I first tried Blue Tea at the Vital T Leaf in Seattle and loved it instantly. Blue Tea is actually a green tea, and a good source of polyphenols and antioxidants. It’s slightly bitter and sweet at first, and I get hints of smoke and tobacco as well. You can get it online at Vital T Leaf—a best seller.

A friend got some Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer) for us to have with some smoked pork chops (from George’s Market, of course.) Wow, easily one of the most unusual beers I’ve had, but it pairs well with smoked meat. It’s malty and sweet with a real strong Hickory smoke flavor. This one’s for sipping, maybe on a cold day around a campfire or cook out. It’s made in Bamberg, a town in Bavaria, Germany.

As luck would have it, Rachel and I pulled over in Calimesa, CA to get something to eat on our way to Palm Springs, that’s how we discovered George’s Market (German Style Specialties). George is the butcher extraordinaire and the shelves of his market are lined with thousands of imported goods from Germany. I’m not kidding, anything and everything you can imagine (and some things you can’t) are all here: meat, bread, sauerkraut, pickles, chocolates, candies, drinks, jams, desserts, cheeses, mustards, wine and beer—yes beer. (I’ll get to that in a bit.)

The first thing that struck us when we got inside was the crowd; the place was packed! Not only that, but several people came right up to us and told us their favorites that we absolutely, “had to get.”

I’m not joking, one man told us, “George’s bacon is the best! You have to try it. I brought it on my last camping trip and people were still talking about it on the way home.” Another said we had to get the Rye Bread while we could. “It’s delivered fresh twice a week and it always sells out.” They weren’t kidding either, it sold out before we could get to it. Someone told us we had to try the Smoked Pork Chops—which we did. “They’re the best, they will spoil you.” I can honestly say, I’ve had them, and they will.

As if all that wasn’t enough, the refrigerators along the back wall are stocked with hundreds of amazing German and Belgian beers. This is my Valhalla!

My litmus test for German beer is Weltenburger. This beer is from the oldest monastery brewery in the world, established in 1050. Yes, you read that right—1050—and I can never find it. When I see it, I stock up. Not only did George carry it, he has more varieties of Weltenburger than I’ve ever seen. I always stock up.

George’s Market has become a mandatory stop for us whenever we head out to Palm Springs now (sometimes we even stock up on our way back.)

George’s Market
1023 Calimesa Blvd, Calimesa, CA 92320
(909) 795-5320

A bunch of us (finally) got to try the dim sum at Ocean Seafood in Chinatown here in Los Angeles. We’d read all the great reviews and were ready to be blown away. I should preface that I’m from San Francisco, so I’ve had my share of dim sum—both mediocre and great. I was hoping for the later since I don’t make it home as much as I’d like.

There were hits and misses. Let’s start with the hits: the Har Gow (shrimp dumpling) and Char Siu Bao (BBQ pork bun) were both great. The Dow Sa Bow (sweet bean paste bun) and braised duck, not so much. In fact, the duck was served cold and was real fatty. I tried the Dow Sa Bow twice, neither had any bean paste in it.

The selection was kinda bleak too. Generally a steady stream of carts come by with a tempting array of goodies, not here. The same dishes came by again and again, and many never appeared (taro root anyone?) And the service…

Probably the worst service I’ve had in Los Angeles. Trying to end on a high note we asked for more BBQ Pork Buns not once, not twice, not three times—four times! Our party waited an extra 30 minutes. Nada. I finally had to go up to the register to pay the check, no one would come back to our table.

Proceed with caution.

Ocean Seafood
747 N Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90012-2819

This is one premium sake! Gekkeikan Horin is a “junmai daiginjo” sake made with select rice polished to 50% of its original size and is slowly fermented at low temperatures. It’s light with fruity notes and is (dangerously) easy to drink. A perfect paring for some fresh Yellowtail or Tuna. Serve slightly chilled and look to spend about $36 for a bottle.

Gekkeikan Horin Sake

WOW, Finally! Small plates, big food. Now this is the kind of place I’ve been waiting for! I was a bit trepidatious when I first saw the location for BIN 8945. Being the third point in a triangle consisting of West Hollywood’s arguable epicenter “the Abbey” and the equally infamous “Hamburger Haven” on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Roberston (not exactly known for its fine cuisine.)

The space BIN 8945 now occupies seemed to be cursed. Over the years it’s been home to many mediocre establishments involving incredibly average food, and I’m being kind. The thought proccess I suppose being that in that location, you’ve already got the foot traffic so why bother working so hard to make great food? How wrong these silly predecessor’s were to underestimate the neighborhoods desperate need for a culinary ray of light—something that was not lost on wine guru David Haskell (Le Cirque, Aquavit). David is passionate about wine and it shows. Expect to learn, and hopefully drink, something new; and if you forget the name of that fabulous bottle? Don’t worry, he’ll remember and email it you the next day. Just don’t forget to get his card on your way out. On his reccomendation we tried a fantastic wine from Isreal…who knew?

So yeah, yeah, all this talk of wine, what about the food? One word, YUM! Lots and lots of little plates to try and discuss amongst ourselves. My favorite way to eat. All kinds of flavors and textures from a range of cuisines. One of the highlights was the coconut curry mussles with spicy sausage. OMG! These were so good they defy words. The beef cheeks were another table favorite as were the fried oysters. Is it possible not to love a fried oyster? I think not. We ordered them twice.

BIN 8945 has quickly become a favorite late night spot for LA chefs, and once you’ve eaten here you’ll see why. They’ve even begun doing guest chef dinners. On March 25, chef Ludovic Lefebvre of Bastide fame will be there.

Bin 8945 is a breath of fresh air for a homesick San Franciscan. We had a life affirming meal and left totally energized. I can’t wait to go back and try their menu by new chef Michael Bryant who worked with mentor Norman Van Aken as his executive sous chef at both Coral Gables and Norman’s…mmmmmmmm…sounds like another delicious adventure to look forward too. Amen.

BIN 8945
8945 Santa Monica Blvd.
310-550-8945