Couscous Salad and Merguez Sausages

Sometimes traveling to an exotic destination only takes a typical meal from another country and a lot of imagination. Since I don't lack imagination, the only thing I needed to feel like I was spending a summer day in the south of France was a typical Summer BBQ meal. A few days ago, a friend surprised me with this delicious diner: Merguez Sausages and a savory couscous salad (A.K.A Taboule) and I was overwhelemed with joy and gratitude.

A Merguez sausages is a spicy blend of lamb and beef with mediterranean seasoning, cilantro and harissa. They are hard to find in Los Angeles but most French people have their favorite spot they like to go to when they want to get their Merguez fix. However, if you've never tried them before and want to give them a try I would highly recommend: "Payless Internation Market" on Venice Bld and Westwood Ave (10817 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034). This store is a little gem in West L.A, offering a variaty of Halal meat (don't plan on buying any pork there"), Feta cheese from various countries, and cheap but flavorful fruits and vegetables.

Unfortuinately, the stash of charcoal bricks and our supplies of gas were both gone and we had to grill the sausages on the stove instead of the BBQ, which was a bit of a disappointment but roasting the merguez in the oven for about 5-10 minutes after cooking them was a perfect way to get the sausages crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

We enjoyed this diner with some good wine, we had a digestive spliff and I was esctatic when I had the chance to eat the leftovers the day after.

"Tahoe Galbi", Koreatown - Los Angeles

Yesterday I went to Santa Clarita with some friends to play paintball. Because I had played the game before and I knew what it felt like to get shot, I started the day with a clever mix of medicinal herb and a giant beer at the "Halfway House Café" located a mile away from Paintball USA.

I had a french dip with my beer and it was far from extraordinary but I was expecting no less from this restaurant lost in the middle of nowhere. Once my body was numb enough to take the abuse it was going to go through during our friendly games, we went out to the paintball field to shoot as many people as we possibly could. It was a great day of fun where we were served BBQ briskets and chicken for lunch. It was a little cold but it was tasty and helped us stay alert for the last games of the day. . When we left the field, I could barely walk because I fell on my knee and I got shot where I should have been wearing a cup. So we decided to go for some comfort food and more meat at "Tahoe Galbi" because there's nothing like throwing some raw meat on a grill after pretending to kill people all day.

This Korean BBQ is one of the best ones I've been to in Los Angeles. It is $16.99 for all you can eat, and they specialize in beef short ribs. The decor is elegant and each table is equipped with its own fan. We sat down and started feasting. We had a sample of everything from the beef to the pork belly and the briskets, we tried most of the meat on the menu. My least favorite was the marinated pork, which I thought was a little too sweet, but the service was perfect and I had never been at a Korean BBQ where the waiters were so attentive before. They have a parking lot with a Valet Service. It was a delicious meal and a memorable experience and I will definitely return to that restaurant next time I feel like binging on meat.