The Fried Dough Ho

The culmination of my first night of the fried dough extravaganza in Southern California culminated at Gambrinus restaurant on the boardwalk near the Redondo Beach Pier. It seems oddly ironic that I keep returning to a place where I lived for so many years to truly amazing food for when I lived in Redondo, I was usually traveling outside the city for better dining experiences. This proved to be quite a special evening. After a multitude of empanadas from Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador, and Malaysia, our last stop for the evening was to be a departure from those versions of fried dough which predominated from warmer locales for Gambrinus’ cuisine was Russian.

We finally strayed away from the purely fried dough constraint and along with the experimental portion of the meal, ordered a Shuba salad, a traditional Russian salad with layers of pickled herring filets, potatoes, beets, carrots, chopped eggs and mayonnaise one on top of the other. Shuba apparently means “in a fur coat” and the grated egg which topped the offering did give it a furry appearance. Considering the amount of heavy, carb-laden delicacies we had consumed, it was a welcome respite with its clean, crisp flavors of beet and vinegary fish. The mayonnaise was not overpowering and the bit of egg brought just enough richness to counter the heavy food we had been consuming.

But we had already ordered more! It was admittedly a bit of a shock for me. Up until this point, all of the variations of fried dough that we had ordered had been appetizer portions; empanadas and fried puffs of nothing much larger than 2″ or 3″ but what was presented to us as entrées were sizeable portions that almost overwhelmed me! The belashi (apparently also known as belyashi) reminded me of a curling stone in shape and size; round, robust, and heavy. This golden wonder was easily 6″ or 7″ across and 3″ to 4″ high, stuffed with a rich concoction of well-season ground pork and was made with a decidedly thick dough; thicker than I really wanted. While the exterior portion of the dough was rich and tasty, the interior was more spongy than I wanted. I greatly enjoyed the dark, heady filling though and was a bit surprised by the small container of red sauce that was served alongside. Tasting a bit, Mr. R confirmed it was spicy Thai condiment that the owners served because “Americans want spicy things.” Not that the belashi was bland, but most Russian dishes are more muted in their tastes with the contrast provided by the accompanying pickled vegetables or pickled fish.

The other monstrously huge hunk of fried dough was a chebureki, which is more of a Georgian/Latvian dish than Russian (the owners of Gambrinus are from Latvia). Shaped in the empanada-like half moon, the chebureki spilled off the 8″ plate in all its flattened, crisp glory. Also filled with pork but with an entirely different flavor structure than the belashi. Here the meat flavors were more prevalent as the dough casing was thinner and less predominant, but also, this was so juicy that biting into the giant meat pie literally exuded (all over me), heady chunks of white pork with broth. I had to hold the dripping, succulent pie in a napkin and was both sorry I had eaten so much already but so happy at the confluence of flavors.

One other fried dough delicacy was on the menu which I had almost missed but going overboard as we were doing, had to be ordered and tried. Listed on their menu simply as “Garlic Bread,” this dish truly had one of those eyes-rolling-into-the-back-of-my-head experiences. The very same thin, half-slices of meager classic Russian brown bread – hearty and a favorite of mine with salmon – here was drenched with pure butter and garlic and then, with no additional breading, deep-fried and served warmed. So redolent and pungent with garlic and the richness of the butter shining through, I feel it is impossible to describe the impact that such pure, simple ingredients — so untraditionally prepared — can have. This simple offering of garlic fried bread will go down in the annals of one of the finest examples of unexpected genius and will be included in my Top Five of all favored fried doughs of all time. Now, a week later when writing this, I can still taste and crave it. So shockingly good.

I have to admit that I know nothing about Malaysian food and going to a restaurant for only one aspect of a particular ethnic cuisine, is probably not the best representational situation for learning. But I was on a whirlwind tour of discovering and experimenting with multiple fried dough offerings. And as far as I have able to determine thus far, most historical and ethnic cuisines have some form of fried dough within their pantheon of culinary offerings. And thanks to my incredibly knowledgeable and resourceful friend, we stopped at Belacan Grill on the off-hand chance that this unknown cuisine which could include Malay, Indian, Eurasian, Chinese and Nyonya foods.

