Preux & Proper, Los Angeles

Unplanned and quite random, we ended up at Preux and Proper (840 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90014, tel : +213 896 0090). Contemporary southern/New Orleans inspired food they claimed.

These were Dungeness crab hush puppies. The menu mentioned "house bourbon barrel aged green hot sauce, boil spice" but none of those really came through. It was the charred poblano butter that got these through for me. The fried balls were doughy and honestly, not memorable. 

There was an ogo Caesar salad. I was initially excited that there was so much anchovies but oddly I couldn't quite taste them. Ogo if you didn't know is a type of seaweed. It was okay I guess.

Thing started picking up with their smoked beef heart pastrami. These made very good munching, perked by the lemon in them and some smokiness from the thinly sliced hearts. And then, the holy trinity of onions, celery and bell peppers for a fresh breath of crunchy textures. This was delicious.

We were pretty impressed by their chicken fried pork belly. The pan was topped with a whole lot of ingredients which resulted in a confusion riot of flavours but that pork belly came through it all. The meat and fat was tender and pretty much dissolved in the mouth.

What was even more kickass was their cast iron gumbo that was loaded with Louisiana crawfish, tiger prawns, Willapa Bay oysters and Prince Edward Island mussels. I know - with all those names, one would probably wonder what they were about. Did it all matter? I honestly don't know but the seafood was of good quality and were not overcooked. The spices that flavoured the gumbo were just delicious. If there was one item out of what we had tried I would come back for, it'll be this.

Dessert was beignets with what was described as "banana foster" dulce de leche. I think that was the sauce at the bottom. These were okay, not spectacular.

In-N-Out Burger, West Hollywood, Los Angeles

Finally got a chance at In-N-Out (7009 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028) after hearing so much about them over the years. I liked the burger and I suppose the appeal of these were the fresh flavours. After having tried the who's who of the fast food burgers in the East and West Coast, it's kinda difficult to determine which is better so you're not gonna get that from me here.

But if I had to choose from an overall experience from the food, I'm probably more of the East Coast kind of person.

I didn't think much of the fries though. They were okay and perhaps didn't have the right combination of clicks that worked for me.

Original Pantry Cafe, Los Angeles

We made the drive from Vegas to L.A. in time for dinner. It was a coincidence that Original Pantry Cafe (877 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90017, tel : +213 972 9279) which I had heard about and intended to visit was just a couple of minutes walk away from where we were staying. 

This 24 hour cash only diner had been around since 1924. It was rumoured to never have been closed  since they opened and is one of the sites of Los Angeles' Historic-Cultural Monument. The space hung about a retro charm that cannot quite be replicated and that charm came with the greasy smell of food that clung to your clothes. Haha. 

Whatever we ordered came with coleslaw. It wasn't the healthiest option for vegetables but we didn't come here to eat healthy and we certainly did need some fibre in our diet after the meat heavy meals we've been having.

Toasted bread also came with whatever we had ordered. Much appreciated the chilled salted butter and jam that came with them.

Soup of the day was some chilli bean soup. Tasted like the stuff they ladled over A&W's Coney Dogs. Nice for a cold night.

I had a ham steak with sunny side up. Big assed boned in ham that challenged you to finish them after all the other food that came prior. I recommend it with some maple syrup and if you're wondering if I finished it all, I did. 

That ham steak also came with some hash brown on the side. The crusty parts on the hash brown were disappointingly hard and chewy and not good for eating but the potatoes were pretty good after a few shakes of salt and pepper. We left this place almost bursting at the seams because these guys certainly made sure they fed you well.

Wahlburgers at The Strip

We stumbled upon Wahlburgers while walking around. I've heard about this chain (3635 S Las Vegas Blvd #100, Las Vegas, NV 89109) by the Wahlberg brothers Donnie and Mark (that's Marky Mark if you're old enough) and I thought it might be fun to just check out what they have. 

That's a double decker. It wasn't bad at all if you asked me. The sandwich was a good balance of salty melted cheese, beef patties of their proprietary blend and a bunch of the usual vegetables. Tasted pretty fresh. I can't say that I disliked it. But it doesn't have the hit of crusty umami that Shake Shack does which I believe is what gets them their fans. This tasted more like Five Guys minus the mushrooms and it was also more expensive. So yes, it's Five Guys and Shake Shack over this if I had to pick.

Hot dogs were not bad though.

I couldn't think of much to say about their fries but that they were pretty ordinary.

Shakes were also not as good as....well, the other two. I wouldn't bother with these again if I had the chance. They were served in plastic cups which you could take away though.

A random fast food breakfast in Vegas

I know. Fast food in Vegas. It's hard not to stumble upon a chain or brand name and we were looking for something quick and fuss free. Some would think it's a waste of a meal but it happened.

Taco Bell has breakfast burritos. Small puny rolls but these were just a dollar plus each and honestly, not too a bad an eat for the cost. Filled with scrambled eggs and sausage or bacon bits.

What those breakfast burritos rocked with though, were their hot sauce. If you like spicy, the Diablo was pretty good.

I remember McD serving breakfast biscuits ages ago back home and for some reasons, they stopped doing it. Here's one for nostalgia since I can't get them anymore. They don't seem to taste as good as I remember them, but then again, my taste could have evolved. Or perhaps the memory was a little more romantic than the reality. Who knows.

Bouchon, The Venetian, Las Vegas

Thomas Keller is known for various things. The French Laundry is perhaps the most well publicized followed by perhaps the Michelin stars under his belt and his awards by the James Beard Foundation. What doesn't get mentioned so often is that he's been designated a Chevalier of The French Legion of Honor. The third American to receive this honour and the first male American to do so.

That's like being crowned knighthood for his culinary achievements by the French.

Bouchon at The Venetian (3355 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109) is run by his group. We were just curious how the restaurant under the name of such accolades would be like.

We had escargots. They were just the regular escargots with garlic parsley butter and some puff pastry from their bakery on top.

What was kickass was their fried sweetbread. Largest hunk of sweetbread I've come across with a delicious creamy potato puree with Madeira and morel mushrooms. This alone was worth the visit.

Roasted leg of lamb was nicely done. Tasty if not outstanding.

The other thing I though was exceptional was their Idaho rainbow trout. This I would guess from the flavour was done with the three secret ingredients of French cooking. Fish was nicely sautéed with buttery haricot verts and fragrant slices of toasted almonds.