1810 Argentinean Restaurant

You'll seldom encounter a restaurant review here because I rarely eat out. When I do, I tear apart the menu, ordering completely uninspired items, plain and flavorless so as to not aggravate my allergies. As a creative person, I really respect chefs and their choices about how to prepare a meal, so I would rather cook myself than order and criticize a dish because I was not able to enjoy it how it was intended to be eaten.

This weekend, my in-laws were insistent upon taking us out for a "nice birthday meal," the four of us each having celebrated our birthdays in the past few weeks. My nerves started to build, not wanting to offend them by turning down dinner or pre-eating and shoving food around my plate at a restaurant. Then I remembered a new place the man and I passed by in Pasadena last week, 1810.

In the space formerly occupied by Gaucho Grill, 1810 opened in January and introduced an inspired and quaint eatery to the series of chain restaurants that line Colorado Boulevard. Greeted by a friendly hostess, we entered the brick walled and candlelit dining room, finding it to be sparse but cozy. My husband and I immediately began to reminisce about our Argentinean adventure. The waitress overheard and told us the owners are originally from Buenos Aires, so we poured over the menu, anticipating an authentic experience.

And the meal did not disappoint. Against my better judgment, I ordered the "wine special" from the limited menu, a Malbec and empanada for $7 and was pleasantly surprised. The empanada (from a selection of four--ham and cheese, chicken, beef, or spinach and cheese) was flaky and flavorful and the wine warm and fruity, perking me up and easing my eating-out phobias.

The main course selections were simple and highlighted quality ingredients. What caught our attention immediately was the Parrillada Mixta, or mixed grill. Would it compare to our experience in Buenos Aires? Much to our excitement, the meats were brought to the table on a little grill. The quantity was not overwhelming, but the quality of the meats was impressive. A good value, the mixed grill easily fed 2-3 guests with a crispy half chicken, beef, blood sausage, and a few mystery meats that were a welcome surprise. If you're looking for a good steak, ordering from the grill menu is the way to go. The 10-ounce Churrasco was perfectly seasoned and cooked to order, served with side dishes of garlicky mashed potatoes, rice, salad, or vegetables. The menu is rounded out with several "kitchen" dishes, chicken and fish with sauces and pastas, but being the carnivores we are, we didn't bother with those.

1810's cuisine is refreshing for both seekers of a special experience and simple food lovers like myself. And save room for dessert, or at least a bite or two of flan con dulce de leche to share with your table.

1810 Argentinean Restaurant
121 W Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105-1924
(626) 795-5658

koreans know their meats!

a real korean barbeque experience was something i always felt left out of during my vegetarian days. whenever we would go, my man's korean cousin had to talk the confused waitstaff into bringing me something that was meat-free. this usually was a plate of broccoli, onions, and garlic and a $40 bill. always a fun group dining event, but a huge let-down for my stomach and my wallet!

over the weekend, i was able to participate in a meat-filled barbeque at parks in koreatown. we got lots of heaping plates of good quality meat and i felt very satisfied with the experience, especially with my newfound meat knowledge.

here's our first cut of beef:


thinly sliced, nicely marbled kobe! i happily munched on this, savoring the flavor of the fattiness i have learned to enjoy.

and pork. super tasty with toasty onions and garlic!

an excellent meal for the carnivorous and those with food allergies/intolerances. they kindly switched out the grill between every cut of meat so i could feel comfortable and opt out of the marinated plates. and also, this was much better than my korean barbeque experience in seoul, perhaps a story for a different time or a different blog...

progress, in steakhouse form.

another personal story from the vaults.

last night, the man and i decided to do a proper date night; dinner and a movie.

no big deal, right? well, consider that the only restaurants i've had a full meal (not a salad or a bowl of fruit) at in the last year and a half are in 'n out and clifton's, that is a big deal. my man stumbled upon this happy secret at morton's steakhouse and we decided that the deal was too good to pass up. i have been inspired to try to eat out more and ask questions from this blog and the necessity that will occur on our upcoming trip to south america, so i promised him that if he called ahead and asked about ingredients, i would join him for meat and wine.

we ordered the mini prime cheeseburgers (seasoned with tomato juice, salt and pepper)

and the filet mignon sandwiches, medium rare and without bread. and let me tell you, it was delicious.