I was anticipating heavenly aromatic dishes — obviously well-spiced — and by and large, I was not disappointed.  We asked specifically which items were fried as we didn’t want to fill up on unnecessary courses and were directed towards two offerings from their appetizer menu; Roti Canai, a flat bread, and Curry Puffs. Technically, the flat bread was grilled and not deep-fried, but therein lies my slippery slope for it was obviously pan-fried and in so much butter as to be riding that fine line of griddled versus fried. Very flaky and rich from the butter, the warm roti canai was served with a side of thin, chicken broth-based spicy sauce – more like a red curry soup. The texture was soft and fluffy, happily consumed on its own although enhanced with the spicy condiment.

Three-inch long curry puffs were shaped in the half-round, empanada-like moon shapes we had been consuming all evening long. The pastry for the casing was so flaky as to begin to split apart under the influence of the hot frying oil. Not too thick to overwhelm the flavor of the stuffing which was considerably more spicy than the flat bread sauce. Here, savory potatoes dominated the contents but with bits of chicken meat coupled with redolent heat of a spice that kept going. This was just a little beyond my normal spice threshold, but I quickly adapted. Our biggest complaint was the fact that the oil in which these puffs were fried was obviously a bit on the old, burnt side of acceptable. The puffs themselves were not burned, but a detectable rankness prevailed. I have no doubt that someone just going to the restaurant for a single meal and ordering multiple other dishes would probably not notice, but considering this was the fifth different experience that evening, we were becoming that much more aware of oil qualities in the preparation of these dishes. It is a minor complaint, but a distraction nonetheless.

2701 190th St., Ste 100
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(310) 370-1831

Immediately after tasting the thick, heavy, baked Argentine emapana, my friend took me the real fried version at a local Colombian restaurant, Mi Ama. Like El Gaucho only a few blocks away, Mi Ama was also located in a little strip mall, tucked back in a corner in between a taqueria and a hair salon. Easy to miss, if you don’t know exactly where it is.

Brightly decorated and engaging, but sadly empty for a Friday evening, we had the run of the place as well as the complete attention of the waitress, Loli, who was more than gracious in helping me learn about Colombian empanadas. We ordered some juices; guanabana with milk and maracuyá – passion fruit – which were a bit more filling than I wanted but incredibly tasty. The white board menu was calling to me with too many additional items, both Comida Colombian and Comida Peruvian, but we were on a mission and that mission was fried dough.

Made with an imported corn masa, these empanadas were approximately 2 1/2 inches long and stuffed with a combination of mashed potato, beef, and onion, mashed into a purée. Made with a cornmeal crust and seasoned with cumin and annatto, the resulting fried empanada proved to be rich and flavorful although I found the fine grind of the interior to mute the meat flavors, instead of emphasize them.

While the Argentine empanadas are served with a finely-cut vinegary chimichurri sauce of vinegar, parsley and red pepper, the Colombian accompaniment was a chunkier salsa offering that included scallions and more cilantro than I care for. Here sliced limes were also provided to give the acidic component to cut through the grease of the frying, but I didn’t necessarily find it necessary. Loli was very sweet to bring out a container of the filling so we could see how it was prepared as well as the Bijol powder they use for the seasoning and for the anchiote component.

After a horrifically disappointing meal at nearby Heaven’s Dog, I have BFF Lisa to thank for whisking me away to Thermidor for dessert. I had recalled they had a specialty doughnut on the menu and with iPhone in hand, she had mapped out that it was close enough to a theater where I had tickets for the evening and just enough time to grab dessert before curtain time.

