San Francisco Treat

I've been in San Francisco all week for a training class and have been trying some tasty new restaurants. My classmates have been great about wanting to try places so I've been lucky. I am staying in the SOMA area and there are so many great places here!!! I am jealous.

Anchor and Hope
Got a couple of tasty happy hour oysters and fried calamari with a beer. Then, got the trout with Brussels sprouts and butternut squash. The sprouts were particularly amazing and served totally flaked out, not round, with almonds and shallots.

Yank Sing
Dim sum for a business lunch!! Need I say more? This place totally redeemed SF after a bad Chinatown dim sum experience a few years ago. I'm back baby, I'm back!

Taylor's Automatic Refresher
YUM!! Beer, blue cheese burger, garlic fries.. : ))

Osha Thai
This is place was awesome. I might actually go back before I leave. I got this amazing seafood curry. Osha has many of your typical Thai dishes but they're more refined ans flavors better put together than the usual. I usually don't get seafood in Thai restaurants because the places seem a little questionable but I felt totally fine getting it here.

Maya
This is a Mexican restaurant where I had some of the best tacos ever.. shrimp tacos as well as a slow-cooked pork belly taco. The pork taco was amazing.

Stefan's at LA Farm

We've been focusing lately on some of the restaurants favorite Top Chef contestants own and/or work. Stefan Richter, a finalist on season 5, was a favorite because he consistently came out on top with his dishes, but for some reason lost in the end. In my opinion, either he, Carla, or Jamie should have won. But, oh well...

So, when we found out Stefan's restaurant, Stefan's at LA Farm, is literally right around the corner from our apartment, my boyfriend was sweet enough to take me there a couple of weeks ago for a nice dinner. Here is my review:

The food was pretty good. We started with a couple of "small plates." We got the Beef Tartare with Poached Quail Egg and Breadstick. This was pretty gross.. it tasted more like cat food than anything else. This was the most disappointing dish of the evening. We also had the Truffle Arancini with Cracked White Pepper, Smoked Salt and Griddled Brioch which was tastier, bu not as flavorfull as I would have liked and it was TINY. These are two dishes I could not resist on the menu because for some reason I am compelled to try any tartare I see and arancini is a traditional Italian snack I am used to getting in Boston. Stefan's version of arancini was obviously much more gourmet than the fried rice balls we used to get at the bakeries in Boston.

I need to now start commenting on what I didn't like about this restaurant and why I wouldn't return. The service and atmosphere were both terrible. The waiter was just horrible. Here are some of the things he did:

• When he first arrived at the table, he asked if we wanted any wine. We had not received a wine list yet so I said I was not sure yet as I looked for the wine list. He took our two wine glasses and walked away! When he returned a while later, I asked him for a wine list. Maybe he didn't hear what I had said initially because the place is so LOUD, but shouldn't they automatically give you a wine list?
  
• It took him FOREVER to return to our table in between the basic stuff. When he eventually returned and we were trying to order, he didn't know much about the menu. I asked him what kind of vegetables came with a dish and he had to guess and did not offer to go find out. As I scanned the menu to try to make another choice and didn't see anything I particularly liked, he said, "I know, there are so many good choices on there." ! Contrare mon frere!!
• As I was scanning the menu, my boyfriend asked if there were any specials. The waiter was like, "yeah" and he pulls out his notebook. HE DIDN'T EVEN OFFER TO TELL US THESE BEFORE. And, not to be super picky, but he should know the specials by heart.
• I ordered a glass of wine and he never brought it to me. I sat there staring at it on the bar because the bar tender had poured it, the waiter just never picked it up! After we finished our small-plates sans-vino, I got up and picked up the wine myself!
• In terms of atmosphere, the place was SO LOUD we couldn't hear each other. I couldn't hear what the waiter was saying either. I don't know if it's the acoustics or what. I mean, yes, you are sitting 4 inches from the next table which sucks but in some places they manage to make the acoustics work anyway.
• For a $100 plus dinner, I just expect more.
• We also sat as far away from the open patio as possible and we were still freezing the whole time!
  

Back on to the food. I did end up getting a special they had which was a Stuffed Quail. The bird, greens, and stuffing were good. The potatoes were pretty flavorless. My boyfriend got the Halibut dish on the menu which was tasty and interesting. We also got the Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream. OK, a CRISP should have something crispy on top, not just a crust at the bottom. That would make it a PIE. Also, I don't think the ice cream was homemade, but I am not sure.

