Wednesday, November 7, 2007

The Lobster Hall of Fame!

1. The blue Lobster at L'atelier de Joel Robuchon
5-7, rue de Montalembert, Hôtel Pont-Royal
Paris, France 75007 · 01 42 22 56 56

2. The lobster curry at Chinois on Main
2709 Main St
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 392-3037
3. The "2 on a Plate Special" at the Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival
www.lobsterfest.com

Monday, November 5, 2007

The Quiet Italian

The few bad things about Angelini Osteria (and these are not necessarily "bad" things, depending on how you look at it) are that it's hard to get reservations and it is always crowded. We think that this was probably the main reason Gino Angelini decided to open La Terza. And while La Terza with its white tablecloths and high ceiling seems much more formal than its Osteria counterpart, it actually feels more casual and relaxed (probably because you're not surrounded by dozens of Beverly Hill-ers).

We started with some bruschetta compliments of the chef. The bread at La Terza was drizzled with olive oil and black peppers, delicious and the peppers gave it a kick.

For appetizers we got mussels and clams in polenta. I never have imagined mussels, clams, and polenta together but they went very, very well with each other. The mussels were not on the huge side, but nonetheless the taste was excellent and we scraped the polenta off this dish.
In between we had some risotto with parmesan and artichokes, again, compliments from the chef.
For our main course, we had spaghetti with lobster and fried artichokes, and the rotisserie duck with swiss chard and dried figs.
Not enough lobster in the spaghetti, but the taste was nothing to complain about :)

The duck was juicy and tasty and the skin was crispy but not burned, just the way I like it. It goes very well with the chard and figs.
For dessert we had the Cioccolato which was a Piemonte's bunet. The bunet was excellent! with a strong chocolate taste. Highly recommended.
We also had the Affogato which is served at Angelini Osteria also.

All in all, the food was on par with Angelini, although the pasta dishes are probably better at the Osteria (the desserts are better at La Terza though). However, La Terza makes for more of a relaxed and pleasant dining experience.

La Terza Restaurant
8384 West Third St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323.782.8384
www.laterzarestaurant.com

La Terza on Urbanspoon

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Eat Lots A Fish!

Lately I have been driving down to Orange County way too many times to appease a friend of mine who keeps complaining about me never visiting (I don't know why she says that, I visit ALL the time ..)
But at any rate, being stuck in OC where I think there's always not that much to do, we have to keep coming up with potential good places to eat.

Recently, my friend suggested the Crab Cooker (with their motto Eat Lots A Fish!), either the one in Newport Beach or the restaurant in Tustin. I didn't need any additional reason to cut my driving time if at all possible, so I obviously picked Tustin. So, this review is only of the Crab Cooker Restaurant and I don't know how representative it will be of the Newport Beach location.

We came in with high expectation since apparently this place had raving reviews and supposed to have best crab cakes.

The Crab Cooker Restaurant is tacky in a charming way. The outside is painted all red, and the inside is decorated with various ocean-related knick knacks.

We started with the famous Maryland crab cakes ($9 for 2)
The crab cakes were good, but they weren't anything special. I guess they were cheaper than if we had gone to an upscale seafood restaurant? Anyway, the taste was good, but it wasn't as chock full of crabs as we would have preferred.

We ordered that day's special appetizer: Sweet Spotted Shrimp.

In my opinion, fresh seafood is best when prepared very simply :)
This was followed by some King Crabs
They look very fresh and delicious, don't they? :) They were.

For our main meal we ordered the Australian Lobster, Crab Cooker style.
The lobster was a little chewy, but fresh and tasty nonetheless. The sauce was pretty good, but I think I still prefer it the plain and simple way. (Or steamed with ginger, garlic, and scallions the Chinese way :P )

All in all, I think the main reason I posted this review is because the pictures turned out so well. The seafood they had was definitely fresh and good, but I don't think it's worth driving down from Pasadena just for that. If you happen to live/find yourself in the Tustin area though, and can't seem to find a good place to go to, I would definitely recommend the Crab Cooker.

