Thai Boat Noodles at Sanamluang

I made sure to indulge in some of my favorite foods during my vacation back in California for the holidays. But I also made an effort to try out some things that I've heard so much about on the Twittersphere but don't have access to out in New York. Among those things are good fish tacos. Yet, the hands down best thing I ate was a bowl of Thai boat noodles. I had heard so much about boat noodles, and the lack of authentic boat noodles in New York made the experience in Los Angeles that much more special.

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Although most people flock to the two heavyweights of the Thai boat noodle community in North Hollywood's Thai Town, Pa Ord and Sapp, I had my noodles at Sanamluang Cafe. It was only days after the New Year and many places were closed for the holidays. Sanamluang, with its 4 am daily closing time, was perfect for meeting up some of my familiar food friends @olivejina, @djjewelz, @limer35 @kungfoodpanda, and @ravenouscouple. The restaurant is in a small shopping center with a parking lot that easily gets overwhelmed.



While it's not difficult to find a bowl of beef noodle soup at Thai restaurants all over the country, it's tough to find one made with all the offal that truly makes a great bowl of boat noodles. Thai food in America is so generic and the flavors are simplified to the point of easy replication at any pan-Asian fusion eatery. The name comes from the common serving style in Thailand, when vendors sell noodles directly out of their boats. The secret to a great bowl is the abundant use of pork blood, liver, and other cuts of beef. Though it's listed as spicy beef noodles on the menu at Sanamluang, you can also order it as boat noodles. They'll know what you're talking about.

I've commonly heard of Thai boat noodles as pho on crack. It is the most flavorful bowl of noodles I've ever come across. Savory and sour are the main components, but a healthy amount of spice gives it a kick. Cinnamon and star anise are the key elements. However, the most memorable aspect of the noodles is the outstanding mouthfeel of the soup.

If anyone knows where I can get a great bowl of Thai boat noodles in New York, please let me know!

Sanamluang Cafe
sanamluangcafe.menutoeat.com
5176 Hollywood Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 90027
(323) 660-8006
$5.95 for a bowl of "Spicy Beef Noodles"

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Taix

(213) 484-1265
1911 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Adequately Fed: $21 (sans wine)
Clam Chowder****
House Salad, Vinaigrette**
Braised Short Ribs****
Roast Chicken*****
Orange Sherbet**
(Out of Five Stars)

I'll admit it. I'm a foodie who has very limited experience with French cuisine. In my lifetime, I can only remember going to two exclusively French restaurants, besides my trip to France. Even worse, I took Spanish in high school and my command of French pronunciation is terrible. The issue with French food is that it always commands an air of prestige, what French restaurant is not fancy? Last night's dinner at Taix (pronounced "Tex") showed me how delicious and non-pretentious French food can be.

Opened in 1927, Taix is a part of Los Angeles history. Walking into the restaurant, I felt a wave of nostalgia for simpler times, despite the fact I have not lived in "simpler times." The decor reminded me of an old village inn and there are multiple banquet rooms for large parties.

The menu is short and straight forward. Many of their dishes are on a weekly rotation, so besides a soup of the day, there is also an entree of the day. It seemed to me that they hid their best items like their filet mignon on their rotating menu to encourage customers to come on days like Monday. The staple items of the menu were simple homestyle French dishes like roast chicken, short ribs, pork chops. They have kept to traditional dishes rather than opting for the trendy fusion cuisine that has marred so many French restaurants.

My braised short ribs were excellent in their juiciness and flavor. I always fear that braised dishes will be overcooked, but this was not the case. The grated horseradish also added a unique flavor to the beef. It was the mashed potatoes that stole the spotlight though. They were whipped to a fluffy consistency not weighed down by garlic or herbs but allowed the potato flavor to shine. Their roast chicken, a signature dish, also showcased the great food that kept this place in business for so long. Portion were large by French standards. I hate excessive plating, but these dishes were served in large plates filled to the brim. For $4, you can make any entree into a prix-fixe set including a salad, sherbet, and all you can eat soup du jour. The drawbacks in the food were few. My salad was soggy and not very appetizing. Also, the sherbet tasted generic and scooped from a tub.

Besides my shame in not appreciating French food, I also carry the much deeper shame of not liking wine. As such, I did not order any for my dinner last night. But besides my own personal preference, I was impressed by their extensive wine list worth seeing for the oenophile.

Recommended: Portions are large if you want to get a full six-course meal. Be prepared to eat.

Electric Lotus

4656 Franklin Ave
Hollywood, CA 90027

Adequately Fed: $15

Ordered:
Vegetable Samosas***
Fried Calamari*****
Chicken Vindaloo***
Lamb Mint Curry***
(Out of Five Stars)

I'm always suspicious of restaurants that are darkly lit. Regardless of the romantic mood of dinner by candlelight, I wonder what imperfections in their food they're trying to hide. Electric Lotus, located on Franklin and Vermont has just the kind of lighting Spider-man, Batman, or any other superhero with a light adverse motif would appreciate.