Overall, there are too many fine dining establishments with tasty food in the LA.. I don't need to settle for one with crappy service and atmosphere.. I don't care if Stefan is walking around everywhere (he was) or if the food is tasty.

The pictures that came out OK withmy iPhone were the Tartare, Halibut, and Apple Crisp shown below:

Shutters on the Beach

Just got back from hanging out at Shutters on the Beach with my good friend, Anna. Thanks Anna for not giving up on me.. I feel so much better!

The cocktails (grapefruit rickey for me and pomegranite martini for her) were so yummy that again I forgot to take pictures of the snacks we had:

Tuna Tartare
Yummy yumyum.. some of the best I've had. Just wish there were more of it.

Shrimp on Crostini
Delicioso!!

3 Greek dips or something
Grody! The bean dip was kind of grey and vomit-like, and another dip was just pretty much plain yogurt. The hummus was OK but tasted like store-bought.

Misasa

There is a place I love to go for Japanese "fast food" that I want to tell you about. In the Mitsuwa Japanese market at the corner of Venice and Centinela, there is a little food court with noodle shops and other little places. My favorite spot there is Misasa. It's at the back in the corner and it serves up lots of great meals like katsu and broiled fishes. My favorite is the grilled mackerel pictured here. You can also see my boyfriend's meal in the background.. he likes to get the salmon. You get a TON of food with all the little accouterments like tofu, pickles, miso soup, etc. It's a delicious, healthy, cheap, and authentic meal.

Misasa (in the Mitsuwa Food Court)
3760 Centinela Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90066

Delicious Birthday

I had a wonderful birthday. My boyfriend made it truly special and I am very lucky to have him. He not only puts up with me.. he makes life more and more amazing with each passing day, week, and year we are together. : )

The day started out with breakfast in bed, followed by a nap, then a 6 mile hike through the Santa Monica mountains, followed by dinner at Yamashiro. I had never heard of the place but it's this really cute Japanese-inspired Cal-pan-Asian restaurant in the Hollywood hills. It was awesome!

Hanging Rock, Santa Monica Mountains





View from Insiration Point, Backbone Trail, Santa Monica Mountains


Mango martini... so delicious!!


Spicy tuna and snow crab napolean. A refreshing, pimped out version of tuna tartare. The arugula on the side had a delicious dressing.


Asian baby back ribs with five-spice cornbread and mashed sweet potatoes. The meat just fell of the bone. I loved the Asian flavors in the BBQ sauce.

I liked this dish the most. The black cod was cooked to buttery perfection and the wasabi mashed potatoes were amazing.

Ice cream sandwich! Warm chocolate peanut-butter cookies with dulce de leche ice cream, toasted walnuts, and chocolate and caramel sauces. Loved these flavor combos.. especially the nuts with the sauces.

I didn't know they were going to bring this too! Light cake with tasty strawberry sauce.

Sweet lounge over looking a pool. Not sure who swims in it.

Beautiful views of the city.

First Annual Yelp Restaurant Week

That's right. Restaurants are offering prix fixe menus this week in honor of Yelp! Check it:
http://www.yelp.com/events/park-la-brea-1st-annual-yelp-restaurant-week-and-lacma-muse-artwalk-specials

The Veggie Grill

A vegetarian friend at work recently introduced me to a vegan restaurant in El Segundo which is aptly named "Veggie Grill." They specialize in dishes featuring their "veggie proteins" including Chillin' Chicken, Too Good Tempeh, Veggie-Steak, and Veggie-Steak Burger. These proteins can be served in some super-fresh and vibrant salads or as sandwiches on their whole grain rolls. They also have some fabulous sweet potato fries.

I just love both the dishes I've tried here: first it was the Carne Asada sandwich with marinated Veggie-Steak on a delicious roll with a side of slaw. Next I tried the kale salad with blackened Chillin' Chicken.. delicious! I felt like I was getting my week's worth of nutrition in this light but satisfying dish.

Fake meats have seriously come a long way. I also want to post about a vegan cafe in San Jose next.. but it seems these places have in common a way of making delicious marinades, sauces, and cooking styles to really make these proteins pop.

I can't wait to go back!

