Monday, October 25, 2010

Yamashiro's Farmers Market - tacos, brats, booze. I heart you!

Every Thursday night, Yamashiro hosts Farmer's Market in conjunction with LA City Farm. Unfortunately, given the drastic decrease in temperature, this week (Oct 28) is the last one of the season. They offer fresh produce, knickknacks, live music, beer/food stands and during the month of October, they are celebrating Oktoberfest with bratwursts from Best of the Wurst. Since parking can be scare hilltop, they also have an efficient shuttle system that buses you from free parking (at the Christian Science Church on La Brea & Hollywood Blvd) up the hill.

The Yamashiro Farmer's Market is really a grown-ups' version of the market. I love that it's in the evening because sometimes, I really don't want to crawl out of bed at 10am on a weekend to pick up from fresh produce from the Farmer's Market. I love that it's located on the hilltop with a gorgeous view. I love that they serve booze and food so it's a nice alternative to hanging at a bar.

If you haven't been to Yamashiro, you should. The view is gorgeous. The restaurant is perched on top of the Hollywood Hills, overlooking Hollywood, Downtown and Century City.

Veev was present to serve up some acai cocktails. Acai is found in the Brazilian Amazon and has been known to provide various remedies (although not all founded) such as detoxification, improved immune system and weight loss. I personally don't buy into all of that, but hey, if it's mixed in a cocktail, I'll try it.

You have to select from a few fresh herbs to be mixed into your cocktail.

The cocktails are served in a mason jar decorated with a bracelet made with acai berries, both yours to keep. My choice was the acai mint cocktail which tasted a bit like a mojito. Refreshing, citrus and very drinkable.

The Oktoberfest beer stand this past week had Sam Adams on tap. The market also has a wine stand with a couple wine selections. So basically, there's an adult beverage for everyone.

I've heard good things about Chef Brock Kleweno's tacos. He's the chef at the Yamashiro Restaurant. I don't typically fawn over Mexican cuisine but I can dig these gourmet Asian-inspired tacos.

There were three taco options (miso-sake cod, short ribs and duck confit), priced at 2 for $8.

Miso-sake marinated cod, and Hoisin duck confit with Santiago Farm white nectarine and cherry salsa
The tacos were standout. The duck confit was tender and flavorful. With each bite of the taco, I got a mouthful of juicy duck and sweet cherries and nectarines. I thought the fruit pairing was quite unique. The amount of duck in the taco was generous. In fact, I had every intention of ordering two tacos AND a currywurst but I was already full 1 1/2 tacos in. The cod was flaky and absolutely delicious with a salty miso marination. It was topped with spicy wasabi guacamole. I liked that the tacos were flavorful and left you wanting more. I even enjoyed the fresh chips and spicy salsa.

To round of the Oktoberfest festivities, Best of the Wurst was on hand to offer a nice selection of brats. And for the vegetarians, they also offer portabello schnitzel.

Pork Bratwurst was the "simplest" of the lot but the most popular. The juicy brat was topped with a heap of sauerkraut that tasted very homemade.

The market shuts down at 9pm so we took our drinks to the bar area at the Yamashiro Restaurant. I haven't been to Yamashiro in almost ten years and back then, it was rather quiet. It was good to see an influx of people at the restaurant, which I think is largely due to the overflow from the Farmer's Market. I really enjoyed the event and only hoped that I had attended more of these, especially when the weather was warmer. I liked being able to sit outside with a drink and a delicious taco while catching the sunset. If you're looking for something fun to do this Thursday, the Yamashiro's Farmer's Market is the perfect venue.

Yamashiro Garden Market
Thursdays 5-9pm
1999 N Sycamore Ave.,
Los Angeles, CA 90068
(323) 466-5125
www.yamashirorestaurant.com
http://lacityfarm.com/yamashiro-garden-market.html

4 comments:

Diana said...

Bummed I already have plans for this Thursday - I could have gone for another duck confit taco! Oh well, just something to look forward to for next summer!

bagnatic said...

that looks fun. i haven't been to yamashiro in yeeearrrs as well. great way to drum up business and to hook people in with that view.

i'll have to look out for it next summer.

Liz said...

This sounds like my kind of farmers market!

stuffycheaks said...

Diana - I know! I've heard of this for a long time but never made it there earlier. Bummed I didnt get more nights in

Bagnatic - I know me too! I was there 10 years ago on a date haha. It was too "old people" scene for me then.

Liz - I hear ya.. BOOZE!