It is pastry chef Kyle Caporicci who has created the dessert which called to me; Coffee, Cigarettes and Doughnuts with carrot cake, white chocolate custard and coffee ice cream. The “cigarette” is a stylized, thin white chocolate tube filled with a creamy mousse and is apparently infused with tobacco leaves reputed to give a nicotine buzz. I can’t comment on whether or not it gave me a nicotine buzz, per se, but the presentation and flavors did excite me. I’m giving some leniency in this because the “doughnut” is not actually fried dough, but carrot cake. But being the Ho that I am, I was terribly impressed with the plating, concept and flavor combinations. The coffee ice cream is some of the best I have tasted (and surprisingly, it is not coffee colored the way one would expect it). The classic cream cheese frosting was lightly studded with sprinkles but the little cakes were set upon some ground

Working the bar was a chap named Morgan and we felt an instant affinity, partly for his gregarious nature and for his gorgeous culinary tattoos. I just asked for his particular favorite gin cocktail and all I remember was him saying he had freshly made some raspberry purée and we just instructed our assent to construct whatever he deemed fit. It was a beautiful site, watching Morgan throw himself into the cocktail making was like watching Nijinski approach Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring; raw and inspirational and entirely heartfelt. We loved this place already. I wished I had written down what else was in the cocktail but we did know there were egg whites which produced a creamy and rich libation.

And then a tall man in a white jacket — Chef Bruce, no less! — walked up with an order of Pommes Dauphine (warm potato croquettes) served with lobster butter. Yep, I got a real fried dough entry out of this visit along with a cool dessert and an amazing cocktail! The Chef was confused as to who had ordered the appetizer because he could see we were already well under way with a dessert. Laughing, I coaxed him over. In a rush to catch a play, we didn’t care what order our dishes had arrived and the only disadvantage seemed to be in the fact that the intensely tender morsels of fried potato dough was the fact that garnished with salt and served with the unctuously rich lobster butter, it came across as too salty after the sweet dessert and fruit-sweet cocktail. Chef Bruce told us he made the lobster sauce fresh from live lobster and the quality was exquisitely discernible. The fried dough offerings were light and perfectly fried.

There was no bigger regret that we had eaten elsewhere beforehand and that our time was so short. But between two amazing courses and better than superlative service, this is a restaurant I will return to very shortly.

One of the stalwart breakfast restaurants in the city is Brenda’s Soul Food, known for producing “French Soul Food.” Mostly, in my mind, they specialize in down south, Cajun-inspired cuisine. Only open for breakfast and lunch, I have enjoyed many savory dishes like cheese-laden shrimp-and-grits, andouille omelets, and spicy gumbo. Their house-made biscuits are huge, flaky, and served with a housemade jam in seasonal flavors.

Just like any New Orleans inspired restaurant, Brenda’s offers beignets. But these are not your classic Café du Monde beignets. Brenda’s makes larger, 3″ across pillows of fried dough. While they offer the classic, sugar-dusted plain beignets, what gathers the lines outside Brenda’s are three stuffed beignets — two sweet ones filled with Ghiradelli chocolate and Granny Smith apples with cinnamon honey butter and a spicy, savory version stuffed with seasoned crawfish spiked with cayenne, cheddar cheese, and scallions.

It is possible to order a sampler of all four flavors, but know that the one savory beignet is dusted with cayenne while all three are topped with powdered sugar so there is a little intermixing of sweet with hot. On my last visit, I ordered the savory crawfish beignets and was sadly disappointed. The dough is heavy and thick and gummy. The interior filling is delightful and I would be more than happy to eat a bowl of the redolently rich and heady seafood is so gooey and good, but to get to it, you have to eat through so much chewy, partly raw dough.

A good friend was visiting from New York when I suggested Brenda’s and especially touted the beignets. Instead of the entire sampling, we opted for just the crawfish platter which went back to the kitchen mostly uneaten. We cut them open to reveal the interior and enjoyed scooping out the delectable filling, but the dough was so heavy and chewy. Surprisingly, even sending some back uneaten did not illicit a response from server or the kitchen on how inedible they were. So sad for so much potential considering that everything else they serve is so exceptional. I love Brenda’s for an enticing breakfast for brunch. I’m just sorry what should be a signature dish is so mediocre.