The Veggie Grill
720 S. Allied Way
El Segundo, CA 90245
http://www.veggiegrill.com/

Daikokuya's yummy yummy pork bowl

I've been posting a lot of quick reviews on Yelp.. so my apologies for the lack of restaurant reviews here. I usually just post here if something is very good and leave the mediocre reviews for Yelp.

Anyway, I decided last night as I took a bite of leftover pork bowl that it was in personal top 10 list of the best things I have ever eaten.

I am talking about the Shredded Pork Bowl at Daikokuya in Little Tokyo. They actually specialize in Ramen. The most popular meal there would be a big bowl of Ramen with a "side" rice bowl with shredded pork, chicken teriyaki, tuna sashimi, or other items. But, I love the pork so much that I just get the meal-sized portion and skip the ramen.

For $7.50 you get an amazing small cabbage salad dressed with a magically delicious creamy dressing, oh, and some miso soup. Then .. dum da dum.. enter the pork bowl. It's bit sized pieces of fatty pork belly and cooked onions covered in an amazing sauce. This sits on perfect Japanese rice and is topped with a bunch of sliced scallions, pickled ginger, and a sprinkling of nori (toasted seaweed). It's heavenly. It's also a great deal because I always take half of it home.

You can find Daikokya on one of the main drags in Little Tokyo, East First Street. There are a ton of Ramen shops on that street, most of them empty, but you will always see a crowd waiting outside of Daikokuya. The wait is never long though, and I don't mind sitting at the bar..I've never actually gotten a table. This place is great comfort food on a weekend afternoon..

They also have a location in Costa Mesa and they will be opening one in Monterey Park. Check it out, they even have their own Youtube channel.

Daikokuya
327 E. 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA

Restaurant Week: Dolce Enoteca

Restaurant Week here in LA is turning into restaurant month... with most of the participating restaurants opting to extend their prix fixe menus for another couple of weeks. Last Friday night we went to Dolce Enoteca, one of the Dolce Group restaurants. The place described is often described as being pretty "sceney", but it wasn't as elegant or cool as I was expecting it to be, the tables were really close together, and it was really loud. Most of the food was good. I started with the tuna tartare, which I thought was a weird dish for an Italian restaurant. But, I can almost never pass up a tuna tartare. Both of my dining companions got the fried squid and veggies for their app. They were good, but the apps were probably the least exciting part of the meal. Also, both the apps were fried, with heavy wonton skins for the tuna tartare and a large portion of deep-fried calamari, it left us feeling fuller than we should for a first course.

My entree was the pumpkin ravioli which was great. The pasta was light and the filling very flavorful. The sauce was a buttery but also very light. The shrimp linguini dish both of my companions ordered was uninspired, but still light and flavorful, although my ravioli was the best.

I loved my dessert: super light and crispy tiny canoli with a ricotta cheese filling specked with chocolate chips and candies citrus. They may have been better than my mom's.... the chocolate lava cake was super chocolaty, almost too much "cocoa" taste for me. The tiramisu wasn't very good: it was too light and airy without enough richness and flavor to it.

Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante
8284 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA
323-852-7174
http://www.dolcegroup.com/

Restaurant Week: Akasha

I went to Akasha for the restaurant week lunch special the other day. Click here for Akasha's menu. Overall, the food was pretty good, not great. The service there was pretty bad. I plan to write a more detailed review about the service on Yelp when I get a chance.
I had the carrot ginger soup and my companion had the grilled artichoke. Both were quite good. The artichoke came with a tasty aoli. We both had entree salads. The greens were OK, the dressing was nothing to write home about, but the grilled shrimp on my salad, which is one of the restaurant's popular dishes, were delicious. Nice grilled flavor on the outside spiced with Masala and juicy on the inside. I think my favorite part of the meal however was the dessert. We each chose three different flavors of sorbets and ice creams. The sorbets were delicious. Very fresh flavors in the blood orange and other fruits. My almond ice cream was flavorful and my dining companion's chocolate hemp ice cream was dark and rich, just the way I like it. Next up is going to be Dolce Enoteca.

Akasha
9543 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA
310-845-1700
http://akasharestaurant.com/

Restaurant Week: Nine Thirty at the W Hotel

Our first restaurant week meal was at the Nine Thirty at the W Hotel for lunch on Sunday afternoon. I just love the W hotels because of how beautifully they are decorated. The restaurants are the same way so the ambiance was very nice. Click here for Nine Thirty's menu.

