A lifetime of waiting: Three servers each celebrating 50 years at storied restaurant

LOS ANGELES ― With its dim warren of dining rooms and hearty menu of ratatouille, filet mignon and duck, Taix feels more Old World than Echo Park.The tables are stretched with white linen, and the soup is served family style, from a big bowl with a ladle. In the main dining room with its gold-plated mirrors, Edith Piaf songs are hummed by a debonair waiter.That’s Bernard Inchauspe, a 77-year-old Basque Country emigre with a velvety accent who for half a century has greeted diners with: “Hello, l

March 9, 2012

Wine of the Week: 2010 Pazo de Senorans Albarino

Galicia in the northwestern corner of Spain is renowned for its seafood, which is some of the best on the planet. And what wine is an ideal match with shellfish and crustaceans? Why, Albarino, which comes from that same corner of Spain.Pazo de Senorans consistently makes one of the best Albarinos in Spain, but in 2010 ― a great vintage in Rias Baixas ― the estate, which dates back to the 16th century, made a truly great one. Aged sur lie, the 2010 is wonderfully complex, with hints of apple, lem

March 9, 2012

100 donations, a small push for new restaurant

Online crowd-funding helped taco eatery open shop in ItaewonFor those who have not taken the moment to chat with the owners of Vatos Urban Tacos, it might be easy to chalk up the two-story brick-and-mortar establishment as another successful addition to Itaewon-dong’s ever-growing food scene. Yet, Vatos is unique on two dimensions. Certainly Vatos is not the first to bring Mexican food to Seoul, but its Californian-and-Korean spin on the taco is anything but stale. Even more fascinating is how c

March 9, 2012

Dal’s Indian curry set targets business lunch hour

The Yeoksam-dong branch of Indian restaurant Dal, located in southern Seoul, is offering a reasonably priced “Cambo set” during the weekday lunch hour for busy businessmen. The set is composed of a samosa, two types of curry ― murg makhani, boneless tandoori chicken in tomato sauce, and palak paneer, cubed cottage cheese in spinach masala sauce ― naan, rice and the Indian traditional yogurt drink lassi. It costs 15,000 won.  The restaurant Dal is named after the Indian lentil which was selected

March 7, 2012

Oreos mark 100 years of ‘twist, lick, dunk’

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Technically they’re “chocolate sandwich cookies,” a baked concoction of sugar, vitamin-enriched flour, canola oil, high-fructose corn syrup and, at the bottom of the list of ingredients, chocolate.But the Oreo cookie ― first baked in New York city 100 years ago Tuesday ― is much more than that. It’s an American icon, the best-selling cookie in the nation, with plenty of fans around the world to boot.Flash mobs celebrated the centenary in seven U.S. cities including Los Angeles

March 7, 2012

Indian restaurant offers reasonably priced curry set

Indian curry set targets business lunch hourThe restaurant Dal is named after the Indian lentil which was selected as one of the five healthiest foods in the world along with kimchi, Japanese edamame bean, Spanish olive oil and Greek yogurt. Dal serves about 30 types of curry and 13 types of tandoori cooked up by chefs who have experience working at the top hotels in India. The restaurant has three branches in Seoul -- Yeoksam-dong and Garosu-gil in southern Seoul and Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul

March 7, 2012

Gagnaire pays homage to Korea

Since the opening of Pierre Gagnaire’s eponymous restaurant in Seoul in October 2008, the name has become synonymous with the finest French dining experience that can be had here. Indeed, the famed French chef’s twice-annual trips here with his latest menu are a much anticipated affair for serious foodies. In Seoul last week on a visit to discuss and taste the latest menu at his Seoul restaurant, Gagnaire spoke enthusiastically about being inspired by local ingredients. “‘Hommage Seoul’ is a tri

March 5, 2012

Eochae (parboiled sliced fish fillet)

Eochae is a dish of parboiled white fish fillets and vegetables with starch coating that are color-coordinated and placed around a dish. It is served with a vinegar red pepper paste sauce. Because it is a chilled dish, milder white flesh fish, such as gray mullet or croaker, should be used.Ingredients● 300g croaker, salt, ground white pepper ● 50g cucumber, 20g red pepper, 15g brown oak mushrooms, 2g stone mushrooms ● 30g mung bean starch ● 60g egg ● 5g pine nuts ● 5cups water Vinegar red pepper

