OH MAMMA!

WOW. For those of you Los Angelenos living under a rock, Osteria Mamma is Larchmont Village's local Italian haven. Since the past summer, I have been reading reviews and hearing lots of great things. The magical thing about Osteria Mamma is Mamma. She hand makes the pasta and is becoming well known in the community for her squid ink creations. For anyone who hasn't tried fresh homemade pasta, please make this your new year's resolution. It's worlds different from the dried and boxed pasta you're probable used to. There's got to be blood sweat and tears or something crazy in this stuff. It's fantastic.

My dinner companion tonight was my step Mom Danelle. We each ordered a salad to start. Danelle got the Gorgo Magno- arugula, carmelized walnuts, pear and gorgonzola dressing. I got the Tre Colori- radicchio, Belgian endive, and argula with Grana Padano cheese and a simple vinaigrette. These were delicious enough- especially with the table bread that was crusty on the outside and perfectly fluffy but dense on the inside. Then came the pastas. Danelle had the Reginette della Mamma. It was some kind of noodle that looked like someone had sliced up a bunch of ravioli noodles into 1/2 inch pieces- kinda like a really wide, curly linguine. It had a light cream sauce, sausage, and Traviso radicchio. I had the Gemelli alla Vodka- pretty obvious. Gemelli with pink vodka sauce. But it had shrimp which were portioned and sized excellently and cooked to perfection. We got dessert to go- a piece of tiramisu and a slice of peach tart. The tiramisu is without a doubt the best I have ever had. The marscapone cream is so fluffy, sweet and delicious. The coffee-soaked lady fingers- yum. The peach tart was just ok, but that was semi-expected as peaches are a summer fruit and it's December.

 The salad was actually twice this size, but I got a little carried away eating it 

and forgot to take a picture... oops!

 Gemelli alla Vodka

 Best Ever Tiramisu

Peach Tart

Overall, I give this place an 8.5 out of 10. The food was great but the service was a little lacking. I had an Arnold Palmer and once I had slurped it all up, the bus boy filled it up with water thinking that was what I had run out of. The same thing happened to Danelle with her empty beer glass. We also got seated at the only table in the middle of the dining room which was a little awkward. The decor was simple and sweet- dark wood with deep orangey-browns and big blown up black and white pictures of the family who owns the restaurant. Last recommendation- don't valet park. It's not worth the $6 service charge as they're most likely going to park you in their small lot right behind the restaurant.

Osteria Mamma, I hope to be seeing you again very soon.

Thaksgiving

This post is a little late, but who's really counting?
This year's Thanksgiving went pretty well. The menu, you ask? Let's recap...

Appetizers
Balsalmic Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Herbed Ricotta Crostini
Warm Crab and Artichoke Dip with French Bread
Winter Sangria

From Left to Right- Herbed Ricotta, Roasted Grape Tomatoes, Crackers and Carrots, Crostini

Main
Roasted Turkey with Lemon, Rosemary, and Garlic
Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Creme Fraiche and Chives
Sourdough, Mushroom, and Leek Stuffing
Maple Roasted Root Vegetables
Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
Sweet Potato Casserole
Salad- Tomato, Cucumber, and Avocado
Cranberry Sauce Flavored with Orange

From Left to Right- Salad, Sweet Potato Casserole w/ Marshmallows, Stuffing, Turkey, Roasted Root Veg

Not Pictured: Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad, Cranberry Sauce, Rolls

Dessert
Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie
Banana Chocolate Chip Crossaint Bread Pudding

Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie, Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

Overall, the smashed potatoes and stuffing were my favorite. The stuffing was so perfectly chewy and crunchy on the bottom, savory but not salty. The mashed potatoes were creamy and delicious without being too filing. The bread pudding was good, but I think I could have done with a little less liquid, it didn't exactly set how it was supposed to. The herbed ricotta was so so yummy and there was a lot left over so it was great the next morning on a piece of sourdough toast with a scrambled egg. There was also a lot of cranberry sauce left over, so I made Left Over Cranberry Sauce Muffins that I added a little almond extract too and sprinkled some sliced almonds on top of. Very easy, and very good.

This Christmas, my family and I will return to our tradition of going to my Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner. We haven't done it in a while, probably 4 or 5 years. As hectic and crazy as it might get with 30 people from 2 families, it's what I remember as "the holidays" growing up. I love it. Tonight, I'm going to Westside Tavern with my Aunt, Stepmom, and cousins and then to see Black Swan afterward. Updates to follow...

