church Key, a new "New American" and "American dim sum" spot on Sunset in West Hollywood on the ground floor of Sunset Towers, which, despite the treacherous traffic from Santa Monica on a Friday evening, is definitely a spot I hope to eat at more than once. And a lot of it has to do with the fact the place is actually fun to eat at. Sure, Chef Steve Fretz's (Top Round; previously XIV and Curtis Stone Group) food excels, but there are other factors that will bring me back.

((This was a hosted event.))

THE SPACE: In the simplest of terms, The Church Key is just cool. One of the more impressive interiors of any new restaurant in 2013, CK possesses a very Southern California, laid back feel. Mix-matched furniture, lots of blacks and whites, a distressed tin roof and an overall very rustic, yet vintage feel make the place both simultaneously grand and inviting. When you go out for a nice meal on Sunset Blvd on a Friday night, this is what you want the restaurant to look like. And while it nails the SoCal cool aesthetic, it still is able to avoid the sitcom-y feel of some other recent openings.

DRINKS: Normally I skip the cocktail menu. I'm a Jack and Ginger or beer kind of guy. I'm boring like that. But the CK menu intrigued me. Especially the Fashioned Chai, which is the marriage of two of my favorite things: an Old Fashioned and chai. What beautiful nuptial bliss it is! A traditional Old Fashioned (in this case, Apple Jack brandy and Buffalo Trace bourbon) plus the sweet, spicy, warm hint of a chai syrup. This, upon first sip, automatically became one of my favorite Southland drinks. My lady friend also enjoyed her Shut The Fuck Up (vodka, lime, orgeat syrup and soda water) and Shot in the Dark (Dolin Blanc vermouth, bourbon, pineapple and "absinth rinse").

OFF THE "DIM SUM" CART: Now, what really makes The Church Key unique is their "Dim Sum" feature. The dim sum element - which, honestly, I first thought would be a little cheesy - really strives. Outside of the normal small plates/big bites menu, there are servers pushing around carts with assorted small bites and drinks. What this does -- besides keep you full in between courses -- is it adds a social element of picking and choosing amongst diners. Almost like a culinary ice-breaker that perpetually keeps one on their toes. Amongst a multitude of options, we ended up only ordering three things off the carts. And we purposely skipped the Pig Ear Cheetos every one has been talking about because, honestly, they didn't intrigue us. What we did order: Salt and Vinegar Popcorn, the bread rolls and the Hamachi. The Salt and Vinegar popcorn is awesome. Up there with Next Door By Josie's Beer and Bacon Caramel Corn as some of the city's finest. However, highly addictive (and free!), I would not recommend ordering this first like we did. You will eat it all and be full for the rest of the meal. Save it for the latter end. The rolls, buttery and flaky with a nice crust, come with a killer smoked bacon spread that serves as a perfect compliment. The hamachi is pretty standard fare, although the housemade rice krispies on top are a nice touch.

OFF THE MENU: The menu features a wide variety of playful, "New American" dishes, with many ethnical influences at play. We ended up ordering five items - two appetizers, a pasta and two mains. The first appetizer, the Ososky's Potato Pierogies, are good, but a tad over-fried. That said, their aged gouda filling and accompanying apple butter on the side serve as nice, innovative alterations to this Polish classic. The second appetizer though, very much to my surprise, shined. Seconds after I ordered the Grilled Artichokes, I couldn't even remember why I had ordered it. I honestly could not remember the last time I had been impressed with the dish. Maybe the kitchen read my mind because The Church Key Grilled Artichoke is probably my favorite Grilled 'Chokes iteration ever. Perfectly grilled hearts topped with a creamy Hollandaise sauce, peppadews and brioche croutons (a strange inclusion, but totally works). Really good appetizer. Sticking with the 'chokes theme, we moved on to the pasta course - Sunchoke Agnolotti with Beaufort cheese, chantrelles and brown butter. These are like warm, gooey, comforting pillows of Jerusalem artichoke and French cheese. Order them.

