Pal Cabron

I have been struggling for a while now on how to piece this new piece of mine together. Desperate for a new update on my food venturing blog, I felt extremely compelled to write something or I will eventually be washed down with the turds as the great Chinaski once said.

So I will make this quick and short and also cheat a bit...(and so what if I cheat? it is my blog and I can do as I wish, right?)

Anyhow, so about a month ago, while grubbing down and watching the World Cup Opener Game at La Guelaguetza, I met the lovely Bricia Lopez, who was walking around with a bottle of tequila in hand and handing out shots to everyone.  (Be still my heart)  So of course, I waved her down, a few times in fact, for the opportunity to meet her and also bring us over some of them shots.

Well during one of those many times we waved her to come over, she told us about Pal Carbon, a new spot she had recently opened out in Huntington Park that specialized in Cemitas and Clayudas.  I immediately thought to myself, "I have to try this spot!!"

So about two weeks later, I finally decided to head out there and invited a couple of friends.  I called Bricia up to find out whether she would be there or not, gladly she was, and all she said was "make sure you guys come hungry". And trust me, we did.

Before heading over there I visited their website to scope their menu out and I found a nice set of funny videos: here is one of them. 

A challenge to see who'd eat more cemitas
 

Upon walking in, it was totally not what I expected. The walls were emblazoned with caricatures and dichos (sayings) which adds character to the place. (no pun intenended)

Their staple character inspired by her uncle...

 
Some of the dichos on the walls

The Stars of Pal Cabron and whom the cemitas are named after

So on to the food....We basically asked Bricia to bring us what she thought we should have and here are a few pics of what she brought us:

Horchata - very good

Their memelitas

The Clayuda - combinacion

My Cemita

So of course, before eating, I had to go to the restroom to wash up. I must say I was surprised to see the restroom also covered with characters and funny sayings...here is just one.

To see more you'd just have to visit and or -------

And okay, so here is where I cheat...

Even though I can write more about the food we had, which was delicious by the way, Ima let my boy The Teenage Glutster tell ya about it, since he wrote a nice write up of the joint a while back. haha

hope you enjoy....

by: Teenage Glutster

Story of my life? I wish...

Seriously, it's actually the newest naughtiest food child of the same family who brought the L.A standard Guelaquetza restaurants. This place is perhaps the only restaurant positive of making even the most pizza/flaming hot cheetoes-esque of my old East L.A Garfield High School homies become even the most diligent of austere foodies.

It's a concept that Bricia Lopez and her brother Fernando Lopez brought to life after a recent trek to Puebla and discovering the delicate beauty of their street staple, a Cemita Poblana, the omnipresent sandwich of Puebla. Freshly baked, dense, rustic roll dusted with Ajonjoli (Sesame Seeds) and made with the legit stuff, not Crisco...yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Seethed with Milanesa, Quesillo, Queso Panela, Avocado, Chipotle, and the ever acquired taste of Papalo, an herb that smells like if a really thirsty deer just walked on top of it. 

To continue reading....

TEENAGE GLUTSER PAL CABRON

Kalbi Burger

By now, some may have already heard of Kalbi Burger. And why not? since it's opening on June 14th Kalbi Burger has been creating a buzz around town specially in the area it's located in - Korea Town.

As soon as I heard of the joint I had to head on over there and try their burgers.  I met up with my boy, the none other King of Bling - Ben Baller. And both of us being K-Town natives and glad there was a burger joint in K-Town, had to scope it out.

It is on Wilshire Blvd and Wilton Place...inside the little plaza.  As I walked in, I was greeted immediately, I nodded my head and smiled in acknowledgment and looked around first to get a feel of the place.  The walls are painted a nice rich red that I liked very much, there were some mirrors on a wall, a large built in wall clock and a few cool looking tables.  I was glad to find no TV either to distract me from enjoying my meal.

Okay, time to order, albeit I knew what I wanted, their signature Kalbi Burger, I kept wanting to  change my mind because I was tempted to try their other burgers.  But I stuck to my guns and ordered the Kalbi Burger Combo.  I'll have to save the other for my next visits...if the burger was good that is.

While ordering, Hawk (the owner), walked over really quick, welcomed us and immediately went back to hustling on the grill.  I was impressed to see the owner behind the kitchen.  Now-a-days, you hardly ever witness that any more.  I also liked the kitchen being in plain view and open.  One can watch their burger being prepared fresh. 