Burger'in it up

On the corner of Bay and Mission in Santa Cruz sits a restaurant bluntly named Burger. Every time we drive past it, we'd say "We really gotta try it one day" and last night was the night. While sitting in the library (not) finishing up an essay that was due three days prior, it hit me that I was craving a burger. By burger I mean veggie burger, as I've been pescetarian since March. Well, to be fair I actually was craving a turkey burger but after cleaning the turkey last week there is NO way I will ever be eating that again. It was disgusting to put it lightly. Anyway, I excitedly texted Caty (one of my house mates) exclaiming that I'd die if I didn't have a burger, I suggested Jack's, another place we hadn't been to that has some buzz around town. She quickly corrected me, letting me know that that night was a Burger night... and that it was.

Maybe our expectations were just too high, or maybe the food actually just wasn't that great but I was pretty disappointed. Kudos to Burger for having a housemade veggie burger patty (some kind of black bean thing that was fairly solid, but not trying to imitate meat which is key in my book). I got the Mike D which was the veggie patty, and jack cheese, and your normal burger fixins like lettuce and tomato. Every burger there comes with either sweet potato fries or shoe string fries. I got the sp's and caty got the shoestrings. I'm a huge fan of sweet potato fries and these are some of the best I've ever had. Perfectly crispy, not greasy, sweet and crunchy. Yum. The shoe string fries were delicious as well. The burgers on the other hand were not terrible by any means, but they just weren't that great- especially for a place named after the food itself. I felt like mine lacked the ease that a burger should have, it's casual food it shouldn't feel forced. The patty tasted good but th texture was a little rubbery, the buns were a little dry, and the lettuce was iceberg which is a no-no.

I have to hand it to Burger, though, for being very creative. The Snooki- a chili burger between two grilled cheese sandwiches. The Luther- classic burger with american cheese between two glazed donut buns. Beer shakes and truffled fries? Sounds good to me. Overall? B-

sending bestie some thanksgiving love

What am I thankful for? Among many other things, my best friends. My best friend of five years, Sara (Saaaaaaraaaaaaaa?), goes to school at NYU and she's not going home for Thanksgiving either. Funnily, both of our mom's family's live in the places where we go to school, so we're not really all alone for Thanksgiving, but it's still not home. I'm mailing Sara the new Taylor Swift CD (though it's honestly not very good- sorry T-Swizzle) and I had just bought some new scrapbooking paper so I made her a little card to go along with the CD. Making cards or other crafty things is probably by second hobby. It's such a simple and personal touch to a gift. See you in a little over a month, Sara Bear- friends marathon in PJs and french vanilla feast included. I can't wait to be laughing about stupid things on your floor like always!

pre-thanksgiving

Since I'm not going home this Thanksgiving, I decided to host it here at my house and have my mom's side of the family over. Just so you know, I'd eat desserts for dinner everyday if I could. I've had Sunny Anderson's Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie recipe - which was surprisingly simple - sitting in my bookmarks for a year so I thought it was time to finally make it. I tried it out last night to see what it actually tastes like as I've tried to create a taste in my mouth every time I reread the recipe.  The filling was creamy and slightly tangy, and the crust was the best part of the pie. Graham crackers with a stick of melted butter? What could be bad about that?


After praying that my oven wouldn't fault, battling it when it did, and not realizing I didn't have the heavy whipping cream the recipe called for and going to the store to get it, I finally got the pie baked. My house mate Caty was eager to try the pie though it wasn't cooled and still a little gooey in the center. Regardless, it was pretty damn good. The dollop of cinnamon whipped cream didn't hurt either. Kudos, Sunny. I'm excited to make it again to serve to my family as one of our desserts on Thanksgiving. 


Sunny Anderson's Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons hazelnut creamer, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese*
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
*I used whipped cream cheese because it's lighter. If you don't like the tang of cream cheese, you could probably substitute ricotta.


Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make crust, mix graham crackers, sugar, 1 tablespoon of hazelnut creamer and butter until combined. Press into a 9 to 10-inch spring form or cake pan making sure to press mixture up the sides and bottom as well, set aside.
For filling, in a large bowl mix in order cream cheese, brown sugar, eggs 1 by 1 and pumpkin puree. In a small cup stir remaining 2 tablespoons of hazelnut creamer, allspice and salt into heavy cream. Pour heavy cream mixture into pumpkin mixture and blend until combined. Pour into crust and bake for 45 minutes or until the center sets. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refridgerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.