RoobiFood

It’s been some time since I waxed poetic about The Village Idiot’s smoked cheddar burger, kvelled over its mussels steamed in ale or lauded its brussel sprouts with bacon, but I’m here to praise this gourmet pub again… not the fish & chips with its malt vinegar dipping sauce or its oak grilled bangers & mash (been there – done that – still yummy), but their duck eggs. Yup – duck eggs.

Recently The Idiot (its affectionate nickname) started serving brunch and, of course, I had to find out what gourmet delights I would find at a pub. I’m thinking fancy hash & eggs or a twist on steak & eggs, but that would be taking the easy way out. Food-wise that is. Instead, I found a menu filled with wonderful culinary concoctions. Everything from homemade breakfast bread to cherry-cashew granola… from whiskey cured ocean trout with toasted brioche, crème fraiche and pickled beets to fried duck eggs, chorizo, tomato, chiles & yellow corn grits… from tomato ricotta tart with poached eggs and herb salad to lemon ricotta pancakes with sliced bananas and honeycomb butter. Blimey!

The first thing my husband and I sampled was the large, wonderfully gooey sticky bun. I wanted to take a dozen home, but if did, I’d have gained a dozen pounds.

Then came my order of cinnamon orange French toast with bacon and maple syrup… thick slices of toast that were sweet, yet tangy, mixed with the smokey, salty flavors of bacon…. a taste combination made, if not in heaven, at least in Lindsay Kennedy’s heavenly kitchen.

My husband ordered the full English breakfast which included eggs (he had his scrambled) & beans on toast (again a nice thick slice of homemade bread), rasher & banger, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms. The rasher was not your ordinary ‘rasher’ of plain smoked bacon, but a ‘bacon’ made of thinly sliced pork loin. Of course, I had to taste everything and everything was divinely, deliciously English – gourmet style.

The Idiot’s brunch menu also has, among other items, a selection of English pies; sandwiches, including “Breaux & Sheftell” filet-o-fish, butter lettuce, house tartar sauce & slaw; my favorite burger; salads; stuffed bacon wrapped dates with a roasted pepper tomato sauce and those incredible steamed mussels.

To top things off, the rich ‘intelligentsia’ expresso, coffee and tea are served in adorable mugs that would go so well with my collection of Buffalo china…

So, if you’re looking for a place for brunch – I, once again, heartily recommend The Idiot. Why? A duck! Or at least duck eggs. You’d be an Idiot not to try it.

The Village Idiot

7383 Melrose Avenue

Los Angeles, CA

323-655-3331

“My Dinners With Richard & Other Musings”

www.myspace.com/othermusings

You know that feeling when you’ve lost something precious and no matter how hard you’ve looked, you just can’t find it anywhere? Then one day, perhaps even years later, you find it again? 

That’s exactly what happened with me and Fab’s restaurant in Sherman Oaks. It was a cheap but delicious Italian restaurant that was my go-to place for take-out. No sport would go unwatched without Fab’s. Laker games? Check. Yankee playoffs? Check. 

Then one day around a year and a half ago they said they were closing for renovations; just through the summer. Well the summer came and went. Then fall, winter and spring. Before I knew it, more than a year had transpired. I called them frantically trying to figure out when they were going to re-open but their phone just rang and rang. When I drove by a couple of months ago, it was boarded up and I sadly realized I would never again watch Kobe while eating my chopped salad. 

Then the unthinkable happened. Two weeks ago my phone rang. It was my husband screaming with excitement through the phone-Fab’s was re-opening their doors next week! The bonus? They were having a “family/training night” so we could come to eat-for free! My heart sailed and I nearly wept.

When we arrived on Friday night, dressed in jeans and t-shirts, we were shocked when we walked through the door. The room was a moody red with high, roomy booths, a wine cellar and a slick bar. Now remember, I said we used Fab’s for take-out. The reason: Fab’s had no atmosphere. It was a white room with pink and blue booths-the kind you might see if Woolworths had a café.

Unfortunately, because we arrived toward the end, all of the seafood was gone. However, I ordered the Italian chopped salad and was not disappointed. It was exactly the same as I remembered: mixed greens with garbanzo and kidney beans, pepperoncini’s and black olives all topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese. The dressing was their garlicky Italian house. Simple yet delicious.

Next we ordered the ricotta filled ravioli with marinara. Pretty standard but very good nonetheless.

And finally, we ordered a pizza. This is probably one of the best pizza’s I’ve had here in L.A. It was sautéed spinach and mushrooms topped with mozzarella cheese along with dollops of creamy ricotta. The crust was thin and crispy and the pizza seemed to be brushed with garlic. Heaven.

They were only serving a house Chianti and chardonnay so I opted for the former. It was very light and blended well with the meal. But as I said, they now have a full bar.

We ordered cannoli for dessert but once again, they had run out. The prices seem to have jumped a bit (they still gave you a check so you could tip which we did heavily because our service was excellent.) It’s not surprising considering the posh new interior.

They still have their take-out window behind the restaurant. We ordered last Friday night (yep, another Yankee game). The only downer: my chopped salad and pizza came to thirty dollars; easily ten more dollars than before.

What can I say? You take the good with the bad. The Lakers lost the playoffs, the Yankees won’t make the playoffs, but the one thing we’ve still got is Fab’s.

