Category: Food

From Oakland with Love

From Oakland with Love

One of the joys of living in the middle of LA is not knowing what random goodness awaits right around the corner. That last sentence was a literal statement in the case of tonight’s Sqirl adventure.

To those who make the pilgrimage to Sqirl on Virgil, it’s known for it’s amazing brunch and poor parking options. To those who live nearby, it’s known for it’s amazing brunch and the cause of poor parking. I represent the latter but tonight added a twist by adding the delicious smell of grilled meats.

The aroma was intoxicating but I hadn’t planned on having a KronnerBurger this evening. After then also seeing it featured on the 5 Everyday app, I realized resistance was futile and much less appetizing.

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I’m a fantastic photographer, it’s the wine that’s making it look blurry

My spontaneity was rewarded with one of the most unique combination of burger flavors to grace my mouth in years. Although before that I would have to graciously turn down a can of Schlitz in favor or red wine, lest I forget this is still on the edge of Silver Lake. Remind me sometime to tell you of that sad sad night at Mystery Beer Wednesday.

Hailing from Oakland, 5 Everyday tells me that Chris Kronner has developed a massive cult following with award winning burgers. How lucky then that he does house calls to LA to benefit Homeboy Industries.

$24 earned me a burger, two vegetable sides, and my wine. The food coma afterglow was all free. The KronnerBurger satisfied all non-existent expectations and made a convert out of me. From the moment the charred meat hit my taste buds I knew I was in for a special experience. The salty slab of beef was perfectly complimented by the red onions and aioli spread. A slice of crisp lettuce added texture to contrast with the crunchy burger exterior.

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Not shown: my Pavlovian drool response

The burger was so good that it let me forgive the mixed reaction I had to the sides. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m operating on a limited pallet here (Ed Note: Read his last post for more on that). But I couldn’t wrap my head or mouth around the pickled vegetables that sat in one of the tray slots. I overheard mention of it being a Korean dish and maybe I’ll look back someday and understand. I still ate it all.

A serviceable tater salad and mini-chocolate desert rounded out the meal and fared much better as compliments.

LA is not lacking in delicious burger options so the bar is pretty high. Thankfully, KronnerBurger left a positive impression and some delicious calories I won’t soon forget.

Letting it Stew

Letting it Stew

Given that this entire site is one large experiment in random life documentation, what better place to start than in the kitchen?

My relationship with food has always been like a season of The Bachelor; sometimes trashy, sometimes complicated, but always delicious. Growing up in an immigrant household in the NYC area meant that food could be both exotic and endlessly comforting like a chicken parm sandwich.

I was also part latch-key kid (is that term even used anymore?) This resulted in also being master and commander of the microwave. Me and Kid Cuisine were besties and I will always appreciate the random stickers gained during our boxed adventures.

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I never did meet Scooby-Doo

Moving to LA just meant that my pallet grew further, as did my options through Seamless.

And pizza. Always pizza.

Yet somewhere throughout all of this I never learned how to cook. Sure, I can make scrambled eggs and grilled cheese, but the finer points never stuck. A combination of laziness and anxiety created a man frightened of his own kitchen. Obviously, something had to be done about this and Blue Apron seemed as good an option as any.

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Or as I liked to call it, “cardboard in a box”

Blue Apron takes the worry of looking like a fool at the grocery store and lets you just look like a doofus in the comfort of your own home. Pre-measured/packaged ingredients are put together for the benefit of man-children everywhere that want to add some respectability to their day-to-day. I’ll move past discussing the initial challenges associated with the service, such as wasted food when you’re too tired to cook for one. What’s most important is that when you do succeed in bringing everything together, you feel like the love child of Martha Stewart and Steven Hawking after completing your first Lego set. and yes, that analogy got away from me.

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I may have sent this picture to convince my mom of my burgeoning street cred

The featured image is an example of one of these successes. Lamb and beef stew with roasted potato slices, topped with parmesan sounds easy on paper (Ed Note: it really is), but seeing it come together is always a treat. And much like doing actual exercise, once you actually get off the couch to start the cooking process, you realize how much fun the journey can be as well.

Nothing blew up during this particular cooking session, but I’ll likely be posting updates as my adventures in the kitchen continue.