when the waitress came back around to ask how everything was, i replied (as i often am overly revealing with complete strangers), "great!!! i haven't eaten out in years!!!" this is an exaggeration, of course. but, i was elated when the waitress said that all of the waitstaff carry a card with a list of ingredients and potential allergens and a member of their team has a gluten intolerance. she said that they were very familiar with and accommodating towards those with food allergies and intolerances.

so we ordered another round of cheeseburgers.

thanks, morton's.

lady butcher vs. soy protein

alternate title: keep soy out of my meat!

you can get adequate nutrition while on a vegetarian diet by eating the right combinations of grains, legumes, and dairy products, which is why i had to revert back to my carnivorous ways when i began developing and discoving my food allergies. my conclusion is that fermented soy (tempeh, miso, etc.) on occasion isn't a bad addition to any diet, but a diet dependant on soy for protein is not ideal-- especially for women and children. if you are choosing vegetarianism, please don't be lazy about it. all of the processed, packaged vegetarian food options may look like a fun and easy way to eliminate meat from your diet and be "healthier," but think about these things--

• soy has one of the highest amounts of pesticides of any food we eat
• over 90% of soy is genetically modified
• soy may speed up the aging of brain cells
• increased soy consumption disrupts hormone balance, often disrupting women's menstrual cycles*
• babies on soy formula receive the estrogenic equivalent of at least 5 birth control pills per day
• soy has been linked to countless thyroid problems such as hypothyroidism in women, and in asian countries that eat large amounts of soy, rates of thyroid cancer are staggering
• soy is the primary ingredient in many processed foods
• and, since the government started subsidising soy farming in 1998 (nearly 70% of soy profits are from the government), soy production has raised 25%, resulting in soy being crammed in everything from hamburgers to bread

(sources: www.cnn.com, www.westonaprice.org/soy/birthcontrolbabies.html)

*refers to unfermented soy products

and for people like myself with allergies, it is quite bothersome that soy has found its way into the american diet just like corn has-- as an additive to nearly every processed food product, even many meats! in fact, there have been several reported allergy-related deaths linked to soy in unsuspecting meat products. so, think about that next time you order your late-night 2 for $1 tacos...

*not vegetarian as sometimes speculated, soy is actually the third ingredient in a j-box taco, behind beef and water.

so, do your research. here are a couple of places to start.
is soy healthy?
the whole soy story

therapy: a backstory.

i always thought it was a scam; some sort of excuse for being picky or weak or just plain scared. i still don't have it figured out, but i guess that's why i'm working through it now.

when i was young, i ate whatever i wanted. i will clarify-- i ate whatever my parents made. they made everything from scratch and shopped at co-ops and farmers' markets-- not exclusively, but often. my dad ran the sound system for ethnic festivals at hart plaza in detroit when i was young and at the end of the festivals, vendors would toss cases of food. my wonderfully resourceful dad saw it as a great opportunity and would bring home ethiopian food, indian, thai and greek before it was available on every corner, enough to feed an army! some of my most vivid childhood memories were grudgingly eating curried eggs behind the door in the corner of the living room... and the day my dad came home with a case of brussel sprouts and turned them into soup. vats of the lumpy green stuff seemed to fill the freezer for months. i can still taste it! i was made fun of for my pesto pizza in elementry school, a result of a case of wilting basil and several smoking blenders.

so how did i get here? eating an organic banana and brown rice cake (ingredients: brown rice, salt. gluten- and wheat-free.) and looking forward to my plain buffalo burger i'm planning for lunch? i decided to stop eating meat my junior year of college while studying abroad in ireland. it was my first time living on my own and since i didn't eat much meat and honestly, raw chicken is just icky, i thought, why not? i'll cut out meat for a while and see how i feel. i knew how to make complete proteins with whole grains, beans, and dairy. i grew up eating tofu, drinking chai with soy milk. i woundn't live off of pasta and potato chips or fake vegetarian bacon, i would be healthy. i looked into the big brown eyes of the cow that lived across the street and promised it i would not eat it or its family members anymore. and so it went, for six years.

