Spotlight: Ms. "I Want Seconds"

This week, we are delighted to spotlight Ms. J. "I Want Seconds" H. She is the co-founder and CEO (Chief Eating Officer) of the Los Angeles Chapter of Delta Eta Pie as well as the Managing Editor of the DEP blog. We sat down with Ms. J.H. over a cup of tea to ask her a few questions central in the minds of all food lovers. Now without further ado, we present to you Ms. "I Want Seconds."

What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Cheese bagel w/ cream cheese, steamed nonfat milk, daily multivitamin, 2 berry flavored chewable fiber tablets (hey, prevention is the best medicine!). Real healthy, eh? What can I say, I'm a sucker for cheese, both literally and figuratively.

How do you like your eggs?
Poached until yolk becomes thick and creamy served with salsa and ground pepper.

Would you like fries with that?
Yes, McDonald’s fries w/ ketchup, an apple pie and non-fat skimmed milk pleez.

What is in your refrigerator and freezer today?
Fridge: canned beans - pinto, kidney & garbanzo, artichokes, greek-style yogurt, oranges, feta cheese, whole wheat hamburger buns, Rice Dream, pitcher of iced Japanese green tea, eggs, 4 varieties of salsa (jicama with roasted chilis, roasted sweet corn, fresh tomatoes, Pace).
Freezer: caught fillets, homemade vanilla w/ candied ginger and strawberry bits ice cream, sweet corn, bell pepper strips, edamame, veggie burgers, steel cut oatmeal, whole wheat waffles.

Your all-time favourite place to eat in Los Angeles?
Amandine Patissiere in Brentwood.

What would you like to have for your last meal on earth?
Lobster tail w/ melted butter, oysters steamed in shell with green onion and ginger, deep dish Chicago-style veggie pizza, steamed hot dog on toasted bun w/ fixings + sauerkraut, xiao long bao (Shanghai-style steamed pork dumplings), xian dou jiang (savory soy milk soup), hot and sour soup, steamed white rice, crème brulee, chocolate torte, fresh assorted berries, McD’s fries with extra salt, fresh tomato salsa, Manhattan clam chowder, hot black tea, fried green tea ice cream ball sprinkled with cinnamon sugary streusel mix topped off with bananas foster sauce of rum and brown sugar.

Name the 3 most daring foods you have eaten.
I'm ashamed to admit:

• Curried crocodile in Bangkok, Thailand (very bony)
• Ground kangaroo burger in Frankfurt, Germany (like tough ground beef)
• Rabbit poached with sweet plums in Toulouse, France (like gamey chicken)

What symptoms do you experience when you haven eaten all day?
Delirium, hypochondria, psychokinesis.

If you were a flavour of ice cream (see quiz), which would you be and why? PG answers only.
Without having taken the quiz, I'd have to say I'm half baked - I'm a work in progress.

Is your plate half empty or half full.
Have full 'cause I always make sure I have food!

G*d forbidden, for dessert, you must choose between fruity and chocolaty. Your choice?
Chocolate, hands down.

Your cooking style: Do you Iron Chef or are you Recipe Retentive?
I have trouble following directions so I Iron Chef. My dishes are always tasty but gigantic since I keep on adding ingredients to fix my problem with proportions.

Which came to cuisine first, the chicken . . . or . . . the egg?
Chicken! Who ever came up with the idea of eating a calcified round oval? Then again, who came up with the idea of eating the feathered clucker? Food for thought.

Your favourite non-alcoholic drink?
Iced japanese green tea with a spoonful of sugar - although the caffeine makes me hit the ceiling so I've sworn off it and anything caffeinated (except of course for dark chocolate).

Your favourite alcoholic drink?
Umm . . . to be honest, I don't like the taste of alcohol. On rare occasions, you'll see me with a lite beer - I know, nasty!

What do you do to stay in shape?
I practice yoga every day, bike to school, play tennis, walk my dog and in the winter, I snowboard!

Word of advice to a fledgling foodie?
Get fresh ingredients, prepare them with care and pay attention when you’re eating! Your body and spirit will thank you.

Take a look at the ink blot to the right: what do you see?
Neopolitan ice cream.

If you were in the forest, holding an iron skillet with tender kobe beef sirloin cooked in a rich peppercorn sauce with buttery mashed fingerling potatoes on the side and a ravenous pack of wolves was chasing you, what would you do?
I subscribe to a school of thought called self preservation. So, in these circumstances, I admit that my love for food is outweighed by my love for myself and my fear of pain. I'd throw the steak and potatoes at the wolves to buy myself time and then knock each wolf dizzy with my iron skillet. If I hit them fast enough (bap, bap, bap, bap!! somewhat like the gopher carnival game where you bonk the heads that pop up), perhaps I could recover a lone fingerling potato or two. Oh, I forgot to mention: it helps that I don't care for meat (well, at least 6.7 days out of the week).