March 2, 2012

Premium cocktails back as economy recovers

Time to belly up to the bar for a martini or a Manhattan. Go ahead and splurge ― make it with Grey Goose or Crown Royal.The economy may not have rebounded enough to justify a luxury car or exotic vacation, but the affordable luxury of a super-premium cocktail is back in vogue across the country. After a brief slowdown during the recession, when consumers cut back on drinking at bars and restaurants, the spirits industry is once again on the upswing.U.S. spirits volume in 2011 rose 2.7 percent fr

March 2, 2012

Wine of the Week 2009

The Antinori family now counts 26 generations in the wine business in Tuscany, Italy. That’s quite a history. But in the Napa Valley, it’s much shorter. Though Marchese Piero Antinori bought an estate on Atlas Peak in the 1980s, the family produced its first wine, a Cabernet, only in 2001.The 2009 Antica Chardonnay is one of the finest Chardonnays I’ve tasted recently from California. I love its minerality and bright acidity, the light touch with oak. Each sip reveals something different ― citru

March 2, 2012

The new, old wave cookie

American-style cookies could be next ‘it’ dessertAmerican-style treats have been popping up with increasing frequency at dessert shops in Seoul. Pie, cupcakes, carrot cake and red velvet have all found shelf space in bakeries and pastry stores in recent years, which may leave many baffled as to why American-style cookies ― the kind that are big, moist, crisp-edged and come in classic flavors such as peanut butter, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin ― have been slow to catch on.“I don’t think peop

March 2, 2012

Wine of the Week: 2009 Tenute Silvio Nardi Rosso di Montalcino

Montalcino enjoyed a very good vintage in 2009, and this pretty Rosso di Montalcino from Tenute Silvio Nardi shows why. Bright and youthful, with a taste of dark cherries and spice, this junior Brunello makes delicious drinking now ― or a few years from now.Pull the cork on a bottle for a bowl of pasta fagioli, a rustic pasta dish, simple roast chicken or grilled pork chops.● Region: Tuscany● Price: $17 to $27● Style: Rich and spicy● What it goes with: Roast chicken, pasta, bean soupsBy S. Irene

Feb. 24, 2012

‘A different mentality’ about coffee

ST. LOUIS ― Drop in for breakfast at Half & Half restaurant in Clayton, Mo., and the first choices on the menu will be the day’s two featured coffees, available via an assortment of brewing methods. A recent selection consisted of Ethiopia Idido, touted as having “blueberry, strawberry and chocolate” elements, and Brazil Sertaozinho, with notes of “dried fruit, cocoa nibs and toffee.”“It was very hard to put that on a menu,” says Mike Marquard, who oversees coffee at Half & Half. “I’m sure a lot

Feb. 24, 2012

Sundubu jjigae (spicy soft tofu stew)

Sundubu jjigae is a stew made of soft tofu and clams in a spicy broth. Soft tofu is made with soaked soybeans, which are called “beef from the garden.” It is soft and sweet in taste. From olden days, Koreans developed tofu making skills and various dishes with tofu. Ingredients● 600g soft tofu, 1 1/2 cups water ● 200g clam flesh, 4g salt, 5 cups waterSeasoning sauce: ● 1 tbsp clear soy sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tbsp ground red pepper● 2 tbsp minced green onion, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 1/2 tbsp

Feb. 24, 2012

The tapas evolution

Choice nibbles attracting dinner crowd looking to pair several dishes with drinksThe charms of tapas ― or in Korean, of anju ― run beyond the delightful, varied array of dishes diners chow down on while tipping back their poison of choice. They extend to the company gathered around the table, to the many conversations shared over clinking glasses and the savored bites in between. Perhaps that is why Korean anju is so deeply embedded in the nation’s dining culture. Running in abundance everywhere

Feb. 24, 2012

‘A different mentality’ about coffee

Drop in for breakfast at Half & Half restaurant in Clayton, Mo., and the first choices on the menu will be the day’s two featured coffees, available via an assortment of brewing methods. A recent selection consisted of Ethiopia Idido, touted as having “blueberry, strawberry and chocolate” elements, and Brazil Sertaozinho, with notes of “dried fruit, cocoa nibs and toffee.”“It was very hard to put that on a menu,” says Mike Marquard, who oversees coffee at Half & Half. “I’m sure a lot of customer

Feb. 24, 2012

FDA to review inhalable caffeine

BOSTON (AP) _ U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials plan to investigate whether inhalable caffeine sold in lipstick-sized canisters is safe for consumers and if its manufacturer was right to brand it as a dietary supplement. (Aeroshot)AeroShot went on the market late last month in Massach

Feb. 20, 2012