The Crab Cooker
17260 E. 17th Street
Tustin, CA
(714) 573-1077
www.crabcooker.com


Crab Cooker on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Truffles, oh Truffles 1: tiding over with cheese

My last real real truffle meal was a few months ago at Angelini Osteria. Oh, god I can still smell it ... I was sniffing and cleaning the plates with bread... I haven't had the opportunity to get truffles anyplace recently, so I thought I would tide myself over with truffle-infused cheese.

Bought this Sottocenere al tartufo (aka. "with truffles") during my last trip to Auntie Em's in Eagle Rock, so dinner tonight: Cheese and Crackers.

The photo taken this time was not that good, sorry, as I was just eating at my apartment. Terrible lighting :P

Sottocenere is semi-firm, and aged in ash rind (supposed to keep the flavor longer). The cheese itself has a mild taste, but really, aren't you eating it for the truffles? :)

When I bought it, still wrapped in the plastic wrapper I thought, "hmm ... it will probably be just a hint of truffles, but whatever I'll try it" but when I unwrapped it!! The smell, that very distinctive truffle smell was so strong, I was overjoyed! The mild cheese taste goes very well with the pungent truffles. Enjoy it with Seed crackers or other slightly more flavorful crackers than "water crackers" but don't overpower the truffles.

Bank of America is My Enemy

Okay, I know this post has nothing to do with food at all, but I've been extremely frustrated, so if anyone would listen to my story, I would appreciate it. I need to get this out there and out of my system :( Thanks!

Here's the story:

For 8 months now I have been disputing fraudulent charges for my Bank of America credit card, and they just keep denying and denying it.

Starting on 2/13, ATM withdrawals were made from my credit card account
for 300-500 dollars each time, about every other day, at ATMs in the
los angeles/inglewood area from what i can tell from the credit card bill. I did not know this was happening until about 2 weeks after, when I logged on to my account online to pay my bill. All the
withdrawals, plus additional charges the institute charges for
withdrawing money from outside ATMs, totaled to about $3500. I
immediately called Bank of America, and they put a hold on my account.
I also called the credit bureaus and flagged my account for identity theft.

At the same time, I noticed my Discover card was not working and when I called they said that they had put a hold on it because someone had tried calling to get a pin number but was not able to verify any information. Obviously Discover was a lot smarter. BofA just watched as someone withdrew 3000$ over 2 weeks and did not even think it was suspicious.

BofA originally reversed all the charges, but about a week later, the charges were put back on my account. They informed me that my claim is
being denied because:
1) They received a call from my phone number and the person was able
to verify my identity to get a pin.
2) The charges were ATM withdrawals which need a physical card to be done.

So they claimed that this was done by someone I know. Family or friend. I did have a roommate at Caltech at that point, but she and I had just met for a few months so unless the only identifying information they needed was something as unsecure as my birthday, my roommate would not know the information.

Additionally, I immediately called my phone company (Sprint) and asked
the Rep personally if such a call was made from my phone at that time or even the days surrounding it. She told me that no call was made to an 800 number from my phone in the 3-day range around what BofA claimed. I printed my phone bill and sent it to BofA, along with news articles about phone number mimicking.

To get them to reconsider they told me I need to file a police report.
They also claimed that the system they're using is able to detect phone mimicking/spoofing, so they are SURE that it really was my phone. I should not this phone call they kept referring to happened at 8-9 AM in the morning, when I was sleeping in my room. Unless someone
managed to get to my phone at 8, make a call, and return it without
waking me up at all and also without getting that call recorded by
Sprint, it could not have been my actual phone. (and do the same with my credit card every other day for 2 weeks)

I filed a police report to the Pasadena police. After 2 weeks they transferred it to the LAPD because the withdrawals happened in LA.
In the meantime I kept arguing with the Bank with no result. They just
kept referring to the 2 facts no matter what I say. They were adamant that their system was flawless.
I finally got to a supervisor, Margaret (Mimi) Picollelli. She said
that I should get a hold of a photo evidence and that if it really was
someone I don't know to call her again. She also asked me what the expiration date of the card that I still have was. I told her and she said, that the investigator has tracked the card that was used, and just based on my expiration date they can tell for certain that it was my very own card, not some fake card someone had made or anything like that. (I was of course not convinced at all)

I spoke to a detective at the LAPD. She had managed to get a
photo evidence from one of the Wells Fargo transaction. She said it
was a black male. I could not think of anyone around me fitting that
description that can come into my house, etc, so I called Mimi
Picolelli. She was now never there whenever I called. I left several
messages with the detective's name and number and that she has a photo
evidence. I left a message with a representative. Someone finally called me back and said that they are considering reopening the case and Mimi will call me in a day or two. That never happened.