I am re-posting the review I wrote on Facebook where I was the only one to write one because people on Facebook like to join groups and then do nothing else in the group. But anyway..

I had the Roasted Kobacha Squash Soup (picture above) which I think was delicious and better than the two salads on the menu, both of which my companions ordered.

I got the Chicken Frite for the entree (picture to the right). The chicken was good but the Truffle Oil Fries and Wilted Spinach were the best things on the plate.. but I love fries with truffle oil..

My boyfriend's salmon was good (pictured below), but the star of his plate was the spaghetti squash.

Finally, we all had the Pear Upside Down Cake (picture at the bottom) which was pretty good, a little dry, but the accompanying maple ice cream was delicious.

I am on a quest now to find some truffle oil to cook with. I was at the regular 'ol supermarket yesterday and they had two kinds, black and white, both for 20 bucks each. This is going to take a little research...

Nine Thirty at the W Hotel
930 Hilgard Ave
Los Angeles, CA
310-443-8211
http://www.ninethirtyw.com/nine-thirty.html

It's Restaurant Week(s) in Los Angeles

It's that time of year when "fancy" restaurants offer prix fixe menus.
Dates: Jan 25-30, Feb 1-6
It is basically running Sun-Fri 2 weeks in a row. It's a little tricky because when selecting restaurants, you need to double-check which ones are actually open on which days. On Sundays, some restaurants aren't actually doing the prix fixe menus because they are doing their brunches instead, so call to double-check.
Check out the restaurants.

So bad but so good (the buffalo wings anyway) at Cafe 50's

I stopped into Cafe 50's a couple of weeks ago. It's a diner-like restaurant (inside only, no train-car shaped building) in West LA with a real soda fountain and serious 50's theme. It's quite retro, and is technically on historic route 66 (although it's easy to forget that Santa Monica Blvd is more than just a place for car dealerships.) The walls are plastered with memorabilia, so it's kind of a fun little entertaining spot to have a meal or a treat.

Now, the only stuff I tried were the buffalo wings, the meatloaf, and the vanilla ice cream soda. I loved the buffalo wings! If you like mild to medium spiciness like me, these are absolutely perfect. They're meaty, have a nice crispiness to them before they are dipped in the tasty buffalo sauce, and are served alongside ranch or blue cheese dressing and celery. The wings are officially an appetizer but they make a nice meal!

My boyfriend got the meatloaf, which was way too mushy and soft, and an ice cream soda that rocked! You can get a soda or shake to-go in a super cute container (pictured to the left.) They have a very long menu of deluxe shakes that look tasty if you're into that sort of thing. Their website also has a quote from Zagat as "One of the best breakfast places in LA."

Cafe 50's

11623 Santa Monica Blvd

West Los Angeles, CA

310-479-1955

http://www.cafe50s.com/

Anisette Brasserie

What's a "brasserie?", you might ask. Loosely interpreted from Wikipedia, it is a French eating establishment that is more formal than a bistro but less formal then a restaurant and supposedly serves the same menu all day. I'm not sure if Anisette is a true brasserie, but it looks cool, is expensive, and is near the Santa Monica promenade, and that's good enough for California.

The one time I went, I was surprised to see no Happy Hour specials, which was a bummer. So, my friend and I (Katharine, pictured below) got a couple of cocktails, which were pretty good and strong, and an amazing charcuterie et fromage tower (meats and cheeses). The three plates of breads, meats, cheeses, figs, capers, and other little goodies were very very good and could have served three or four people, so it was actually a good deal even at $30. Sorry I don't have reviews for any of the other food, but Katharine says she's had dinner there and it was good. You can also read a comprehensive review at Chowhound.

Bon Appetit!

Anisette Brasserie

225 Santa Monica Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90401

310-395-3200

http://www.anisettebrasserie.com/

Royal/T

The other day while perusing LAWeekly.com I learned about a Japanophile cafe/gallery/shop right in Culver City. So yesterday, after visiting my client in the same area, I checked out Royal/T. It's like a Harajuku lovers' dream come true! Beautiful art, super cute items in the shop, a minimalist but gorgeous cafe with waitresses in Japanese maid costumes. They also serve what looks like an awesome high tea which I will definatly be back to try. Check out the photos (all taken with my iPhone):

Royal/T

8910 Washington Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232

310-559-6300

http://www.royal-t.org/