The Arclight theater/shopping/restaurant plaza in Hollywood isn’t exactly known for stellar food, but Club Sushi has Happy Hour from 5-7pm, so it seemed like a good idea. Holy moley. Not so much.

This fairly new spot (formerly various failed restos so far gone that no one remembers them–Charcoal, anyone?) has all the hallmarks of a tourist-friendly restaurant. Modern brushed aluminum accents meet standard booths and an antiseptic-looking sushi bar. An outdoor patio abuts the walkway from sidewalk to theater. I didn’t expect much from this super mainstream-looking restaurant. It all seemed pretty boring and…safe.

We figured we’d go with the spicy tuna roll and spicy albacore roll, things we’re familiar with and are fairly difficult to mess up. After one bite of the albacore, I knew we’d entered the danger zone.

WHY???

Before I even go into the overall roll issues (there are a couple), let me start by saying that sushi-grade fish needn’t be over-seasoned, even in a spicy situation. A little squirt of sriracha or a light dressing of spicy kewpie mayo and I’m set. But this, this was uncalled for. Gone was the delicate sweetness of the yellowtail, the faint buttery nuance of the tuna. All that I could taste was spicy spicy spicy. Daikon sprouts were a lovely addition, and might have been a nice counterpoint to the richness of the fish if they hadn’t been so completely overwhelmed by the fiery chile flavor that assaulted my palate with every bite.

The eel roll was the lesser of the three evils on our plate. Bland, under-seasoned, but obviously oversauced (thinned out teriyaki–why?), the eel practically disintegrated in my mouth. Ah, yes. Overcooked eel. Slightly mushy, a little mealy, kind of warm. Warm? Yeah. Urgh.

The rolls, at no more than $6.50 each (that was the eel, the spicy ones were $5.95 each because of the Happy Hour half-off deal), were admittedly a steal. But I shudder to think that people actually pay $13 for the eel and $11.90 for the spicy rolls during dinner service. Because who wants to pay that much for rolls with rice that is too soft, unseasoned, and not nearly sticky enough?

Not I, sir. Not I. Especially when the rolls unroll themselves upon moving, as half of mine did, causing me to lose bits of fish and vegetation between plate and mouth. Sloppily rolled sushi rolls? At home, sure. I’m no sushi chef. But at a restaurant it is simply unacceptable.

Mmm...beer. Yeesh...calamari.

While the fried calamari was good–tender, faintly sweet, crunchy–it was by no means the best I’ve had. The sauces came in tiny little ramekins that held just enough sauce for half of the calamari, meaning that the other half had to go undressed because only one of the sauces (the cocktail sauce) was edible. The other, ostensibly some kind of spicy Japanese-style remoulade) was pure spice with no hints of acid or sweetness or salt. Again with the overly aggressive spicy!

I suppose all that sauce drama wouldn’t have been so bad if the calamari weren’t also stuck together and had come with lemons. When asked for some wedges, the waitress brought us halved slices of lemon. We did a whole lot of squeezing for very little acidity over our mountain of calamari clumps, I’ll tell you that much.

But the place isn’t a total failure. We each had a pint of ice cold Sapporo beer for $3 and we got to keep the glass.

All’s well that ends well, and the beer ensured that we had a smooth ending. Just one more reason why I love beer.

Club Sushi
6374 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 461-3330
Club Sushi

Handy ribs and my favorite mac n cheese

McGinnis introduced me to Handy’s ribs a few months ago, when baseball season was coming to a close and the elections were heating up. We’ve spent more than a few weekends together, feasting on ribs, brisket, smoked turkey legs and roasted chicken. But this weekend, as Spring Training showcases some new baseball players and a new batch of election ads are slinging mud, McGinnis and I shared some of the best ribs ever.

I re-heated the ribs in a low oven (325F), tented under foil and lightly glazed with BBQ sauce, then stuck under the broiler for a few minutes. Served with steamed broccoli and homemade mac n cheese, the ribs made the perfect Saturday night even better. Recipes for BBQ sauce and mac n cheese below.