Afterwards I kept getting calls from BofA card services, collection
agency, etc, to get me to make payment. I refused. They had also posted 5 damaging reports to my credit report. One time they called 3 days in a row during odd hours (8 AM, 6 PM), and everytime I told them that they had called me the day before, they said that it
was not recorded. The last straw was when the rep even dared to say to me that it could not have been fraud although it was clearly not her place to say anything.
I was upset and filed a BBB complaint.

In a few days I got a call from a lady from the Office of the Chairman regarding the BBB complaint. She said she will find out what's going on. The call from credit services stopped. But she called the next day and said the evidence that they had would all lead to just another
denial, but that she will contact the LAPD detective for the photo evidence and go from there.

--------
There was another inconsistency in this whole thing. At first someone from the bank claimed that there had been other phone calls made to my account from different numbers. I asked them for the numbers to track them down. I was not able to, some numbers were disconnected, etc. But later on the bank said that oh, some of those numbers were just transferred calls from other sections/places and they don't keep track of where the original call came from.

On one of the days a withdrawal was made, that same night I made a
purchase at Ralph's in Westwood of a bottle of wine (a birthday
present) using my card. So obviously I had my card with me ...
---------

I've been banking with BofA for 5 years now, but I am going to pull all of my money in the checking and savings account this week. And needless to say I will never get another credit card with them.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Orris: Going Big on "Little Dishes"

You know when you hear about something, made a mental note to try it out, then forgot about it for the longest time? Orris was one of those for me, but I finally suddenly remembered it yesterday!
I was considering trying out Simon LA although I've heard mediocre review, then I remembered Orris! And boy am I glad I did :)
It was one of the best meals I've had in LA!

Orris blends among the stretch of restaurants and shops on Sawtelle, so it doesn't particularly stand out when you drive by. Being on Sawtelle, the atmosphere is pretty low key and quiet (even though Jonathan Gold called the atmosphere "fancy" I don't really agree), so I was pleasantly surprised with all the delicious food that welcomed me inside.

Orris specializes in "little dishes" representing "world cuisine" created by Shiro of South Pasadena. Each dish has a recommended wine pairing, though we did not try any this time around.

First up was the Smoked Salmon Croquette. Very good, though I would have liked a bit more salmon.

Followed by the lobster spring roll. Also good (but I prefer my lobster grilled and drizzled with lemon and a bit of garlic butter.)









Next was sliced beet topped with Etorki cheese. This was excellent! The combination was perfect and it was my first time having this outstanding cheese. Loved it!










Also, tomato burrata. Yum. We had to order another one of these.

We also had dungeness crab and cucumber salad. The ingredients used were very good, although a different sauce may be better.

Next was the lamb loin carpaccio and the ahi sashimi with onion relish. Both were excellent dishes! The lamb carpaccio was topped with Spanish Manchego cheese which made a perfect combination.

After all this excellent dishes though, the final was indisputably the highlight of my meal ...

Seared Foie Gras with Eggplant, w/ Sweet Soy Wasabi Sauce.
Oh my god ... just thinking back about it now >_<
I can still remember the taste on my tongue, the texture ... OMG! The eggplant and the foie gras made an unexpectedly excellent combination, and the sauce! This was definitely one of the best foie gras dishes I've had!

I could not find this on the menu on their website, it might have been a special ... oh no ... the thought of not being able to eat it ever again!! I'm getting depressed ... I will look back on this photo and sigh when I'm old ...

Well, to not think about the depressing stuff right now, I will show you the dessert! We had the only dessert they had left: the flourless chocolate souffle. I must say this was a very very good dessert, but I don't quite see why they called it a "souffle." It sure was good though :)


Orris

2006 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90025
(310) 268-2212

Orris on Urbanspoon

Monday, October 29, 2007

Some Aunts Are Good to Have

A few days ago I posted a photo of the mini cupcakes from Auntie Em's Kitchen in Eagle Rock. Yesterday I had the opportunity to go back there for brunch, so now I will do a formal review of it.

