Jasmine is the .5 of the 2.5 Burmese restaurants in all of LA.

Why only .5? Cuz they only have 5 Burmese dishes. I remember reading about this joint last year, but promptly dismissed it due to: again, only 5 Burmese dishes, and: it’s wayy the eff far in Culver City. Alas, a year after Mr. Gold’s article in LA Weekly came out, a certain West Side cheap food go-to guy ** WAVE to Wilbur** reminded me of its existence.

Tho I perused several Chowhound page, I ended up with all Indian dishes as they were out of the mohinga – fish noodle soup – so we ended up w/ a mild chicken tikka and a bow of lamb curry. The chicken tikka was served like a plate lunch, w/ a side of alu gobi cauliflower & veggies. The lamb curry came w/ naan and rice. Both curries were on the brothy, thin side. Lamb curry was ordered spicy, but ended up with medium punch. Medium is good. My toilet appreciates medium. Alu gobi was also thinner than usual just like the curries, but it was just enough to tease the palate and compliment the chicken tikka.

»continue reading Panning for $5 grub Gold: Jasmine Market, Culver City

IF I were to ask you–and I’m not saying that I will ask you, but I’m just speaking hypothetically here–which ubiquitous steakhouse chain restaurant is presently owned by an Australia-based private equity firm, you would–after initially saying, “Why the hell are you asking that? Keep your eyes on the road, you idiot”–likely guess “Uh, Outback,” right? Because nothing quite says “Down Under” like Outback Steakhouse, right? BUT you would be wrong, dead wrong–as wrong as you have ever been about anything in your miserable life. (Outback, ironically, is owned by Florida-based OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC.)

No, it’s SIZZLER. SIZZLER–beloved comfortable well-lit temple of budget friendly surf & turf, Double Malibu Chicken, endless* shrimp, “salad bars” that serve up sweet swirls of soft-serve, and, last but not least, famous cheese toast, physics-defyingly soft and yielding on one side–yet crisp and crunchy on the other (how do they do it?!)–has in fact been under Australian ownership since 2005.

But this can–and must–change. News comes that the Australian Pacific Equity Partners has put Sizzler on the sales block.

Let the campaign begin here. Sizzler–founded right here in Culver City in 1958 by Del and Helen Johnson–must come back home and once again be owned by a proper States-based company, as it should be. God bless Sizzler and God bless America.

PAINTS TESTED

• Liquitex High Viscosity ACRA® Crimson Transparent
• Grumbacher® Cadmium Red Medium Opaque
• NovaColor® Cadmium Red Deep Opaque (Liquid Ready)

In all fairness Liquitex wasn’t a true opaque, but I wasn’t about to buy more paint. This was just what I had lying around the chateau.

RESULTS

Extensive splattering and smearing found Nova Color’s Cadmium Red Deep the darkest and most durable bullshit blood of the three. Yes ladies and gentlemen, Culver City’s very own Nova Color: Bullshit blood of choice this Halloween season. Stop by the factory store today and pick up a gross. Numerous 4-oz test jars can be found in the $3-4 range; aforementioned Cadmium will set you back $7.50. Add water, Winsor&Newton® Burnt Sienna Opaque, Black Opaque and garden variety corn meal for texturing. Dive headfirst into the rapid prototyping phase of fauxspattering. Discover the Nova Color difference. Go thee forth and bloody things.