Handy Market
2514 W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 848-2500

Random Things BBQ Sauce
3 tbs. bottled BBQ sauce (I like honey BBQ flavor)
2 tsp. pomegranate syrup (substitute 1 tsp. grenadine or grape jelly, if needed)
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1 pinch each of garlic powder, cayenne pepper, lemon zest

1. Stir together in a small bowl.
2. Microwave on high for 15 seconds.

Outside of the Box Mac N Cheese
2 1/2 tbs. unsalted butter
2 1/2 tbs. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups lowfat milk
1 1/2 tbs. dry vermouth
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. hot wings sauce or mild hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs. cream cheese
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded jack cheese
1 lb. cooked pasta (shells, macaroni, penne, or farfalle)
1 tbs. melted butter
1 1/2 tbs. panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. truffle oil (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease (with butter or nonstick spray) one loaf pan or six 3/4 cup ramekins.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour to make a smooth paste. Allow to cook on medium-low for 1 minute.
3. Add in milk, stirring to combine. Then add in vermouth. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Mix in mustard powder, nutmeg, paprika, and hot sauce. Combine well.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Whisk in cream cheese, cooking on medium-low until thoroughly combined. Cook until slightly thickened and cohesive.
7. Mix in shredded cheeses, a handful at a time, stirring well after each addition.
8. Stir together cheese sauce and cooked pasta, then pour into prepared loaf pan. Spread evenly, making sure not to pack too tightly to maintain structure of pasta.
9. In a small bowl, mix together melted butter and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle evenly across the top of the pasta mixture.
10. Bake for 20 minutes, or until breadcrumbs have browned to desired color. If the broiler is already on, run under broiler for a few minutes for crispier topping.
11. Let cool for 5 minutes, drizzle with truffle oil if desired. Enjoy!

Tasty braised beef melt

Stuffed with more braised beef than any one person should consume in one sitting, plus grilled peppers and onions with pepper jack cheese melted over the whole mess, this sandwich is pretty far from the expected Mexican-inspired dishes that one usually orders here.

Savory and juicy, with sweet onions and succulent beef, this sandwich was “can’t put it down” good.

I chose the tortilla soup as my side, a nod to the ethnic roots of this restaurant. Yeah, that was a bad idea.

Much too thick, the “soup” was closer to some crazy Rachel Ray “stoup” concoction than it was to any tortilla soup I’ve had anywhere–there’s more authentic soup in Boston, for goodness sake. It lacked any kind of texture, save for the crisped tortilla strips that garnished the serving.

But what it lacked in chewability it more than made up for in spice. Halfway through the cup, I gave in. My mouth was on fire, and no amount of Diet Coke could help me. Even a tortilla chip topped with sour cream and cheese (McGinnis’ chicken fajita accoutrement) could do nothing to put out the fire. Alas.

Lesson learned: braised beef = good, tortilla soup = nasty.

McGinnis and I will probably be back in another few months. I hope I remember to order the salad next time.

Mexicali Cocina Cantina
12161 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 985-1744

I love a good blonde.

Good went bad.

It started with the hostess, who kept a small cadre of hungry patrons waiting to be seated for more than a few minutes.  When she finally appeared, she looked confused, the expression in her eyes screaming,  Where am I?  What am I supposed to be doing?  Who are these people?

Seated, McGinnis and I briefly consulted the menus and waited for our order to be taken.  Yeah, we had a while to go. Good thing he’s funny, or I’d have placed our order myself.

One waiter, then a second, then a food runner.  All passed our table without a second glance.  Finally, someone (not sure if he was a waiter or busboy) came by and took our drink order.  While other patrons who were seated within moments of us received their drinks and had their food orders taken, our beers failed to materialize.  Food came to those same tables before the guy who had taken our beer order came back with bad news:  the beer McGinnis had ordered was not available.  Another quick look at the menu, and McGinnis had a new request.  Of course, a new order is useless without someone to take it.

When the guy came around again, McGinnis placed his revised order and then we waited again.

I’m sure you know by now where this is going.

Needless to say, service was shockingly bad.  It ran hot and cold.  Hot:  the moment a beer bottle was emptied, but before I had a chance to photograph it, someone came and swooped it away.  Cold:  the waiting and waiting and waiting and…

I can excuse fairly poor service, however, for stellar food.  And by stellar, I mean burgers cooked to the requested temperature.  Take a look at this photo and tell me that burger is cooked to medium:

Not well-done, poorly done.

It’s not, is it?  I’m not a well-done kind of girl.  I like my burgers juicy, maybe a little bloody in a gross but delicious kind of way.  This burger was the opposite of juicy, and pretty far from delicious.  Thank goodness for perfectly crispy onion rings…

Mmmm...onion rings.

McGinnis and I probably won’t be back at Good for quite some time.  Next time he wants chicken fingers, I’ll make them myself.  And I’ll cook my burger to medium-rare.

Good Microbrew and Grill
3725 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 660-3645

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With chocolate piping