When I moved to Pasadena from West LA, one of the things that I missed terribly was the weekend brunches. Not the all-you-can-eat, champagne brunches, but the comfort-food, organic, good ol' breakfast fare, please-wait-in-line-for-30-minutes brunch places. The places the locals go to near noon after a night of partying, etc. And I finally found it in Auntie Em's Kitchen in Eagle Rock.

Besides the breakfast/lunch fares, Auntie Em's also boasts baked goods, including cupcakes, seasonal crisps or crumbles, bread pudding, etc.
They also have a marketplace, cramped with tables full of people eating french toasts, offering Starr Ridge crackers, deli meats, and a large selection of cheese, including cheese from the Cowgirl Creamery!!

The food at Auntie Em's are made with fresh vegetables from the local farmer's market. On the weekends, breakfast is served until 3 pm, so people who sleep in like me can still make it in time!

They have fresh squeezed OJ for one of the most reasonable prices I've seen in LA! $2.50/medium sized glass. The mint-iced tea was weak in my opinion, though still good and refreshing to drink after a heavy french toast meal. The raspberry lemonade is very good.

This time, I ordered their open-face breakfast sandwich with roasted veggies. This was excellent. The bread was very good, the eggs and vegetables go very well with the gruyere cheese!! (The picture was taken by the photoblogger from Erudite Expressions)

After your meal, you can step into the market, and pick up some interesting new cheese or your good old favorite, then while in line to pay your bill, your eyes will be inevitably drawn to the dessert display case. Then you might add some crisp, tart, cupcake, or cookies to take home ... then life is good.

Auntie Em's Kitchen
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041-3032
Phone: (323) 255-0800
www.auntieemskitchen.com


Auntie Em's Kitchen on Urbanspoon

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Cooking your own: Gaja

I finally got to try okonomiyaki at Gaja Restaurant in Lomita! When you first open the door to this place, it will smell and feel similar to a korean bbq restaurant - the smoke! At Gaja you make your own okonomiyaki on the teppans that they've built in the tables, although they will also make it for you in the kitchen if you're not confident with your own cooking skills ;)

The place is busy, so you go in and put your name down, then wait outside. They have a few chairs outside and a cart filled with games like othello, cards, chess, etc. So if you're quick enough to grab chairs and a game, the wait is easy. Next door is the bakery Chantilly (whose cream puffs Jonathan Gold raved about. They ran out that night, so I'll have to review them next time).

I wanted to get the full experience, so when they offered to cook it for us because it was just so obvious that it was our first time, I quickly said No! We got an order of the "Modan Mix" (Modern Mix) ... whatever that was. (They probably thought "Stupid gaijins")
They heated up the teppan and brought us our order. The bowl of ingredients. Yeah! A sheet of instructions, a bowl of stuff, and a hot teppan! I think we're ready!

First cook meat, then cook noodles,.. *hum* *hum*




Don't those bacons look GOOD?!

Towards the "Flipping" step of the whole cooking process though, we ran into some trouble :(
One of the chefs from the kitchen was making his rounds, so he grabbed the spatula from us and showed us The Proper Way.


Eventually, we got this amazing looking thing (left side with mayo for me, right side for the other party who for some obscure reason does not like mayo):
*sniff* so proud of ourselves. Now I don't know if I thought it tasted so good because I made it myself, but I'm sure other people would feel the same way :D

You can close the meal with one of their dozens of parfaits if you have room.
It was good okonomiyaki, and a totally fun experience :) You can either bring someone who knows what they're doing, or bring someone totally new and just have fun together.

