Thanksgivukkah Dog and Pumpkin Cocktail at Dog Haus

In celebration of the rare holiday overlap that is dubbed Thanksgivukkah, Dog Haus is serving a Thanksgivukkah Dog at all three of their locations until Sunday, December 1st.

The $6.99 dog is made with a "Thanksgiving Sausage" that contains as many ingredients as a Thanksgiving meal: with turkey, whiskey-soaked cranberries, brown-sugared sweet potatoes, thyme, sage and rosemary. All that was just in the sausage.

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Bibigo Celebrates Hwangap Tradition With Prix-Fixe Deal

Hwangap (or hwangab) is a 60th birthday celebration in Korea. Why 60? Because it apparently signifies accomplishing a "big circle" and coincides with the lunar calendar's 60 year cycle. In Korea, the 60th birthday celebration is usually thrown by the children of the one turning 60. Well, Bibigo's parent company, CJ Foods, just turned 60 so the "child", Bibigo, is throwing the celebration! I thought that was kind of cute.

Bibigo is celebrating by offering a three course prix fixe menu (the first two courses include two dishes each, though) for $45 per two people, which also includes a soju tasting. The menu will be available until Saturday, November 30th.

The first course includes two spicy pork steamed buns and a plate of brussels sprouts.
The steamed buns contain spicy pork, pickled radish and cucumber, lettuce, hoisin teriyaki on Chinese bao.

With this item I usually worry about the buns themselves being too dense or dry but the ones here were nice and fluffy.
The brussels sprouts are served with zucchini, cloves of garlic, zucchini, chili pepper and dried prunes.

Of course, the main course has to have Hot stone bibimbap (your choice of protein and type of rice)

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Rye-IPA Pot Pie and Infused Ice Spheres at Muddy Leek (Culver City, CA)

I was recently invited to dinner at Muddy Leek in Culver City, just a little ways away from the Helms Bakery area. 

The menu sounds promising and interesting (of course, there are a few dishes with leek in them). Many people would order and enjoy the Chicken fried bacon with tomato jam ($9), though I personally found it to be too much - too rich, especially when shared only between two people.

Instead, I liked the Cauliflower croquettes with house cauliflower kimchi ($8)

The "kimchi" isn't spicy or as pungent as your regular Korean kimchi, but a light pickled flavor.

If you haven't gone to Muddy Leek recently, you should know that they have a new bartender on the stick, who hails from Chicago, Sara Kay Godot. She's doing some exciting things including making her own infused ice spheres. I loved the H. S. Thompson ($12), made with spiced rum, Greenbar orange liqueur, lime, ginger, cardamom, and star anise.

I liked my entrees better than the appetizers, starting with the Chicken pot pie baked in rye-IPA crust with braising greens and quince puree ($20)

The filling was quite flavorful and I really liked the texture of the crust.

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