Condiments, sauces, toppings, jams, salsas, etc you would travel for?
A follow up to the Zankou garlic sauce debate on the Schaudenfraude post, which was a great one - I'm curious.
Who would travel 5 miles or even farther to get to a favorite condiment, topping, jam, salsa, dessert sauce, tapenade, compound butter (you get where I am going) that really puts the icing on your favorite dish?
And what are you travelling for/where are you going?
As my previous post indicates, I will travel for Zankou garlic sauce, which elevates the just fine roast chicken to glorious levels...
Thanks!
Sasha
Dec 02, 2005 09:47PM
Pollo a la Brasa, Koreatown: I love their green aji. prefer their smoky, wood-fire-roasted Peruvian style chicken, much more than the hit-or-miss chicken at Zankou. Difference for me is that the Zankou chicken, even when it's fresh out of the rotisserie, tastes bland without the toum. The PaB chicken is plenty flavorful on its own, but gets more punch from the aji.
El Toro Bravo, Costa Mesa: Their salsa roja is also terrific, but the standout salsa fresca, chunky pieces of tomato, serrano, onion and cilantro meld into a perfectly salted, plenty piqant, fresh-tasting beverage, I mean, condiment for their tacos. I like to have a big cup of it on the side for spooning onto my food.
Tsuruhashi, Fountain Valley: this Japanese yakiniku place serves two sublime dipping sauces with their platters of meat. Can't tell you exactly what's in it, but they're both glorious.
El Gallo Giro, locations all over LA county but specifically Santa Ana in my case: the salsa verde. Most places make a tart version tasting mostly of tomatillo. Here, the juice of serrano chile does most of the heavy lifting. Because it's made fresh on site, the final product varies from day to day, and throughout the year. Most days, it's my salsa verde of choice.
Link: http://professoralt.com
Permalink | Reply
The mustard at Philippe's!
Permalink | Reply
I second this. LOVE that mustard. I even buy extra jars to send to family/friends in other cities who have become addicted.
Permalink | Reply
The chimichurri sauce at Gaucho Grill.
Permalink | Reply
If you're ever in Whittier, you must go to Hrazdan Chicken. They serve the same garlic sauce and chicken, but better- an armenian mom and pop operation. I travel for that sauce too!!!
I also head to Claremont for a bottle of mint chutney from Walter's. It's great with their bowlawnies, but I love it too much to only eat it there once every few months when I get out that way.
One more, the curry dressing at Rutabegorz in Fullerton. I'm a sucker for curry anything- I have bought a tub or two to take home.
Permalink | Reply
The home-mdae guacamole at BABITA
The salsa at TONNY'S
The gravy on the Poutine fries at CANADIAN CAFE
The malta con leche at CAFE ATLANTIC (Yes, yes, I know technically it's a drink, but if it was up to me, I'd use it as a condiment on just about anything ...LOL!)
Permalink | Reply
the garlic, blue cheese, olive oil sauce you can get with your steak at maestro's - i think i can put that on everything ( except maybe dessert ! )
Permalink | Reply
The carrot pickle served at Taste of India in Sherman Oaks.
I also love the mustard at Phillipe's.
The horseradish/whipped cream at Lawry's.
Permalink | Reply
You know mar, you can make up that horseradish whipped cream VERY easily yourself - I did it just last week.
All you do is whip some heavy cream and mix with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and horseradish to taste. I got their recipe from recipe cards they were handing out at the restaurant.
: )
Permalink | Reply
Great post!
Here's mine:
Mint Chutney at India's Oven
Coconut Chutney at Akbar
Salsa Roja at Tacos Por Favor
Permalink | Reply
*Salsa Roja at Tacos Por Favor
Seconded. this stuff rocks!
Permalink | Reply
ketchup at mcdonald's (along with their coke) - i don't know what's different about it - but it is delicious.
salsa at don antonio's (pico near barrington). it's just the right amount of spicey, tasty, chuncky and consistency. yummy.
"free" condiments at akbar indian food - there are three, but i could have a meal just eating the orange oily one with garbanzo beans in it and the coconut one too cool my palate. it's so good.
the "green" sauce at Mumtaz Indian (melrose near la brea).
Permalink | Reply
I second the vote for McD's coke...not sure why it's so hard elsewhere, but they definitely have their syrup to carbonated water ratio right.
Permalink | Reply
2 items come to mind right away:
1. The mustard at Phillippe's in Downtown LA/Chinatown.
2. The hazelnut bread spread at Le Pain Quotidien (all locations). It's like nutella, but "goo-ier" and tastes like 22.8 times better than Nutella.
Permalink | Reply
I read about this place a few weeks back when I was looking at the Kruegermann's website before I went over and bought a large amount of sauerkraut. There's a link to
E Waldo Ward and Sons. This guy bought some acreage in Sierra madre in 1891. I was looking for Santa Rosa Plum jam and they make it. They were the first to grow seville oranges for marmelades and make a seville orange and a sweet orange marmelade. They also have quince jellies, barbeque sauces - no corn syrup only sugar, the stuff is made in small batches. the weird thing was that the street is now a residential street and the house in front is a lovely suburban house. so I walked to the side, walked back into the driveway and there behind the house is a cool barn and the gift shop. They have only 3 acres now in sierra madre but they own land in Azusa canyon and also ship in some of the fruit they work from other parts of California and from Oregon. They also hand pack some of the olives they buy from Spain.