Gaja Japanese Restaurant (misspelled as "Japenese")
2383 Lomita Blvd Ste 102
Lomita, CA 90717
Phone: (310) 534-0153

Gaja on Urbanspoon

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Food Porn 3: Auntie Em's Cupcakes

These are mini cupcakes that I got from Auntie Em's Kitchen in Eagle Rock :) I may have a real review of this place later.
In the meantime, here's Red Velvet, Chocolate, and Carrot Cake cupcakes!
Mini sugary glazy goodness! I like the carrot cake the best because it's not quite as sweet as normal cupcakes.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Food Porn 2: Turkey Pretzel Burger

A close-up of the turkey pretzel burger from the 3 Square Cafe I previously reviewed :)

Food Porn 1: Chinois (Vegas)

I'm starting my "Food Porn" series, which will be just really pretty pictures from places that I probably won't be reviewing.
First up is a photo my friend took from Chinois in Las Vegas (please visit his photo blog for more)

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Fondue the Right Way

Not too long ago my friend took me to La Fondue in San Juan Capistrano with her exclaiming that "Melting Pot Sucks! (although their chocolate fondue's not bad)."

First off, their decoration is AMAZING! Especially their chairs! All the chairs are shaped into something interesting. For example, the chair in the Ladies room is gold-colored, the top shaped like a swan and the legs are a pair of feet wearing Ballet shoes. They have knight-themed chairs, etc. I suggest going to their website and looking at the photos :)

So began our amazing 3-course meal (plus salad). We got the Fondue Feast (For 2) and shared it among 3 people. This item is $92 and it's plenty for three people, really.

First comes the salad. We got the Chef's Salad, which comes with "Chef's Rolls" which my friend could not go without.

And then there was CHEESE! We obviously went with the Pesto & Cognac, since we love pesto (doesn't everyone?)

Comes with bread and various vegetables.
The cons: NOT ENOUGH of this goodness! we were scraping the pot with whatever bread/veggie remained.

By this point we were already full. But more to go. And we can handle it ...

So I like my meat grilled, not boiled. So we got "The Grill" which is one of the things that puts this place over The Melting Pot.

They took our pot away and brought a small black grill and a little black spatula.

Here was our feast:

Chicken Japonaise
Teriyaki Sirloin
Buffalo
Wild Savage Duck
Wild Boar
Private Reserve Filet Mignon


They give you 6 dipping sauces. And as much garlic as you want.


The Chocolate Fondue ... well, chocolate is mostly always delicious, isn't it? :)
Their rice krispies balls are generally the hit, and they give only one for each person :<

La Fondue
31761 Camino Capistrano
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
(949) 240 0300
www.lafondue.com

La Fondue - San Juan Capistrano on Urbanspoon
La Fondue in Los Angeles

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Cobbler+Gumbo

It took me a year to discover this place that is just a few blocks up the exact same street I live on. Shame on me! But I have been making up for it by visiting regularly. The Gourmet Cobbler Factory in Pasadena is a small hole in the wall place on Catalina Ave, just north of Colorado. If you're walking up from Colorado you would see a faded sign and barred windows/door, and you might think the place has gone out of business. But just walk a little more and you'll see the actual entrance door!

The place is pretty much all take-out: there are one or two tables outside, but they don't heat things up for you. The gumbo (yes they have gumbo! and sweet potato pie!) is sold by the pints, quarts, etc, and chilled so it doesn't spoil.

THE COBBLER
The "single serving" (which is too much for one) 4x6 cobbler ranges around 6$, depending on the filling. My ultimate favorite is the Cherry Cobbler. Followed probably by the blueberry (pictured left), or the peach (pictured below).

I've read a lot of reviews with people complaining that there's no bottom crust. I guess they've heard your laments, because my cobblers definitely have a bottom crust!

All the cobblers are made with fresh fruits, no preservatives, and the taste? I eat them for lunch! I'll eat them for dinner again! If it wasn't so bad for my health and figure I'll just keep eating it!




THE GUMBO ($15.50 / quart)

I was surprised I had to tell my friend this but, yes, be careful eating the gumbo. The chicken still has bones. The crab is still in the shells. The shrimp tails are still attached.
Their gumbo is good. Not awesome. But they can double brownie points for being a great take-out within walking distance. And another brownie point because I can get a cherry cobbler while I'm there. Oh, and a peach too. And blueberry. And a sweet potato pie. Yeah. That'll be all.


The Gourmet Cobbler Factory (www.thegourmetcobblerfactory.com)
33 N Catalina Ave
Pasadena, CA
(626) 795-1005

(closed on Mondays)

The Gourmet Cobbler Factory on Urbanspoon

Bloom, Tea


A lot of you have probably seen it in that movie 'Marie Antoinette.' Some may have seen it elsewhere. The movie was the first time I saw this in, then when I saw this strange leave-wrapped thing at Tea Station, I thought "could it be ..."