i don't know what to blame it on-- overconsumption of processed soy products and nuts, stress, not enough variety in my diet (hey, i was single and making $11/hour!), or simply a cycle my body went through, but two years ago, i just started rejecting all sorts of foods. i began to cough to the point of choking after meals; my breathing was strained and my throat tight. then one night, after a dinner of almonds, cashews, cheese, and dried papaya, my body had had enough. my stomach wretched and throat tightened. i took a handful of benedryl and had my roommate drive me to urgent care. but having no medical insurance,we just sat in the waiting room for a couple of hours, finally deciding that if i didn't get worse, i would just pay $90 to go to a clinic in the morning instead of $500 for the emergency room.

after that, i stopped eating nuts, but the mild-to-moderate symptoms didn't subside. most days, i would cough, feel my throat tightening, my tongue buzzing, aching, and going numb. i thought i was going crazy. i didn't want to be alone. i remember one night my roommate and my boyfriend were both out of town, so i drove to a 24-hour store at midnight and wandered around for hours because i wanted someone to find me if i keeled over.

a few months later, my boyfriend fudged some paperwork and added me to his health insurance so i could have allergy testing. at the point of my first appointment, i had lost about fifteen pounds and was completely confused. my doctor wanted to put me on anxiety medication, but that seemed wrong. he did a blood test and called me at 7am the next day. "well, it looks like you have some allergies," he said. then he proceeded to list off nuts, peanuts, beans (yes, that means coffee! chocolate! vanilla!), wheat, soy, corn, oats, eggs, trees, flowers.. you know, food! air! life! "you had asthma as a child, right?" he asked. no! i didn't!!! then he hung up.

i immediately made an appointment with an allergist for more extensive testing and for the next few weeks, at spinach, tomatoes and cheese. the prick test from the allergist confirmed everything that my first doctor found, and that i also should stay away from pineapple, grapefruit, and spinach! now, i was really at a loss. i immediately started eating meat again, starting with chicken and beef broth and slowly adding more, but my weight kept falling. i went to my regular doctor every week for the next month, but he was unconcerned as he watched my weight drop to 114 (i'm five-foot-eight) and told me that i could survive on cheese. my throat was feeling a bit better, but i barely had the energy to get out of bed! i saw ear, nose, and throat specialists and the allergist a few more times, but the solution seemed to be to take a daily allergy pill, carry and epi-pen, and avoid what bothered me.

at that time, eating meat again was not a choice, it was a matter of survival. but in the following months, i started to question my relationship with food. maybe vegetarianism wasn't as healthy as i had thought. maybe i didn't enter into it for the right reasons (laziness? fear of cooking it improperly and getting sick? sadness for cows?). all i knew was that if i ate even a few bites of meat, i immediately felt strong and healthy. what i was questioning was the quality of the meats available to the average american. lunch meat was not an option. everything had fillers that i was avoiding-- various starches, corn syrup, etc. products containing nitrates just seemed wrong. i never wanted to be in a bag about food, but i became an obsessive label-reader and never ate out. it has taken a long time for me to enjoy food again, and i'm finding new excitement in bacon, lamb, really good steaks, and pots of soup with homemade stocks, vegetables, and rice. maybe these are the foods i should have been eating in the first place!

needless to say, i love food. i love cooking and baking and i want my food to be the best. i need you to tell me my cookies are better than the rest, to ask me for my recipes so i can tilt my head and say "hmm..? i just.. made it," with faux modesty. but i've always known that the secret to good food is good ingredients. margerine, processed white sugar, and imitation vanilla will not make good cookies. i cook for others all of the time, even though i can't eat much of what i make. it isn't accurate for me to think that i'd be entering into the butchering world as a masochist-- just the opposite, really. i want to provide people with healthy, happy meats, foods that i can have a hand in preparing and consume myself! i wouldn't be a trustworthy baker if i'd never tasted my breads, i'd be a mediocre dessert chef without sampling my pies! but i can learn how good meat looks, feels, and smells, how the animals are raised and slaughtered, the best way to butcher the meat, and innovative methods of preparation-- and i can participate in the feast that results! perhaps the best way to take care of animals is to feed them well, let them roam free, and then responsibly use them for meat.

i know my story is not unique, but perhaps it provides an unexpected backstory to my inspiration. i will try not to be so long winded and humorless in the future.