Angeli Caffe on Melrose

Sara & I went out to dinner one night 

to this tiny Italian restaurant called Angeli Caffe on Melrose Avenue.

It wasn't one of those hip Hollywood restaurant with flashy lights and loud music

that you can really recall what you have consume as you're leaving the lobby.

As soon as we sat down...

Can't complain about this gigantic rustic bread. 

Fresh from the oven.

Sara's friends raved about daily special ricotta gnocchi from this place.

So, we ordered a few other appetizers including the "gnocchetti".

I wasn't too excited at this point... 

BUT, these little potato goodnesses totally exceeded my expectation.

 Ricotta Gnocchetti

They were soft but still had a subtle chewiness to them. 

Once you put that little gnocchetti in your mouth,

it melts away leaving such savory, velvety pleasure... YUM!

 Goat cheese wrapped with grilled eggplant

 Potato croquettes with salame and smoked mozzarella
They are pretty addicting...
Fried with salame inside, duh?

For the main course, I had Pollo Arrosto (roasted chicken).

It was roasted with fresh rosemary, lemon & tons of garlic and ...

Yes, I could taste all the ingredients in perfect harmony.

 Sara had Linguine ai Frutti di (seafood linguini).

Let's just say that this plate was very clean 

after us two girls devouring everything edible. haha...

To complete the sin of gluttony this evening,

We had to have Tirami Su. Surprisingly, it was just okay.

(Although, the apple crumble sort of daily special dessert I tried later was to die for...)

After this dinner, I went back to Angeli Caffe many more times.

My favorite dishes were... there are more that are not on regular menu.

Tagliata
fillet of beef scallops topped w/fresh rosemary and sage, served on balsamic dressed arugula

Penne all’Arrabiata

spicy tomato sauce

Pizza al Caprino

goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, carmelized garlic

Chicken Piccata Special

I love their food. The ambience is chill. 

Although, make sure you have enough time to enjoy your wine and good company... 

their service schedule is very... Italian. (:

Hope this review can help you exploring your new favorite Italian resturant!!!

Ciao!

shabu-shabu at my house!!!

My lil sis Jenny is back from visiting Korea. Yay!

Wanted to cook something extra delish 

for our long anticipated rendezvous at mi casa.

She was down for some shabu-shabu. (:

For those of you who are not so familiar with this dish...

Shabu-shabu is pretty similar French fondue & Mongolian genghis khan. 

You cook your favorite meat & veggies in boiling water/broth & dip them in sauce.

It's super simple & easy to prep for shabu dinner. 

Make quickie broth with dried katsuobushi fish flake & dried kelp... 

Just simmer for 5-10 min!

Next, chop up everything in your veggie drawer in bite size.

You can "shabu" with beef, pork, chicken, duck, ... any of your favorite choice.

(BTW, from this moment, "shabu" is going to be used as a verb.

You've just witnessed the historical foodie lingo-creation moment. ^^)

Just make sure the meat is sliced very thin,

so you don't have to count 100 for every bite!!

When you go to Japanese or Korean market, 

they usually offer a great selection of shabu meat & dipping sauces.

I like using ponzu with Chinese mustard paste & sesame flavor sauce.

There are spicier options, peanuty one, tangy one and etc.

Time to eat!!!

After you are done with fondue-ing enough meat & veggies,

you can add some kimchi, rice, roasted nori, sesame seeds, and sesame oil 

to make mixed rice...

Even my 4-year-old nephew, Ethan, loves shabu-shabu. ^^

You can buy this kind of pot and portable gas burner at any Korean market.

More pictures of shabu night...

You can also make vegeterian version or fish version... Be creative! Have fun!!!

Cold sake or Korean Bek-se-joo go really well with this dish.

Thanks for reading my shabu story. ^^

Good night~!!