Patisserie Chantilly - Lomita

The Black Sesame Cream Puff...I have no words. An LA unicorn, a beauty so rare it's seldom seen after the noontime rush; it sells out soon after Chantilly opens its doors.

And it's no wonder all of LA wants to get their hands on this bucket-list bake. The pastry is barely-flaky, and it firmly shields a cool whip of pillow-soft angel-dust, a seamless, melt-in-your-mouth cream. It's barely-there when it lands, and it dances in light, airy steps until it settles into a dark, savory-serious sesame, a dreamy reverie and a somber symphony.

Patisserie Chantilly's cream puff consistently tops every list, and a single whiff, a single tiniest taste will show you why. I finally snagged a coveted cream, and wow, it felt like winning. 

Mr. Sate - Los Angeles

Mr. Sate sits unassumingly on a random street in purgatory Palms, inspired sticks from the heaty Indonesian paradise. 

All the food is new to me, but it's not a far cry from the sweet n' spicy tradition of the Asian tropics. The Bakwan Jagung are crunchy corn fritters, though I would have liked the corn to come through the batter more so that the sweet dipping sauce could act more like a highlight than a need. 

The sate is their namesake, and the skewers are a spiffy selection. The Beef & Potato is thick and dense, with a not-so-spicy kick from the chili smash on top. The Chicken is sweet and satisfying.

The Popcorn Chicken delivers just that, but the Shrimp Balado is a show-stealing, light-it up pocket of spice.

The Pork Belly special is a bit bland and dry. For a belly cut, it's missing most of the fat, and the soy marinade makes it taste too similar to the chicken.

The specials board is one worth visiting. We got a Noodle special that I can't pronounce, a dish of al dente flat noodles and veg, like pad Thai with garlic chips instead of peanuts. Except it's savory instead of sweet, like a common cousin of Pad See Ew and Pad Kee Mao, a sweet inclination with a savory nature.

Tempura Ice Cream, just because. The batter layer is airy and crisp, the vanilla ice cream inside is a cold contrast. Not much can really make this dessert stand out, but this one did taste much fresher than many I've had before.

An Indonesian adventure at a price we can all afford. The skewers are fun, the noodles are hearty, and there is a down-to-earth warmth about this place. Mr. Sate keeps it simple and sweet, and it's hard not to love finger-foods for all!

Bodie Mike's Barbeque - Lee Vining, CA

What lies between Reno and Yosemite? You guessed it, not much. Nicer restaurants are closed on a random Monday night, even in high-season September, and Lee Vining borders a literal ghost town so one can only imagine what wonders it holds.

Don't waste too much time wondering about Bodie Mike's. The menu seems promising, a selection of basic bar food that could be really comforting or really bad. If the Barbecued Chicken Sandwich is a fair representation, it's a bit of a bust. The chicken is too thin for the blah hamburger bun, and it's "brushed" with barbecue so no flavor got into the breast. The fries are fine and the slaw is a little watery, but neither of those is making an impression.

The Chicken Wings are made quite well, fried crispy in oil that is fairly fresh. But Bodie Mike's seems fond of making generic pieces of meat and dunking them in a sauce after they're cooked, which robs the sauces of their power. The wings have a fine buffalo sauce option, for example, but dunking them in spicy sauce and then trying to get a layer of blue cheese or ranch to stick is madness. Maybe it's less dishes for them to wash, but an occasional marinade wouldn't hurt. 

I needed a vegetable that didn't come raw and cold from their small salad bar, and Corn on the Cob is a fave. This one is bland. No flavor, no savor, a touch overcooked.

To say that there's nothing in Lee Vining isn't exactly fair. Mono Lake with its mirror-surface and mysterious depths is a mighty pretty picture at sunset. A day-trip sounds lovely, a picnic exceedingly romantic. Just be sure to bring your own food instead of eating at Bodie Mike's.  

The Stone House Cafe - Reno, Nevada

Same people who own Adele's but it's just not Adele's. Pretty restaurant, same homey feeling, but the food is more of an "Adele's lite".

Unfortunately, most "lite" foods may have a little less fat, but they often have no discernible nutritional differences compared to the original except they don't taste quite as good.

The French Onion Soup, for example, with its greasy afterglow, is a skimped-on soup compared to the finess of last week's lobster bisque. The consomme is bland, and there's not much of a gruyere top-crust to speak of; a Frenchman missing his beret.

At least they don't mess with the best. Adele's hearty take on the Escargot is far from lite, and they carry over that exact mix of sweet grapes, savory nuts, and stinky cheese over tender, garlic-butter snails.   

And they also include the mouth-watering garlic and cheese Ciabatta bread, and that will never get old. 

Fried Soft Shell Crab? Yes please. The panko is a firm but lighter layer, and it makes for an appetizer filling enough to be an entrée. the crab underneath is quite fresh, and there's a green-goddess-type dressing of cool cilantro and rich red pepper.