Besides the lighting, the restaurant looks as though it is under construction with some tasteful decoration, but also elements, such as unpainted ceiling, that leave you wondering where the construction crew is. Of course, I never judge a restaurant by its ambiance.

We ordered two appetizers, samosas, common fare in all Indian restaurants, and calamari. Unfortunately, Electric Lotus does not serve complimentary naan, which is like a French restaurant that doesn't serve bread. It does however, have a wide selection of different kinds of naan on the menu in the range of $3-5. Personally, I rarely eat samosas, but the order (which came with three samosas) was rather plain. They weren't as crispy as I expected, though the spiciness in the filling gave them some personality. The calamari, interestingly tempura battered, were excellently fried. More interestingly was the tamarind dipping sauce that came with it, which added a crisp sweet tang. Sadly, the order of calamari was $12 and certainly not enough for more than four people at most.

Their curries come in cute individual bowls with a separate bowl of basmati rice. The vindaloo was good and filling, but nothing spectacular. I chose the mint curry with lamb because of how well the flavors of mint compliment lamb, but the dish did not fully utilize this herb. The mint was more of an afterthought, resulting in a tasty, but unimaginative dish.

Recommended: Boon for you unfortunate looking people, this place is so dark inside that you'll have to make out your date's features by candlelight.

Bossa Nova

7181 W Sunset Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90046

Adequately Fed: $18

Ordered:
Guarana Soda***** (The waiter described this as a mix of ginger ale and cream soda, but I don't think that does justice to this. It's fruity and delicious)
Fried Cheese Shrimp Appetizer** (I forgot the actual name of this, but it tastes a little like a cheesy crab cake. Only drawback is that they give you one per order. Not worth it)
Grilled Lamb Platter*****
Grilled Seasonal Vegetable Platter***
(Out of Five Stars)

I don't know if I would go to Bossa Nova for Brazilian food, but I would definitely go for what I would consider Brazilian/Italian/American

fusion. First, find a parking spot then most likely settle down for a lengthy wait. This place has a large customer base for good reason. The seating area itself is relatively small but my main complaint is the discomfort of the metal tables and chairs. They do not allow enough room to sit comfortably for an extended time.

The menu consists of many sandwich, pizza, and pasta items. In fact, I had to look hard to find anything that sounded Brazilian. Most of the dishes had Brazilian elements, but I'd be hard pressed to actually call this a Brazilian restaurant. We ordered from their grilled platter section. The portions were gigantic and very diverse. Each plate had pico de gallo, black bean, fried plantains (or fries), rice, and cornmeal. The cornmeal was dry and took a lot of the flavor out of the food, but of course it is optional. Strangely, the lamb plate came with more grilled vegetables as well, and even better vegetables than the veggie platter in my opinion. So keep in mind that each plate has vegetables if you plan on getting the veggies alone.

The service is this place's biggest downfall. An overanxious waiter approached us for our order before we even opened the menu. Then throughout the night, he tried to compensate by hardly coming by our table at all. Bossa Nova is understaffed for its large turnover rate.

I have also heard, on good authority, that the coffee is excellent.

Also to note, there is at least another location of this restaurant. For the purposes of this review, I only based my observations on the location in Hollywood.

Recommended: Adequate date restaurant. The slow service gives you time for idle date chit-chat.

Yai Restaurant

5757 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Adequately Fed: $12

Ordered:
Crab Rolls***
Fried Tofu**
Papaya Salad**
Red Chicken Curry****
(Out of Five Stars)

I'm not going to pretend to have any expertise in Thai cuisine so I won't go into the authenticity of this hole-in-the-wall restaurant. However, speaking as someone who loves food, the cuisine at Yai Restaurant will leave you heartily satisfied, whether or not it's authentic.

This is the kind of restaurant you look for when you want food that isn't overly glamorous or pricey. Located conveniently next to a 7-Eleven and a donut shop, this restaurant is adequately clean and suspiciously well-lit. Parking was not too difficult on a Sunday night. At least parking was good enough that my car had somewhere to break down.

We had to wait about ten minutes for a table and the service left much to be desired. I figure the waitresses adopted an Asian custom of tending to customers the bare minimum, and so I adopted the Asian custom of tipping the bare minimum. But I'm not looking for excellent service or decor (which, by the way, was tastefully furnished with promotional Thai beer posters), I'm looking for good food at a reasonable price, and both these prerequisites were satisfied and exceeded.

Recommended: Great for "I dont want to cook" nights. Not so great a date restaurant unless you manage to get your car towed.