Thyme Café + Market

thyme café + market © thyme inc

This weekend, my sister and I met our cousin Stefanie for lunch at a new café in Ocean Park called Thyme, which opened last month. It has sort of a Joan’s vibe with lots of white subway tile, charcoal accents and marble countertops. And the menu features similar fare, including a chicken taragon salad sandwich—which I tend to order whenever I see one. When I’ve gotten this at Joan’s, I’ve been disappointed by the bread, which tends to be on the dry side. Here at Thyme, every aspect of the sandwich was FANTASTIC. Smaller slices of hazelnut raisin bread, so a manageable sized sandwich, and with the perfect ratio of tarragon. I would (and now will) drive across town for this sandwich. My sister had an equally superb egg salad sandwich and Stefanie tried a trio of grilled salmon salad, orzo salad and a third that’s escaping memory (I think it involved snap peas?). And we each got mini cupcakes for dessert with some good, strong coffee. Please, please go check this place out and let me know what you order!

mini cupcakes © thyme inc

Things to do with a leftover 8lb pork butt: part one

Earlier this week, I slow-roasted an 8lb pork shoulder (aka Boston butt) forever, resulting in the best, most tender and rich pork I’ve yet to enjoy. And it couldn’t have been easier. We’ve already had two nights of AWESOME leftovers for three slightly piggy adults, and still have enough for several more meals. At least. So, at $4.99/lb, this roast was something of a steal. The first round of leftovers was inspired by a favorite slow-roasted heritage pork panini at Napa Style in Napa Valley. Taking a page out of chef Michael Chiarello’s book, I had my husband stop by Mozza2Go to pick up a jar of mostarda (an Italian riff on chutney made w/ pear and mustard). Of course, being too generous to say anything until he got home, he bought the damn jar, which cost NINETEEN DOLLARS. I mean, that is half the price of the freaking pork butt.

But begrudgingly—and I mean begrudgingly—I admit it was incredible on the sandwich. As well it should be at prices that rival gold. I lightly toasted some potato buns from Ralph’s, where we also picked up a bag of pre-shredded slaw and mixed with mayo & apple cider vinegar.

And then reheated the pork in a 300-degree oven for 10-15 minutes, and piled it high topped w/ slaw on the sandwich. I’m guessing we will be porked out by the time we’ve reached the end of the bounty, but next time I’d love to try this with a bone-in heritage Boston butt, though it’d be almost triple the price. Hmm…Santa, baby?

New Fave Egg Salad

This morning, for reasons that aren’t quite clear even to myself, I got up ridiculously early and ran 8 miles at the beach. Naturally, I needed something a little indulgent to “refuel,” and what better than an egg salad sandwich with chives, tarragon and butter lettuce on brioche from Larchmont Larder? The tarragon is what sets this version apart. The brioche doesn’t hurt either. After some initial inconsistencies, Larchmont Larder has definitely hit its stride, and I can tell that having this egg salad sandwich beckoning so close to home is going to be a problem.

Chicken Milanese

Whenever my husband is on his own for dinner, and often when he isn’t, you’ll likely find him scarfing a Chicken Milanese sandwich. His favorite is from Joan’s on Third. Joan’s is our favorite spot at which to meet for lunch for a midweek “date.” The rendition of the Chicken Milanese features lightly breaded chicken with melted provolone and a tangy mustard aioli on a baguette. A couple days ago we met there for lunch, and tried a side of the potato salad, which is a new fave. It’s a simple mix of red potatoes tossed in a mustard vinaigrette with chopped Italian parsley. And frankly, if you transferred this into one of your own bowls and served at home, you’d quickly get a reputation for having the best potato salad around…

First Taste of Summer

The last two nights have felt a lot like summer, so we’ve been eating as such. Yesterday a friend gave me several gorgeous heirloom tomatoes—the first of the season. So last night we made tomato sandwiches, simply sliced tomatoes on lightly toasted multigrain bread from La Boulangerie with a little mayo, sprinkled with fresh thyme and crumbled feta. Heaven. 

The previous evening we grilled up a couple slices of bread as well as yellow, red and orange bell peppers, asparagus and large spring onions, which we tossed with olive oil and fresh chopped chives. We washed it all down with cold, cold glasses of pale coppery pink rosé from Spain and stayed outside talking late into the night. Our first taste of summer and how sweet it is.