Week 4: Polish - Warszawa

All Hallow's Eve arrived early for DEP this year when six sisters gathered to dine by candlelight, or shall we say, to dine by a candle light at Warszawa. Only moments after appetizers were served, we experienced a haunting power outage. Ms. C.P.'s immediate reaction was appropriate. "So, are we still getting our food!?!?" she exclaimed to the waiter. Although other DEP members were noticably flushed at Ms. C.P.'s apparent brashness, deep down they knew that Ms. C.P. had perfectly captured their inner turmoil. Ms. J. "I Want Seconds" H. was the lone exception: her primary concern was safe access to the facilities during the outage. Ms. J.H. assures us that the facilities are emergency-friendly at Warszawa.

Our evening began with two types of Pierogi. The braised beef, carrots and onions filling made for a standard meat-filled dumpling. The white cheese, potato puree and caramelized onions filling was a welcome contrast to the beef filling. The "melt-in-your-mouth" creamy inside was enveloped in a thin and crusty pasta shell. Polish grilled sausage was a disappointment because it tasted like "well, it tasted like grilled sausage" although Ms. L.W. noted that the horseradish sauce was uniquely flavorful. Crispy Potato Pancakes with cinnamon apples and dried plums were a hit. The small round discs of mashed potatoes were fried to a delicate golden crisp creating a creamy texture that was perfectly cut by the tartness from the apples and plums. Ms. S.R. contrasted the potato pancakes with traditional Jewish latkes which are generally thicker and more robust with its shredded rather than mashed potatoes. Cucumber salad in a lemon and dill yogurt dressing received mixed reviews, ranging from average to outstanding.

Angel hair pasta with sauteed leeks, roma tomatoes and smoked trout was perhaps the least popular dish of the night. The pasta itself was fine but was overpowered by the strong fishy taste of smoked trout and weighed down by a heavy tomato cream sauce. Breaded chicken breast with garlic and herbs was likened to standard breaded chicken in American cuisine but the accompanying vegetables were well-seasoned and the plate was consumed quickly. Beef Stroganoff with wild mushrooms and egg-drop dumplings was the clear crowd favourite with its creamy sauce and tender pieces of beef.

Despite the lack of electricty, we had a wonderful meal and found the food delicious. Unfortunately, our rating takes into account value so Warszawa's slightly pricier menu worked to its disadvantage.

1414 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA
Tel: 310-393-8831
http://www.warszawarestaurant.com

Vegetarian friendly? Yes.
Parking: Small lot behind restaurant; spaces alongside building available in evenings; street parking.
Entree pricing: $13-24

THE SISTERHOOD HAS DELIBERATED: 7 ROSES OUT OF 10.

Update: Crest, Int'l Visitors & Google

DEP would like to extend its gratitude to Ms. L "I out eat grown men" S for her outstanding work in creating a crest for Delta Eta Pie. After careful thought and much deliberation, Ms. L.S. helped DEP decide on the four following symbols: a cornucopia, a wine goblet, the scales of justice and an English rose. It is our hope that this crest will serve to remind us of the goals to which we aspired when we founded this society 19 days ago: (1) to keep an open mind and open belly as we pursue our mission to survey a "cornucopia", if you will, of food & drink; and (2) to approach our role as food critics with the professionalism, objectivity and scrutiny as would judges in a court of justice. A globe enrobed with the flags of the world sits atop our banner to represent our international cuisine and our diverse membership.

On the topic of internationalism, DEP would like to note the diversity of visitors to our blog. We have already seen folks visit us from the following countries: Canada, India, Argentina, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore. Scroll over the flag of each country on the right panel to see an image of the various countries. Welcome everyone! May good food unite us all:o)

Lastly, DEP celebrates its debut on the Google pages as Google's spider recently "crawled" our blog. This means the DEP blog now shows up as a result to relevant searches on Google. We hope that our web presence continues to grow at this rapid rate and we become a real resource to other food lovers in Los Angeles who are on a modest budget.

Week 3: Indonesian - Ramayani

Ms. L.W., Ms. L.S. and Ms. J.H. were in attendance this week as well as new member, Ms. S. "Yucca is Yucky" R.

Although Ramayani looked dingy from the outside, sitting on a bustling Westwood Blvd. corner with a tacky mustard, yellow sign, the restaurant was quite cozy and clean inside. When we arrived, we were greeted and served by a sweet and gentle elderly couple, quite likely the owners. To the right hand side of the entrance was a small store with an eclectic collection of exotic breads, sauces, beers, snacks and spreads.