And it was!
So I bought this Yuan Bao Tea, which is sold at Tea Station for rather expensive :( $15 for a box of 6. But I was too curious! I have since then found a bunch of websites where you can order them online for cheaper, but I've yet to try ordering.


So the crinkled little thing bloomed into a purty red flower in hot hot water :)

It takes longer than Marie Antoinette might have made it seem, but I waited with excitement and it was worth it.

The taste for this particular one was just like regular jasmine tea.

Online I saw crysanthemum, jasmine, and other flowers as the flower inside, so who knows, maybe you 'll get different tastes after all?

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Must Be Providence

Providence on Melrose is my new special-occasion favorite. (Although it's on Melrose it's actually pretty far down from THE Melrose that most people think of).

Go there (when you have the dough) and get the tasting menu! The tasting menu is the way to go!!

I originally went there because it was said they had the best dessert in town. (They have a DESSERT TASTING MENU, for like 30$ I believe)

I took my mom there when she was in town. Got the smallest tasting menu they had which was $80.

Anyway, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves :)


It was sooo sooo tasty ....

The scallop was big, fresh and juicy. I also loved the preparation and presentation.



The veal was tender and cooked just right - medium rare.

The pastry chef is undoubtedly innovative and just really awesome :)
I think the only down side is that sometimes it seemed like the dessert was not coordinated perfectly with the rest of the menu.
I say that because the dessert this time was rather rich and heavy when we were already stuffed ... I wanted something more refreshing, perhaps ..



Providence Restaurant
5955 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 460-4170

Providence on Urbanspoon

Beach, Burgers

Greetings everyone~ For my first ever blog post I thought I would do something quintessentially Los Angelenan ... that is something to do with beaches, burgers, ... so the "3 Square Cafe" on Abbott Kinney (Venice Beach) comes to mind!

Although I frequent Abbott Kinney quite a bit, I have only recently decided to try out this Cafe since my feet normally drag me directly to Jin Patisserie ... but I have heard good things about the Pretzel burger so I wanted to give it a shot.

The 3 Square Cafe is at the very least, German-influenced. It has a bakery attached to it, so their dessert menu is pretty extensive. Their regular menu is however quite slim. But no worries~ they have 'something for everyone' as they say, and they all seem quite appetizing (they also have a good wine selection).

So we started off with some amazing ravioli which I devoured before remembering to take a picture!
Then, naturally, we ordered the Trio of mini burgers :)

These are juicy salmon, beef, and turkey burgers sandwiched between fresh pretzel buns (to people more used to Auntie Anne's or Wetzel's, these pretzels are Nothing like what you've had!). I spent much of the dinner debating which of the three burgers to take my next bite out of ... I personally thought the turkey burger was outstanding. The juiciness, tastiness, combined with the crunchy fresh pretzel bun :|~~~

We were pretty stuffed at this point, but how can we leave without at least trying their dessert?
I'm partial to chocolates, and souffles, so chocolate souffle it was ...


The souffle was practically perfect. Fluffy and chocolatey. The only down side was it was a bit small (still enough, but smaller than normal), and it could use some sauce to cut it with. Nonetheless, I was licking the dish in a matter of seconds after it cooled off.

3 Square Cafe
1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, California
(310) 399-6504

Parking: Street, Valet


3 Square Cafe & Bakery on Urbanspoon

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Recipe Collection

Chicken Pot Pie with Duck-Butter Dough (Evan Kleiman)

Chicken Tamales in Green Sauce (Mama Hot Tamales, Los Angeles)

Crab Ravigote and California Avocado Napoleon - Chef Darrin Finkel (Jazz Kitchen, Anaheim)

Duck Rillette - Chef Joe Vasiloff (Cafe Pinot, Los Angeles)

Maine Lobster in Its Own Butter - Chef Brian Redzikowski (BondSt Restaurant, Beverly Hills)

Okonomiyaki - Yoko Issasi (Japanese Foodstory)

Scallops Arabesque (with Eggplant Puree & Ras El Hanout) - Chef John Sedlar (Rivera Restaurant, downtown LA)


