March: The best things I ate last month
With March having quickly come and gone, I wanted to do a wrap-up of the best, most noteworthy things that I ate. And drank.
Enjoy!
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Milton's Craft Bakers Gluten Free Baked Crackers
Crunchy and thin, salty, light, guilt-free (they're gluten free AND non-GMO), and absolutely delicious - my coworkers and I have been going BANANAS over these crackers! After having tried four varieties, including Crispy Sea Salt - Multi-Grain - and Cheddar Cheese, my favorite would have to be Everything. Similar to the namesake bagel, the Everything cracker is chock-full of sesame seeds, caraway, poppy and, in an extra-healthy twist, quinoa seeds!
Note: I do not have Celiac Disease or follow a gluten-free diet. I begrudgingly tried these crackers assuming that, because they are "gluten free," they'd taste like cardboard. Boy, was I wrong!!
Milton's Gluten Free "Everything" Baked Crackers.
The Kimchi Quesadilla, Kogi BBQ Truck
This is the food truck of all food trucks, isn't it? To be honest, I don't think I had ever heard of anything other than a "taco truck" prior to Kogi. Had you?
Being that Kogi started right here in LA, I had to pay tribute to the "OG of street food" by paying it an inaugural visit.
...With none other than The Kimchi Quesadilla: Two perfectly blistered, buttery flour tortillas were "filled to the gills with melting jack and cheddar cheeses and caramelized kimchi" before being slapped together and topped with classic salsa roja and sesame seed crush.
What, hater, does the melding of Mexican and Korean cuisines not sound appealing? Well, you couldn't be more wrong. Because this seemingly crazy concoction of flavors and textures is sheer fcuking DYNAMITE!
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Banana cream pie, The Apple Pan
It's not that I dislike bananas, but they're not my "go to" fruit. I'd say I'm much more of a pineapple or other type of tropical fruit kind of gal. However, when it comes to the Banana Cream Pie at The Apple Pan, I am a born-again believer. The buttery, slightly-sweet crust is lathered with a thin layer of banana pudding, piled high with *fresh* banana slices, crowned with another layer of pudding, then finished with homemade whipped cream. Absolutely delicious!
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Pork & Chicken Meatballs, Shophouse Southeast Asian Kitchen
For those of you who don't know, Shophouse is like an Asian version of Chipotle. So instead of filling a flour tortilla with Mexican ingredients, you're filling a rice bowl with pan-Asian vegetables and protein. And the winner on the menu? The pork + chicken meatballs.
I'd be a liar if I said that I wasn't terrified about ordering meatballs containing chicken (upon my first visit to Shophouse). I mean, it's just. Such. A. Boring. Protein. Why wouldn't they make the 'balls with beef? Whatever. The takeaway is that they're shockingly moist, juicy and, as odd as it is to say, velvety. These morsels are bursting with so much flavor that I find myself curiously craving them on a weekly basis.
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A tall glass of doogh, Shamshiri Grill
There's nothing sexier than hearing your beau speak his native language - especially when he's ordering food and drink on your behalf.
Farsi menu at Shamshiri GrillIn an effort to try something new, I ordered a glass of "doogh" to go alongside my meal. Doogh, a savory yogurt beverage that tastes very similar to buttermilk, is served over ice and finished with mint. It's tangy, slightly salty, filling, and quite delicious.
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Until we eat again,
The Lunch Belle