Long-Cooked Broccoli

A couple months ago, I was at a friend’s birthday party with beautiful slow-cooked vegetables and beautiful people. The birthday girl, Carolynn, is an amazing cook and has a way with vegetables. Among the many platters of gorgeous produce offerings procured from Chino Farm was an INSANELY good dish of long-cooked broccoli. I’d never had anything like it—sweet, earthy, nutty and decadent all at the same time. It’s a dish Carolynn learned from Nancy Silverton, who features the method in a recipe for Soft-Scrambled Eggs, Long-Cooked Broccoli, and Feta Cheese in her eponymous sandwich book.

Last night, I decided to try it out with two heads of broccoli. I figured with that kind of time commitment, we should get at least a couple meals out of it. All in all, it takes about 2 hours to stew the broccoli with onions and garlic. Once it was finished, we grilled up some heritage pork chops and enjoyed with half of the long-cooked broccoli. 

Then this morning we walked over to Larchmont Farmers Market to get some whole grain bread from La Boulangerie, and some farm-fresh eggs and chives to make the best breakfast sandwich I’ve tasted. EVER.

For the sandwich, we grilled two pieces of bread doused with olive oil in a panini press, soft scrambled 6 eggs, and then assembled with broccoli, topped with scrambled eggs, topped with crumbled feta, chopped chives and cracked black pepper. We had plenty of leftover broccoli for three sandwiches (Mr. Foodinista polished off a second). We are already planning our next rendezvous with the long-cooked broccoli.

LONG-COOKED BROCCOLI

Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book

2 heads broccoli

1/4 cup, plus 2 teaspoons, kosher salt, divided

4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 whole dried red chile

Cut the head of broccoli off the stalk, leaving about 1 inch of the stalk still attached. Slice outer layer of fibrous peel off main stalk, and cut it vertically into long, flat slices, about 1/4-inch thick and 1-inch wide. Slice all the way through broccoli florets, cutting it vertically into 1-inch-thick pieces. You should have a bunch of long pieces of broccoli. 

In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water and 1/4 cup salt to boil. Cook all of cut-up broccoli in water for 2 minutes, until broccoli turns bright green. Drain broccoli and place in large bowl of ice water to chill. Drain well, and pat dry with kitchen towel.

In a large, heavy skillet, combine broccoli, onion, garlic, chile, olive oil and 2 teaspoons salt. (We didn’t have any large dried chiles on hand, so I threw in a couple of chiles de arbol instead.) Over very low heat, cook broccoli, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it’s very soft and tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fish & Chips

Last Sunday we had tuna sandwiches along with kale chips, inspired by a recipe from Chef Dan Barber that ran in Bon Appétit. My husband declared this the best tuna sandwich he’d ever tasted, and I hope so. Because I have a confession to make about the ingredients. Namely, the list doesn’t include Bumble Bee. Let’s start with the bread. I got a sliced loaf of whole grain from La Boulangerie at the Larchmont Farmer’s Market. (Their French boule is incredible, too.)

On to the tuna fish. And here’s where I’m likely to get in trouble. I used Ortiz Bonito del Norte (white tuna in olive oil), that I got either at Surfas or Whole Foods, I don’t remember, but I do remember that we’re looking at $13 worth of tuna for two sandwiches. The tuna is caught by line and rod, which is environmentally friendly! It’s from Spain, is aged in olive oil, and it’s dolphin safe! And it’s $13 for 8 oz??? Okay. Moving right along, I mixed this heavenly tuna with just a dollop of mayo—you don’t need much if any—and some homemade celery salt (simply celery seed, below, + sea salt). Crack a little fresh pepper in there, too.

Then I slathered one slice of the toasted bread with mayo (wish I’d had some Kewpie mayo left, which would have been amazing, but we’re out), and Mendocino Suds & Seeds Mustard on the other. I spooned the tuna onto one of the slices, topped with thick shavings of parm and some Bubbies Bread and Butter Chips. Et voila, pure nostalgia at its grown-up best. I’ll post later about the super yummy kale chips, because they knocked this combo out of the park.

Civic Duty & a French Dip

After skating through the week without having to appear for jury duty, I got nailed on the last day. So this morning I made my way downtown super early to report for duty and realized, you know, jury duty downtown is kind of fun. Provided of course you don’t actually get on a jury. More on that later. But where else can you find jury parking underneath a building as good-looking as Disney Hall?

We broke for lunch at noon, so I called my friend Adam, who works down the street at the Los Angeles Times, and met him on the corner of Spring and Second to walk over to Cole’s at 6th and Main for lunch. For those of us in downtown L.A. today, wasn’t it gorgeous? I love those old buildings near the Times.

I hadn’t yet been to Cole’s since Neal Fraser (of BLD and Grace) had revamped the menu at this historic joint. And I’m not going to get into whether or not Cole’s or Philippe’s invented the French dip in 1908, even though we all know it was Philippe’s. At the advice of my friend Katie, I ordered a lamb dip with blue cheese and a side of cole slaw, along with a pint of draft root beer.