They didn't change the Strawberry Shortcake either. Layers of spongy angel food cake and crimson strawberries settle into creamy ice cream in sunny slices. 

No time to drive to Carson City that day, and we still got the better part of Adele's without leaving the comforts of Reno. Good is good enough at Stone House if you avoid the soup, but I'd rather be at Adele's.

Twisted Fork UPDATE - Reno

I want the salad. All the salad. Said me. For the first time ever.

There is a single reason I never want the salad: Restaurants make sad, sucky salads. Lots of lettuce, no flavor, just filler. Fattening up the health-conscious with cleverly concealed croutons and a dressing downpour, salads have been padding the profit margin since the beginning of time. 

And Twisted Fork is no except... Never mind. This Root Vegetable Salad is divine. Juicy beets burst with sweet satisfaction. They are a red-yellow sun with a perfect orbit of fresh mixed greens and an asteroid belt of rocky cashews and sweet goat cheese. The drizzle of honey balsamic adds an uplift, a non-overpowering highlight to a dish that can already stand alone.

The Pear and Apple Salad is not the most original, but it is still a stand-out in its own right. The pears are honey-roasted for an unexpected touch of intensity, a soft contrast to the crisp raw apples. Blue cheese is a logical pairing, as are the candied walnuts and light tangy dressing.

We're already full. Those salads are on the lighter side, but those plates have some heft. But we're not heavy enough, and every salad requires negation. For every salad, there is a Cowboy Ribeye. A steak with meticulous marbling; dirty,  peppery dark from the romesco, gooey  from a running fried egg.

The side of Mac n' Cheese is something else. Decadence has never been more real, as a thick truffle cream drips of an elbow, coating every taste bud on every inch of your tongue as the truffle envelops every sense.

No room for dessert. None. That'll wait until next time. We don't end up in Reno very often, but there will always be a next time for Twisted Fork. 

Toucan Charlie's Buffet - Reno, NV

Sam's birthday buffet, aka another opportunity to stuff my face when I'm fresh out of the dessert, pretending that this is all for the benefit of a friend, none of it for myself. 

I feel so selfless slurping my free barely-alcoholic Bloody Marys, vodka weakened by the need for a profit margin.

The seafood section is another clear cost-cutter. It is a joke at lunchtime, consisting of three items total. The fried fish, can't even keep its own batter on, and I'm not touching it. The Shrimp Scampi has grocery-store alfredo covering slightly mushy shrimp, and the Clams aren't half bad when they're covered in baked-in garlic butter. The Oysters are in a different area, hoping you run out of room on your plate before you get there. Not that you're missing out. They're semi-fresh and bland from likely being stored improperly, though they're not beyond saving by dabs of well-placed cocktail sauce and horseradish with lemon. 

The hot bars are much better. The Prime Rib is a little tough, but they did have this perfectly medium-rare/rare cut for me. The dim sum Shrimp Hargow are okay as well. The wrapper falls apart at the bottom, but they were okay enough for me to eat all four of them with some pleasure.

I screwed up my Mongolian Stir-fry. My fault entirely, but they need to idiot-proof the process a little bit more (the idiot being me, not them!). Sadly, the pork is quite tender, and everything is properly cooked; there's just no way to gauge how much sauce you need, and I'm notoriously bad at guesstimating.

So far, this lunch at the okay-buffet has been exactly what I expected. Nothing stands out...and then I have the Pho. The pho is pho real the best thing at this buffet and probably the best pho in Reno. The broth is beefy and perfectly salted and spiced. The noodles are the exact al dente texture, and they even stick slices of rare steak in there that bathe in the steaming soup, exactly the way they should. I would have been stoked to have this at any restaurant in Reno - it's too good to get buried in a buffet!

Onto the sweet stuff. They have a sanitary fondue fountain, a welcome change from other buffets I've been to. This one is protected from bare-handed mouth-breathers behind a window of glass, and you order what you want from a sweet lady who does the dipping for you. I love the Rice Crispy Treat, but it's too much sugar with white chocolate (again, my fault for choosing it!). Same for the Marshmallows - I liked the milk chocolate more.

They really do hit every childhood dream at this dessert bar. They even have cups of Cotton Candy sweet n' good, a pink bubble of happy, sugar-air.

The gelato bar has quite the selection as well. Keeping it simple with Cookies n' Cream and Caramel. The gelato doesn't go with any of my pastries...like that's going to stop me. The Lemon Bar is flaky and light, the Fruit Tart is juicy with a creamy touch, and the Pecan Pie is great, full of pecan crunch and sweet southern comfort.

It's $27 per person for lunch. Not a bad deal, but not what I'd consider a deal. There are plenty of casinos in Reno, and I imagine Toucan Charlie's has many equals. I didn't hate it by any means, but there's no real reason to return unless they drastically lower the price.