Sautéed Day Boat Scallops/ Risotto, midnight moon, English peas - Chef Neal Fraser (Grace, BLD)

Slow Roasted Salmon with Green Rice - Chef Suzanne Goin (Lucques)

Steamed Black Mussels in Red Curry Coconut Broth - Chef Andrew Kirschner (Wilshire Restaurant, Santa Monica)

Red Beet Risotto - Chef Ray Garcia (FIG Restaurant, Santa Monica)


DESSERTS
Chocolate Torte with Caramel Lime Sauce - Chef John Sedlar (Rivera Restaurant, downtown LA)
Chocolate Pot de Creme - Chef Ray Garcia (FIG Restaurant, Santa Monica)
Rustic Chocolate Truffles - Valerie Gordon (Valerie Confections)

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Reviews: South Bay

**** EL SEGUNDO/MANHATTAN BEACH****
American Farmhouse Tavern - CLOSED
Cafe Pierre (Manhattan Beach)
Darren's Restaurant
Fishing with Dynamite 
Grimaldi's Pizzeria (El Segundo)
M. B. Post (Manhattan Beach)
Sashi: Sushi+Sake Lounge (Manhattan Beach)

**** GARDENA/TORRANCE/etc ****

Baleen Los Angeles (Redondo Beach)
Chianina Steakhouse (Long Beach)
Doma Kitchen Cafe (Redondo Beach)
El Rocoto Peruvian Restaurant (Gardena)
Gaja (Lomita)
Gonpachi (Torrance)
Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi (Gardena)
Hey 19 (Torrance)
Hironoya (Gardena)
Ichimiann Bamboo Garden (Torrance)
Lazy Dog Cafe (Torrance)
Michael's Pizzeria (Long Beach)
Mochi Cream (Torrance)
Patisserie Chantilly (Lomita)
Playa Amor (Long Beach)
Quality Seafood (Redondo Beach)
Siem Reap (Long Beach)
Simmzy's Belmont Shore (Long Beach)
Spoon House (Gardena)
Sushi Nozomi (Torrance)
Torihei (Torrance)

Reviews: San Gabriel Valley

**** SAN GABRIEL VALLEY/ARCADIA/MONTEREY PARK ETC ****

Bamboodles (San Gabriel) - CLOSED
Boiling Point (Monterey Park)
Borneo Kalimantan Cuisine (Alhambra) | old review
Cui Hua Lou (Monterey Park)
Donut Man (Glendora)
Falafel Me (Azusa)
Golden Deli (San Gabriel)
Grill 'em All (Alhambra)
Happy Sheep Shabu Shabu (Rowland Heights)
Indo Kitchen (Alhambra)
JTYH (Rosemead)
La Casita Mexicana (Bell)
Lunasia (Alhambra)
Lu's Garden (San Gabriel)
Mon Land Hotpot City (San Gabriel)
Noodle House (Arcadia) -- CLOSED
Noodle House (Monterey Park)
Pal Cabron (Huntington Park) - CLOSED
Pho Filet (El Monte)
Pondok Kaki Lima (Duarte)
Raso Minang (West Covina) - CLOSED
Salju Dessert (Alhambra)
Sam Woo BBQ (Alhambra)
Savoy Kitchen (Alhambra)
Szechuan Impression (Alhambra)
Taza: A Social Coffee House (Arcadia)
Vietnam House (San Gabriel)
YunChuan Garden (Monterey Park)
Zelo's Pizzeria (Arcadia)

Los Angeles Review - by Region

Beverly Hills / Culver City / Hollywood / Downtown / Koreatown

**** LA WESTSIDE ****
(Century City/Culver City/West LA/Santa Monica/Venice/Other)

Brentwood
Bar Toscana
Brü Haus
Farmshop
Il Piccolo Verde
Sushi Sasabune


Century City
Clementine
Craft
Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop
Obikà Mozzarella Bar
Park Grill at The Intercontinental Hotel - Afternoon Tea
Seasons 52