Check out the website - I bought the gooseberry preserve, the seville orange marmalade, the sour cherry and the santa rosa plum jam. I am looking forward to summer and am going to try their barbecue stuff. I am a big fan of the place right now.
273 E Highland in sierra madre.
Link: http://www.waldoward.com/
Permalink | Reply
Raspberry jalapeno jam...hmmm, sounds interesting.
Permalink | Reply
Oooooh....
The red sauce at Don Felix (Sawtelle & Washington Pl.) on the burrito mojado...truly addictive stuff. Even my wife, a notorious chile-phobe, can't get enough of the stuff.
The creamy sauce with the chicken kebabs at Sham (Santa Monica). Dunno whether it's sposed to be a garlic sauce ala Zankou or what, but it's good.
Permalink | Reply
I agree the mustard at Phillipe's. I love the sauce at Henry's Tacos (wouldn't be that same without it).
Permalink | Reply
i love the dip at tony's taverna that comes when you sit down. some kind of avocado/taromasalata mixture. delish!
and i am in love with 'larrupin dill sauce" from los bagels in humboldt. anytime any friend goes there, i ask for some.
Permalink | Reply
Both the red and green salsas served with fresh homemade tortilla chips at La Cabinita in Montrose are reasons enough to dine there alone!
Permalink | Reply
I would travel back in time ... over twenty years ago, when I lived in Chicago, I had neighbors who had a farm in Michigan where they went every summer. They would bring me back jars of their home made jams made from the berries on their farm. Whoaa. Never tasted anything like it before or since.
travel in the car though: I love the guacamole,chips and pico de gallo at The Blue Plate in Brentwood.
Permalink | Reply
Great topic.
Ssam Jang @ Soot
Roja @ King Taco
Mutabel/Baba @ Elena's
Permalink | Reply
I really dig the habanero salsa at Chichen Itza. The burn isn't as in-your-face as some other versions, but it's a powerful, lasting heat that really enhances the flavor of food without entirely masking it.
The garlic at Zankou, which has been mentioned, definitely qualifies as a condiment I would travel for. I agree that without it, the chicken is only average, but that just proves how delicious it is :)
The apple butter at Lucille's is underrated, I think, because of the fact that it's a chain that serves decent, but not fantastic, BBQ. Still, spreading this stuff on the dry doughy biscuits usually prevents me from finishing the majority of my entree.
Permalink | Reply
The Mango chutney, pikcled mango, and other pickles and chutney at Gangadin.
The olive oils to dip bread in at Angeli Caffe
The hummus, taramosalata and Fatima's dip at Alexis
the frosting on Leda's cupcakes-does that count?
The mango ketchup at Tacone wraps, really good on sweet potato fries. Only thing I like there.
Anyone know the best hot fudge sauce? I'm looking for some.
The pickles they serve with sandwiches at the Artisan Cheese gallery.
My friend Mick's Chow Chow.
The barbecue sauce at Boneyard Bistro. Also the baked beans there.
the caramel sauce at John O Groat's, sans nuts. Pour it on a pumpkin pancake.
The banchan/panchan at O Dae San-which is no longer there :(
Permalink | Reply
The table salsa at El Compadre is excellent.
Permalink | Reply
Gilbert's El Indio has a sauce called Diablo that one has to specifically request. I love that stuff. There's a little Chinese food place in the same strip mall as Izayoi called Green Bamboo. The food is essentially one step up from Panda Express and nothing at all memorable, but they make in house a garlic chile sauce that is amazing.
Permalink | Reply
the red homemade piquante sauce served at the hungry pocket in santa monica across the street from SMC
Permalink | Reply
The wonderful and light Grapeseed Oil from the Firestone Winery up in Los Olivos. It's hard enough finding grapeseed oil at any stores here, and when I do, I end up disappointed because they just can't compare to this. I can't wait til my next wine tasting trip up there...
I also LOVE the Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers dipping sauce for spicy curly fries. It's some kind of tangy ranch/garlic? concoction that I haven't tasted anywhere else, not even close. There have been many tough days at work that would end with me driving completely out of my way to pick up a takeout order of these fries "with lots of extra sauce on the side."
Permalink | Reply
I love food!!!!!
So I wolud have to say I would drive 5 miles (maybe more) for the right item.
Or even order it on line and pay the extra shipping.
Where can I try Zankou Garlic sauce?
It sounds heavenly.
Permalink | Reply
6 locations - But if you have a choice, try Glendale:
http://zankouchicken.com/chicken_zank...
Permalink | Reply
Thank You!
Permalink | Reply
The salsa rojas at King Taco and El Taco Llama (at the two North Hollywood locations).
Thankfully, Zankou is just a few blocks for me.
The sauce on the butterfish at Roy's downtown.
Permalink | Reply
Old post, but the plum jam at breakfast at the Jagerhaus in Anaheim... OMG.
Permalink | Reply
I forgot to mention the Salsa Negra at Las Fuentes. Oh My it's good paired with diced jalapenos and onions.
Permalink | Reply
the homemade red piquante sauce served at the HUNGRY POCKET on pico (across the street from santa monica college)
Permalink | Reply