 

Hawk hustling in the kitchen 
 

Some customers tearing it up.

Their Seoul Burger...soooo good looking I couldn't wait for my order

Okay - my order arrives. 

My Kalbi Burger

I was immediately impressed with the appearance of the burger.  Looked hella fresh.  Rushing and my hands shaking while trying to take a good photo and nearly drooling on my camera, I couldn't wait to take my first bite.  My first bite?...I could immediately taste the freshness.  The meat was juicy and almost melted in my mouth.  The Kalbi Aoili Sauce, a secret sauce, was lightly sweet, adding to the a nice balance to the great mixture of romaine lettuce, Korean vinaigrette, American cheese, red onions and the Angus Beef making the burger burst with flavors.   

The french fries sold me also.  They were nice crispy, golden brown and not overly salty, although I always eat all my fries very salty but found no need to add salt to them.   

 Fries - Photo off Kalbi Burger site. Photo by: Love and Lemonade

Let me mention they have garlic fries too. Which I had with my Seoul Burger on my next visit.  Let me tell you about the Seoul Burger - same thing...large, fresh, soft bread but this burger had sauteed kimchi - whaaaaaa...kimchi on a burger? oh man, being a kimchi fan, I couldn't wait for this one too.   The kimchi totally added a distinct and unique flavor to  the burger.  I enjoyed the burger very much and nearly inhaled it in minutes. The garlic fries had the right amount of garlic on it and still were crispy and golden brown.

 About to take a bite of my Seoul Burger - melting cheese,  fresh meat, kimchi...nom nom nom

About the joint: Hawk was inspired to open up a "good burger joint" in Korea Town after getting tired of having to drive far either west, south, north or east for a decent burger.  His vision? To open a place that served fusion style burgers and represented his Korean/Asian background and culture in his hometown of Korea Town.  Let me mention, Hawk refuses to call the place a "Korean Burger Joint" but prefers it be considered an "Asian and American Fusion Burger Joint". That is why he was also inspired to naming his burgers differently and not solely Korean.  Hence, The Seoul Burger, Tokyo Burger, The Saigon Burger and so on.

Hawk says all his meat come from naturally grass fed cows...no hormones and are antibiotic free. As noted on his website:

"Our meat is 100% Natural Angus Beef, hormonal and antibiotic free, and humanely raised and handled. That means happy cows, happy meat, and happy food!"

He says his ultimate goal is to raise the bar on quality and flavor to the all American Burger. He also said that him and his sister-in-law, who you'll also find behind the grill, or working the register, are the only two who know the secret sauce's recipe.  I asked him if that secret ever leaked out, would we  somehow end up finding her missing. 

Here are a couple of photos from their website.  

The Lulu Burger... Photo by: Love and Lemonade

The Saigon Burger... Photo by: Love and Lemonade

The always smiling Hawk wishes everyone come by and visit his joint.  At least try it once.  He promises to make your visit a pleasant one and hopes to make you one of the tastiest and most flavorful burger you'll ever have.

Hawk (the owner)
  

Once I make my way through the menu and almost try all the burgers, I can't wait to build my own burger.  I found that to be pretty cool.  I'm pretty anxious to do that. And Hmmmm...maybe if the burger I build on my own is good enough - he will be inspired to name it after me. *hint hint*  

I must add also - you can't beat the prices either.  The combos are all under $10.00.  Nice deal for a quality burger.  They also serve hot dogs, salads,  chili, sweet potato fries and salt and vinegar fries.  You can view their menu by visiting their site.  Hopefully, when you go, you may just find me there...maybe even behind the kitchen.  Oh and MAKE SURE you mention you read about it here on Galo Eating.  

Kalbi Burger
4001 Wilshire Blvd Unit E
Los Angeles, CA 90005
phone: 213.738.7898
Website: Kalbi Burger 
Click here for driving directions

Pure Luck Restaurant

I have been wanting to become vegetarian for a while now.  Not necessarily for political beliefs but mainly for the sake of discipline.  I have although, due to belief is some monastic philosophies, have considered it more often that one may think. 