Several delicious dishes were slotted on the menu tonight. The evening began with a refreshing Fresh Lime Soda that was tangy with just a delicate dash of sweetness. Ayam Bakar (fire-grilled chicken breast dish basted with sweet soy sauce served with kafir limes) was juicy and tender, and complimented perfectly by a sauce of sweet and tart. Vegetarian Cah Kangkung (Hawaiian Watercress stir-fried with garlic and chili) was cooked to an appetizing bright green, but some members found it to be a bit too salty unless eaten along with the plain rice. Belado Tahu (fried tofu in tangy sweet red bell pepper sauce), on the other hand, was a disappointment: the tofu did not hold its own in freshness and texture and was drowned in the spicy, sweet sauce. Nasi Goreng (Indonesian-style fried rice) was popular with the crowd as a slightly sweeter and chewier variation on the traditional Chinese fried rice.

The sisterhood was adventurous in their dessert choices. Bubur Ketan Hitam (warm, sweet black wild rice pudding topped with coconut milk) was a hit. What it lacked in presentation, it made up in creamy yumminess. Ms. S.R. noted that she preferred the softer texture of traditional western rice pudding to chewy wild rice but Ms. J.H. enjoyed the exotic departure. All agreed that Iced Doger/Tape (sweet fermented yucca root with young coconut and vanilla syrup) was an acquired taste. Ms. L.S. deftly fooled others into trading their delicious desserts for the pink yucca when she declared that the yucca "actually starts tasting good after about 10 bites!!" Ms. L.W. fell for the bait and took the advice to heart; after 10 bites, she concurred, convincing herself that the trade was worthwhile. The yucca had an indescribable savoury taste of sweet, salty and fermented. DEP recommends it to only the brave and unabashed.

1777 Westwood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Tel: 310-477-3315
Fax: 818-892-4811
http://www.ramayani.com/

Vegetarian friendly? Generally.
Parking: Small lot next to restaurant and street parking.
Entree pricing: $7-14

THE SISTERHOOD HAS DELIBERATED: 7.5 ROSES OUT OF 10.

For a Discussion on Indonesian Cuisine
For a Discussion on Indonesia

Week 2: Indian - Jaipur

Tonight we had record attendance:) DEP would like to formally initiate three new members: Ms. C "Should we order more?" P, Ms. J "Can I have fries with that?" C and Ms. L "I out eat grown men" S.

Jaipur was a clean and quaint restaurant tucked in on Pico Blvd. with a pleasant setting and friendly service. The Naan and Samosas were good starters but pretty standard Indian fare. The Papri Chat (fried flour crisps with cilantro, yogurt and sweet and sour sauce) did have a unique flavor but the flour crisps were a tad stale. Chicken Tikka (boneless white meat marinated in spices, tandoor broiled on skewers) had generally good reviews. The Chicken Tikka Masala (bbq'd chicken pieces cooked with tomato & cream sauce) and Paneer Makhni (homemade Indian cheese cooked with spices, cream & tomato sauce) were tasty but quite similar in flavor to each other. The rice dish, Chicken Biryani (basmati rice with chicken, spices, nuts and raisins) was colorful but nothing unusual in taste.

10916 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064 (just west of the Westside Pavilion)
Tel: 310-470-4994
Fax: 310-470-8004
http://jaipurcuisineofindia.com

Vegetarian friendly? Yes.
Parking: Finding street parking was a pain; but valet parking available at $4.50
Entree pricing: $7-15 before 10% coupon.

THE SISTERHOOD HAS DELIBERATED: 6 ROSES OUT OF 10.

Week 1: Persian - Shaherzad

This week, the sisterhood, or rather, Ms. J. "I Want Seconds" H. and Ms. L. "Where's my Burrito?" W. ventured down Westwood Blvd. to try out some Persian cuisine at Shaherzad.

The flatbread was freshly baked in an warm, glowing oven. The creamy eggplant dip appetizer was excellent along with the bread, albeit a bit too rich and heavy for only 2 people. Portions were ginormous and delicious. Leg of lamb was genuinely giant's fare, while the rice flavored with rosewater, orange rind and almonds was fragrant and unique. Drawback was that there were only a couple vegetarian options on the main menu. The kidney bean stew was flavourful but really lacked in substance when prepared sans meat.

1422 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles 90024
Phone: 310-470-3242
Fax: 310-470-2040

Vegetarian friendly? No.
Parking: Street parking not tough to find
Entree pricing: $10-15

THE SISTERHOOD HAS DELIBERATED: 8 ROSES OUT OF 10