As I reviewed previously, I finally found the ‘perfect’ LA burger at The Village Idiot on Melrose, but a friend heard that the “in” burger in LA was now at the Father’s Office bar/restaurant and suggested we try it.  I say “bar,” because when he called to make a reservation, “they” told him that “they” didn’t take reservations because “they’re” a “bar.”  No problem… how busy could a “bar” be at 12:30pm?

My husband and I arrived at the “bar” on Helms Street at 12:00 and the line behind a rope was out the door and down the block.  A rope!  At noon!  Get a grip.   Who knew so many people in LA started drinking that early in the day.  

Standing in line while waiting for our friend we noticed that many of the tables were empty.  We heard someone ask the guy “controlling” the rope why we had to wait in the hot sun when so many tables were empty.  His reply: “Father’s Office is a ‘bar.’ The kitchen needs time to prepare the food for those already sitting and as soon as it caught up on the orders, I’ll let more people in.”  Reasonable solution?  Hire another cook!

By 12:20 the kitchen had “caught up.”  We had already exceeded our blazing sun exposure for the day and opted for a table for three inside the “bar.”  There we found out you have to order your own food, get a number and put it on your table so the busboys (there’s no waitstaff) can find you.  Just like Carl’s, Jr!   A “restaurant!” 

For a “bar” the menu included some pretty fancy entrees, including a huge gourmet beet salad someone was eating at the next table.  But I was there for the latest “in” burger and since there was only one offered, that’s what I would be ordering as soon as our friend arrived.  However, when he did arrive, the keeper of the rope sent him to the end of the line (which had grown in leaps and bounds).  My friend explained that his party was already seated but was still refused entrance.  When we went to talk to this “Burger Nazi,” he told us that he was “just following orders.”  We countered that he should not have seated us until our party was complete as is the policy of other restaurants.  “We’re not a restaurant!” he whined.  “We’re a bar!”  I laughed as I watched more than 50 people at tables eating and eating and eating very “non-bar” gourmet-presented food… most without any alcoholic beverage. 

When my friend tried speaking with the “bar’s” manager, security approached him as if he were Al Qaeda.  The manager listened to him and a few people waiting on the line who agreed with my friend, then repeated the “bar’s” policy.  My friend had to go to the end of the line.  At that point several people waiting on line left shaking their heads.

First of all, none of us has a problem with waiting our turn.  But we’d done that — for more than twenty minutes. 

Second, besides the obvious PR problem this generates, it makes no sense economically.  It’s ridiculous to let half a party (in our case 2/3’s) sit at a table for more than a half-hour without ordering when the establishment could be turning over the table.  But, hey, maybe good service and turning a profit on food isn’t a concern.  This is a “bar.”

So… did I want to sit at the table for yet another 20-30 minutes or so (by now it was 12:45) to have this “in” burger… the only choice being one with caramelized onions, gueryere cheese, maytag blue cheese and arugula… for 12 bucks!?!?  The mix of flavors sounded gross.  Way too ‘over-the-top” trendy without considering what tastes would actually blend well together to make a good burger.  Nah.  I didn’t.

So… sad to say, I can’t review Father’s Office’s “in” burger.  But, I can review the self-serving, “we’re so hot we don’t give a damn attitude.”   However, if you find yourself in LA and want a great gourmet burger (with a choice of cheeses and toppings) in a hip restaurant and “bar” with fabulous service and a terrific selection of beers, wines and a great martini, may I suggest you run as fast as you can away from Father’s Office and head straight for The Village Idiot.

Father’s Office:  No Roobies

The Village Idiot:

Close to ten years ago, my husband and I went to a sushi bar recommended to us by a friend. Located in a strip mall, sandwiched between a pet grooming business and a Domino’s pizza, we wondered if we had the right place. It said “Katsu-Ya” on the sign and there was a line to get in at 5:15 for an opening time of 5:30.

There’s a reason people line up for this place. The sushi here is unparalleled. Imagine drinking a glass of red wine from a box, then having a glass of 2003 Chateau Lafite Rothschild. That’s what it’s like to go from regular sushi to Katsuya. It’s a whole ‘nother level.

We started with the Seared tuna with Japanese salsa. It consisted of a plate full of thinly sliced rare tuna surrounded by a chopped tomato and cilantro salsa. In the middle was a beautiful tower of avocado garnished with a small pickled carrot. We ordered a side of white rice just to sop up every last drop of juice.

Next, we ordered Crispy rice with ahi tuna. I can’t begin to explain how amazing this dish is but it’s my favorite thing on the menu. Chunks of rare tuna on a crispy wonton with bits of creamy avocado in a mayo-sesame seed sauce.

We also ordered Spicy albacore with crispy onions and a spinach salad with grilled albacore. Both of these were melt-in-your-mouth incredible.

Back in the day, this place was a bargain. The Rainbow role was eight bucks but now it’s more than doubled. Since the popularity has caught on, it has become a chain with locations all around Los Angeles. This makes me want to cringe and yet, who can blame them?

The original Studio City location in the strip mall is still there and that’s my favorite. We happened to go by the one in Hollywood and it was a slick, night club interior with security guards and booming music. Scary if you ask me.

Unfortunately, with its ever increasing popularity, not only have the prices gone up, but if you don’t make a reservation at least a week in advance, your options are 5:30 or 10:00 pm. If you don’t have a reservation and you get there before they open, you’ve got a shot. Otherwise, good luck, you’ll die of starvation before they get you in.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, and you’re a sushi lover, Katsu-Ya is an absolute must. While it is a bit expensive, I assure you, you will not be disappointed!