Archive
for January, 2014
Highland Park: DIY Soda Making at Galco’s
Jan 24 2014
Galco’s Old World Grocery is one of York Boulevard’s oldest businesses, and its staying power isn’t a mystery. The Highland Park shop sell a million different types of soda—okay actually about 500—from all over the world, old-timey candies and even a nice selection of beer. Plus, a soundtrack of 1950s malt shop hits is always playing in the background. Now there’s yet another reason to go: they let you mix and bottle your own soda with their Soda Creation Station, a simple, but genius set up comprised of a soda fountain, flavored syrups and a bottling contraption.
Galco’s didn’t skimp on quality for this venture. Owner John Nese told me he deliberated a long time at every step, including choosing Monin syrups, a high-quality (for example, the vanilla is made with, you know, real vanilla) French brand that uses pure cane sugar to create well-balanced, authentic flavors. Eighty varieties, running the gamut from the traditional cola, cherry, and lemon to the more exotic pumpkin pie and chipotle-pineapple, are kept on hand. At least 8 pumps are suggested, which was a little too sweet for me, but for most people, it seems to do the trick.
Once the syrup is in check, finding the right carbonation level is key. Taking into consideration that some like their soda sharp while others perfer it a little more low key, the machine dispensed the spectrum of bubbles, light to heavy. I chose heavy carbonation and wasn’t disappointed. Even a week later, the bottles I took home were still nice and fizzy.
When all is poured and mixed, you get to cap your own bottle, which is a fun perk among fun perks. The antique metal bottler has a lever that you push down on, and voilà, you’ve bottled and capped your very own soda. My result was a very delicious dark-chocolate-cherry combo along with an imitation Fago Rock & Rye for my Midwestern husband. With all those flavors, I was tempted to experiment and make a bunch more, but as a soda fanatic, I couldn’t be trusted to have too many in the house. I can’t wait to have a party, though, so I can go down to Galco’s and bottle my own mixers.
Each bottle is $2.99 and well worth it.
-Valentina
Galco’s Old World Grocery
5702 York Boulevard
Los Angeles, 90042
Eagle Rock: Ham & Cheese from Auntie Em’s
Jan 16 2014
I’m not really a ham and cheese kind of girl. I like a good turkey or veggie sandwich for everyday and maybe an Italian sub when I feel like going for it, but I barely give a passing glance to ham and cheese on a menu. The fact is they rarely impress, and ham usually has one flavor profile-salty.
However…
There’s one variation that refuses to be ignored: Auntie Em’s Black Forest Ham And Mustard Seed Gouda. This sandwich is something special and (caution) crave inducing. Perhaps the most important thing is that it comes on delicious pretzel bread, which is thick but pleasingly pillowy. None of that hard stuff they try to pawn off at you at, say, Whole Foods. Secondly, the smokey ham is folded and stacked high above a couple of slices of creamy Gouda, which is flecked with mustard seeds, giving it a fantastic intensity that wakes up the whole combo. It’s definitely as crucial as the pretzel bread and should never be substituted for a simple cheddar or jack. Dijon mustard is spread on the top piece of bread, complementing that robustness of the cheese while a healthy schmear of mayo on the bottom slice keeps the flavors under control. Lettuce and tomato finish it off.
I’m not usually one to crown anything “the best,” but for my money, it really is the best ham and cheese sandwich I’ve ever had (not counting trips to France). Plus, it’s so hearty that you only need to get half, which opens you up to the full array of Auntie Em’s lovely seasonal side salads.
-Valentina
Auntie Em’s
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd
Los Angeles, 90041
Worth the Drive: Hitting the Yolk Gold Jackpot at EggSlut in Downtown LA
Jan 02 2014
I first tried EggSlut a year ago when it was serving out of a humble truck parked in front of Handsome Roasters in the downtown arts district. The gourmet egg sandwiches and imaginative potato concoctions (crowds fall over themselves for the often sold out pureed potato cooked and served in a dainty glass jar) coming out of its mobile kitchen were impressive. Recently, EggSlut upgraded just slightly to a permanent food stall as part of the changes to the Grand Central Market downtown. There was such clamor over a brick-and-mortar EggSlut that, on their opening day, they sold out of breakfast before 11am.
We stopped in for a late weekend brunch, and the hearty egg sandwiches left us feeling as happy and bright as the sunny-side-ups we just devoured. The egg, sausage and cheddar served on a biscuit was a triumph of baking chemistry and flakiness. To borrow from the recent craze over Cronuts, Cro-doughs and the like, this biscuit should be deemed a Cro-scuit for its combination of light, flaky layers and dense, hearty biscuit dough. I also give them an extra special gold star for heaping their sandwiches thick with ooey, gooey Tillamook cheddar cheese. Every bite left me going back for more, if only because the springy, melted cheese strands acted like boomerangs that returned me happily to the home base of my biscuit-wich.
We went big that morning and also ordered the EggSlut burger, topped with avocado, caramelized onions, over-easy egg, cheddar and served on a fluffy brioche bun. The beef patty was thick and juicy, with the full, buttery taste of quality meat. The melted cheddar and the runny yolk mingled beautifully together, and, with the smooth avocado, caused each bite to be creamy and indulgent.
The potato dish on offer that day was a Pavé—imagine a precisely layered au gratin, cut into individual bricks and toasted to a golden brown. It was a refined and delicate counterpoint to our messy runny sandwiches. Our meal ended with lots of discarded napkins as we wiped the yolk off our hands and from the corners of the huge smiles on our faces.
EggSlut
at Grand Central Market
317 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
-Jennifer Li
Jennifer is a staff writer for Eastside Food Bites. Learn more about her on our Contributor’s page.