We then moved on to the mains - Tapioca Crusted Thai Snapper and Grilled Skirt Steak. The snapper is one of Chef Fretz's signature dishes, so we were eager to try. Although we both enjoyed the dish (tons of flavor, broccolini a nice touch), we both found it to be a little heavy (and a tad greasy). Honestly, on a normal menu at a normal restaurant, I imagine this dish would soar. But at Church Key, which encourages diners to order multiple small plates and dim sum offerings, by the time you get to the bigger dishes, you're pretty freaking full and more in search of something substantial, yet not overwhelming. The combination of a big, fried piece of fish atop a rice cake? A little overwhelming. The Grilled Skirt Steak provided no complaints though. Nicely seared/crusted, the undertones of the cilantro-sesame marinade shine through. 

Note: The service was pretty impeccable, but I would recommend the restaurant keep on eye on patrons' plate needs. Often we found ourselves using the same plate for a variety of dishes. While some of the sauces co-mingled well, some did not (like hamachi and pierogies, for example).

DESSERT: A lot of people recommended the Sticky Toffee Pudding, but we were both really full by the time dessert came around, so we ended up just ordering the Brown Butter Donuts. Then, while waiting for the donuts to arrive, I caught a glimpse of the Pumpkin Torte on one of the mobile carts and had to try it. I recommend you do the same - deep, rich pumpkin flavor, topped with a meringue/marshmallow top. In fact, I think dessert serves as one of the most useful times for the dim sum carts. It enables a table to try multiple smaller desserts, rather than the usual order one item off the menu and share. That said, the Brown Butter Donuts are really good and you should probably order them. Hot and fresh out of the oven, my gf, who doesn't really like donuts, loved them. The accompanying Sesame Shake also adds a depth to the dessert. And, this is a little counter-intuitive because we were full, but I appreciate how CK doesn't skimp on the donut serving size. While many popular restaurants currently feature the venerable, suddenly haute pastry on their menu, most of the time they're "beignets," which pretty much means "small" and "not worth how much you're paying." Not so at Church Key. Unlike the snapper, if you can't finish the donuts in the restaurant, they make for a great breakfast the following morning. 


IN CONCLUSION: I really enjoyed my first visit to The Church Key. It's a fun restaurant with some whimsy - in the restaurant space itself, cooking up in Chef Fretz's kitchen and also behind Devon Espinosa's bar. The American dim sum concept really makes for an interesting and innovative LA dining experience. If you go, please get an order of the donuts to go and drop them off at my front door. Thank you.

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THE CHURCH KEY
8730 Sunset Blvd, WeHo

An Open Letter to Huckleberry

Photo Courtesy Kitchen Runway.

Dearest Huckleberry -

I love you (examples here and here and here). Not in like a creepy way. More like an uncomfortably infatuated way. Like, I'd totally take you to Winter Ball if you would accept. You mean that much to me. As a Santa Monican, your breakfast/brunch is pretty much the blood in my veins. Every time my buddies and I decide where to grab the day's most important meal, it always starts with "Huckleberry, for sure," and it usually ends with us stuffing our skulls with your delicious, fresh fare. Your bread pudding is the tits. Your breakfast potatoes could kick anyone else's breakfast potatoes' ass. That Indian-spiced avocado-carrot salad thing? Avocadelicious. However, I've got a beef. The level of beef Taylor Swift would write a very popular song about.

On the weekends, you offer a Breakfast Burrito. The best breakfast burrito I've ever had. Not even close. LA Weekly foolishly rated it fourth best in the city, but, come on, they used your burrito as the lead picture in the post for a reason. It's fucking gorgeous. It's the Kate Upton of breakfast burritos. Curvaceous, vivacious and All-American-ious (California cheddar! California potatoes! California meat!). The perfect combination of fluffy scrambled eggs, roasted onions, just sharp enough cheddar, well-seasoned potatoes, fresh guac and tasty sausage or bacon, all wrapped in a lightly-toasted warm blanket of a tortilla. The housemade tomatillo salsa on the side also doesn't suck. It's the sort of breakfast burrito that just makes the rest of your day better because you know you've begun with the pinnacle. So what if the rest of the day sucks balls? You've already reached the apex. 