My first attempt of vegetarianism was about a year ago.  I decided to try becoming vegetarian for about 6 months, with the ultimate goal of becoming vegan for at least a month. Again, the sole reason was for personal discipline and perhaps a desire to cleanse the body from toxins and built up waste.  Of course that venture was short lived albeit, I had the opportunity to try many vegetarian dishes.

Anyhow - I have a neighbor friend who works at Pure Luck Restaurant and has been inviting me to come by and eat at the joint.  She claims they have pretty good food and also a good selection of beers on tap.  One day, she kindly brought me some of their tomato bean soup and I was impressed.  The soup was pretty thick, consistency was much like pea soup.  Its flavors were pretty intense.  The beans were definitely not overcooked and they had that perfect tenderness.  The veggies can be tasted even though the soup was very spicy.  I eat spicy food and I must say, this soup was spicy.  Not overly numbing spicy but had the right amount of spice to add some pzazz and make me sweat a little. 

So a few days later, I was craving some soup, and Pure Luck being only 5 blocks away from me, I shot on over. Pure Luck is located near LACC, just North of Melrose Ave and on Heliotrope.  I have fond memories of this street dating back to my early years as a teen but specially more so for one of my favorite movie scenes ever being filmed there. The broom scene with Turbo in Breakin' - I just can't believe how much this little area has changed.

(The liquor store is no longer there. it is now a Tattoo shop and has some coffee shops next to it. The diamond brick-layered sidewalk is still there. Pure Luck is across the street from here) 

Pure Luck is in what appears to be a house that was converted to a restaurant.  Upon walking in, I was immediately greeted by my friend and she sat me by the window.  The place is small but quaint with green walls and bamboo forest wallpaper that give a relaxed, chill, very home-like feeling.  There are a few bar tables with a cute corner section that is mainly all wood.

After indecisively looking through the menu for a while, I ordered myself an order of half Pickle Chips and half Rosemary Fries to start off with. I also ordered me a pint of Point Five IPA - a half IPA beer that's pretty light, refreshing and not as bitter as your normal IPA's.

The pickle chips were good and were served with a side of their garlic aioli sauce that tasted more like sweet BBQ sauce. I personally would have preferred ranch dressing but they did not have any. Big minus there for me. The Rosemary Fries were actually good. Crunchy, since I always order my fries very well done, and they had a light hint of garlic and rosemary which made them even better.  The portions were pretty generous too.

 

The Pickle Chips and Rosemary Fries.

  
Cold pint of brew. Very refreshing as the day was hella hot...

So on to what else I ordered. Somewhat a little full from a great serving of fries and pickle chips, I wanted something relatively small, light but good. They had some taco combos that came with sides but I was done with "sides" and just ordered myself a Baja Taco and a Jackfruit "carnitas" taco.

The Baja Taco is a veggie fish flavored tofu taco.  It was actually pretty good although a little bit bland and slightly chewy.  But it was still good.  It had sour cream, onions, tomatoes and cabbage and served on two corn tortillas.  Very much like your typical fish tacos.

Plate of Fish Tacos and "carnitas"taco...

The carnitas taco was absolutely better.  It surprisingly tasted very much like carnitas. Had the pork flavor and composed of the same stringy texture as carnitas but the significant difference was that the flavor was lighter and not as greasy as normal typical carnitas.

The taco was served with chopped onions, fresh cilantro and a green tomatillo that was obviously freshly made. It was so good I asked for some extra sauce.  It isn't spicy at all although, it may be spicy for some.

My friend finally took a small break and walked over to sit with m for bit me with a glass of their Anvil ESB - a more darker, full bodied IPA that was evidently more bitter.  It was very good and suited well as an after meal drink.  She also had with her a plate of Tacos de Platanos (plaintains).  I personally do not have a sweet tooth so was a little reluctant to try them, specially with the taste of IPA still lingering and bathing my taste buds.  Well I must say they were delicious.  The tacos are made with sweet plaintains, sweet cream and caramelized grilled onions. then served on two corn tortillas.  The result is a well balanced subtly sweet treat that I would definitely order next time I come.

The Plaintain Tacos

So if vegetarian or simply in the mood for some healthy food, make sure you visit Pure Luck. I am certainly returning for the beers and also to try the their carnitas burrito. 

Pure Luck
707 N Heliotrope Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323.660.5993