The hand-carved lamb and bleu cheese combo is incredible, and the slaw is mighty mighty good; Cole’s differentiates itself by hand-carving its meats and serving au jus on the side, while Philippe’s doesn’t hand carve and warms its meat in the au jus before serving (no complaints here!). But one fact is indisputable. Cole’s is a hell of a lot better than its previous incarnation, and I will be back soon to try the classic beef au jus. Like maybe on Monday, because guess who has to report back to the courthouse? Oh, and is it just me, or is Esa-Pekka Salonen on the side of Disney Hall a poor man’s version of Don Johnson, who was working the room at a neighboring table at Cecconi’s last night?

The Duxbury Sandwich

My husband and his two brothers spent most of their childhood summers at their maternal grandmother’s on the beach in Duxbury, Mass. On weekends, his dad would come up from New York and join the rest of the family. Lunches were always a sandwich free-for-all with endless choices of cold cuts and cheese, and it is his father who deserves credit for perfecting the ultimate weekend sandwich creation. And it all starts with a sandwich size English muffin.

Toast the English muffin—the “Sandwich Size” from Thomas’ is recommended—and then liberally spread with mayonnaise on both sides, and honey mustard on one. (We like to use Napa Valley Mustard Co. Hot Sweet Mustard.) Then thinly layer slices of roast beef, and don’t be shy. Top with a slice of provolone and four or five bread and butter pickle chips. Bubbies pickles are a favorite around here. Lettuce and tomato are optional, but as my husband says, “it’s really about letting the mustard, pickles and mayo do their dance.”

Slow-Roasted Heritage Pork Panini

Last weekend when we were up in Northern California visiting my sister, we stopped by Napa Style in Yountville to try her current indulgence, a slow-roasted heritage pork panini with fontina cheese and mostarda (an Italian condiment kinda like chutney, but made with fruit and mustard). I didn’t believe it could possibly live up to the hype, but I was wrong. I found the recipe online for both the pulled pork (a serious time commitment, 8 hours) and the mostarda. Maybe this Sunday I’ll slow-roast some pork and use it all week for tacos, sandwiches and such.

Update: you can order the sublime pear mostarda used at Mozza by clicking here, or by swinging by Cube on La Brea.

Autostrada Sandwich

Locals have long known about Campanile’s Grilled Cheese Night each Thursday. Some of the greatest hits from the menu are available next door at La Brea Bakery all week long, like the divine “Autostrada” sandwich. It’s La Brea Bakery founder and Mozza co-owner (as well as Campanile owner Mark Peel’s ex-wife) Nancy Silverton’s riff on a panini she once had at a truck stop on an Italian road trip. Loaded with provolone, soprasetta, mortadella, coppa and slices of marinated cherry peppers and grilled between two slices of sourdough bread, it elevates the humble ham and cheese to otherworldy heights. You could make your own (click here for recipe), but why?

Larchmont Larder

Daily Candy reported last week that The Larchmont Larder opened at 626 N. Larchmont Blvd., and then yesterday my friend Hugh mentioned that he had stopped in for a meatloaf sandwich with herb remoulade on a rustic roll, which he thought was pretty good. I followed suit today and wholeheartedly agree. Plus, I hadn’t expected it to be so cute inside! (See Daily Candy for interior shot.) It’s in a Craftsman bungalow with little tables and red metal garden chairs for seating, and an open kitchen where you can watch all the action. The sides and salads look yummy—golden beets, green apples, goat cheese with citrus shallot vinaigrette; baby artichokes with parsley, lemon and olive oil; and lemongrass-coconut rice with cilantro—as did an inviting key lime pie. Next time.  

Oh, and one observation. It’s not super handicap accessible. And by “handicapped” I mean hauling a 5 ½-month old in a monster stroller up five stairs. But then again, 6 months ago, that would’ve sounded like a very good thing indeed… 

UPDATE: Please read comment below from Katie at The Larchmont Larder re strollers, etc. A full service operation, I tell you! Makes me love this place all the more.

Hooked on Bubbies

Last week up at my parents,’ my dad made the best tuna fish sandwich in memory. It’s all about the ingredients, like Ortiz El Velero Bonito Tuna from Spain packed in olive oil and mixed simply with mayonnaise and salt and pepper. But the stars of this sandwich were Bubbies Bread and Butter Chips. These pickles are sweet and crunchy with a hit of spice and are quite simply DYNAMITE on a tuna sandwich. Both Bubbies pickles and Ortiz tuna are available at Whole Foods.