However, this transcendent experience is inexcusably available only on the weekends! WHAT?! Come on! That's just utter tomfoolery. The only thing that gets me through my weekly Temescal hikes is daydreaming of that Breakfast Burrito. Honestly, without BB halluincations and mirages, there is no way I survive those hikes. They're the wind in my sails. But, if it's not the weekend, I do not get the prize I deserve. I'm denied my prize. And I know I'm not alone. When I visit for weekend brunch, it's common to see a table of six all digging into breakfast burritos. Nor, is it uncommon to hear a patron on a Tuesday or Wednesday remarking on its unavailability. 

Why not make them available all week long, so this joy can be spread daily? I know I've spoke to co-owner Josh about this. He said he'd consider. And I do understand the logistics of making the tortillas/chips, etc. Doesn't mean it's impossible though. Josh, you're a lifelong Santa Monican and your wife, Zoe, an adopted local, so tell me this... do you guys really strive to make the city you love less happy? Is that what you're shooting for?

In all seriousness, it's a boss breakfast burrito. And it would be splendiferous if it could be available every day of the week. 

Big Ups and Mad Respect,

The Unemployed Eater

Photo Courtesy of ponderossa.

LA Phil + Nice Dinner = Affordable?

If you're like me, you probably often drive by the Walt Disney Concert Hall, marvel at its sheer beauty and think to yourself, "I should, like, totally go there more often." But then that just doesn't happen. A lot of the times it comes down to economics. When you add LA Philharmonic tickets plus dinner plus parking, you got a pretty pricey evening. Sure, you want to be a cultured individual, but not if it's going to make you go broke. Well, it appears the LA Phil feels your pain and wants to offer a solution in the form of Get Your Phil, a new fall program that, on select dates, allows concert goers to enjoy an upscale, multi-course pre-show meal at a nearby restaurant for a mere $32. And as you can see from the lineup below, it's not restaurants you don't want to eat at etiher. So, get some grub and some culture already, bro. No excuses because it's now sorta affordable:

Friday, October 25  - Border Grill Downtown LA (Salonen & Sibelius)

Friday, November 8 - Le Ka Restaurant (Tovey & Shostakovich) 

Saturday, November 30 - Blue Cow Kitchen (((U.E. initial review and owner interview))) (Bach, Schumann and more)

Buy tix here.

My 89-Year Old Grandmother Reviews Magnolia Bakery's Red Velvet Cake

Two years ago she assessed Momofuku Milk Bar's Compost Cookie. Last year she ranted and raved about the Chocolate Chunk Cookie from The Bent Spoon. Naturally, when I once again visited my forthright grandmother in New Jersey, I had to find a dessert for her to review. You see, she's got the sweet tooth of a kindergartner, but "not with fussy stuff." So, obviously, I seek out the fussiest of the fussiest and put it on a plate in front of her and collect her ruminations.

This year's scheduled review also happened to fall on my Dad's birthday, so we got a Red Velvet Cake from the famed Magnolia Bakery. The birthday cake came from the bakery's Rockefeller Center/NYC location, but they've grown rapidly of late (thanks Carrie Bradshaw?) and now have a whopping seven U.S. (including L.A.) and five international locations (so next time you're in Doha!). Magnolia's Red Velvet cake (a thick, sugary cream cheese frosting on top and in between dense and rich layers of red velvet cake) seemed like the perfect dessert for Granny to review because, a former Manhattan socialite in her day, she would probably fit right in with Carrie and the others.

And here are my 89-year old grandmother's thoughts on the cake...

APPEARANCE: "It's very colorful" and "Beautiful" and "Probably tastes delicious, but I wish it was chocolate"

ARE YOU EXCITED?: "Oh, I'm very excited"

TASTE: "Yum" and "Good... very fresh" and "It's cream cheese?" and "Almost as good as chocolate" and "What is red velvet anyway?"

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT COST? "A minimum of $25" and "This sort of thing would have cost 75 cents in my day"

Note: The cake cost $36. I didn't have the heart to tell her.