Culver City
Bawarchi Indian Kitchen
City Tavern
The Corner Door
Father's Office II
Fraiche | 2011 (Chef Ben Bailly) - CLOSED
Ford's Filling Station
Hanjip
K-Zo
LA Spice Cafe
Lukshon
M Cafe de Chaya - CLOSED
Muddy Leek
Picnic LA
Royal/T
Rush Street
Smashburger

Cheviot Hills/Palms/Mar Vista/ etc
Ayara Thai (Westchester)
Coni'Seafood (Inglewood)
Hannosuke (Mar Vista)
Mariscos Chente (Mar Vista)
Nkechi African Cafe (Inglewood)
N/Naka (Palms)
Rio Brazil Cafe (Palms) - CLOSED
Santouka Ramen (Mar Vista)
Simpang Asia (Palms)
Sushi Central (Palms)
Sushi Zo (Cheviot Hills) *

Marina del Rey/Playa del Rey
Bacari PDR
Cafe del Rey
Mendocino Farms 
Paiche
Stones Restaurant at The Marriott
Vu Restaurant

Santa Monica
Anisette Brasserie - CLOSED
Buffalo Club
CAST at The Viceroy
Catch at Hotel Casa del Mar
CiBOTECA
The Counter
Erven Restaurant
FIG
Huckleberry Cafe
La Cachette Bistro | Paella Thursdays - CLOSED
Farmshop
Forma Restaurant & Cheese Bar
La Monarca Bakery
Melisse **
The Misfit
Nook Bistro
Ocean and Vine
Real Food Daily
Stella Rossa Pizza Bar- now Stella Barra
True Food Kitchen 
Typhoon
The Veranda Restaurant at The Georgian Hotel
Whist at The Viceroy - CHANGED
Zengo

West LA+Westwood

Apple Pan (Westwood)
Asakuma (Brentwood)
Casa Azul Cantina (Westwood)
Chabuya (West LA)
Curry House (West LA)
Emporium Thai Cuisine (Westwood)
Freddy Smalls Bar and Kitchen (West LA)
Fundamental LA (Westwood)
The Glendon (Westwood)
Hamasaku
Kiriko (West LA)
Plan Check (West LA)
Ramayani (Westwood)
Robata-Ya (West LA)
Shunji Japanese Cuisine
Specialty's Cafe and Bakery (West LA)
Sushi Mori (West LA) *
Tapenade (West LA)
TLT Food (Westwood)
Torafuku (West LA)
Totoraku (West LA)
Tsujita LA Artisan Noodles (West LA)
Wakasan (Westwood)
Yabu (West LA)

Venice
3 Square Cafe
Abbot's Pizza
Ado
AK Restaurant+Bar - CLOSED
Baby Blues BBQ
Gjelina
James' Beach
Jin Patisserie - CLOSED
Larry's in Venice
Pork Belly's Sandwich Shop
Rose Cafe
Scopa Italian Roots
Sunny Spot
Willie Jane

Malibu
Grom
Malibu Seafood


A1 Cucina Italiana
L'Amande Bakery
The Bazaar
Bombay Palace
BondSt
The Capital Grille - Happy Hour
Carson House
Caulfield's
Chaya Brasserie
Circa55
Crustacean
Culina at The Four Seasons
CUT
Cynthia's Restaurant3
Fogo de Chao
Georgie
Harajuku Crepe
Hokusai
Kiyokawa
La Terza
Ludobites at Breadbar
Little Next Door
Matsuhisa
Maude
Nishimura - CLOSED
Nozawa Bar
Oliverio at The Avalon Hotel
Ortolan * - CLOSED
Paninoteca by Scarpetta - CLOSED
Picca 
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
Scarpetta - CLOSED
Sotto
Spago **
Tokyo Table -- CLOSED
Urasawa **
Wolfgang's Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener

West Hollywood
A. O. C
Angelini Osteria
Animal
Asia de Cuba | Spring 2012
The Belmont
Cavatina
Cecconi's
The Churchill
Colonial Wine Bar
Comme Ca
FreshEast - CLOSED
Fritzi Dog
Früute
Gordon Ramsay at the London * - Afternoon Tea
Grace - CLOSED
Harlowe
Hugo's
ink.
Ita-cho
Jar
Jian Korean BBQ - CLOSED
L'Assiette
Lucques - Sunday Supper
Melrose Umbrella Co
Milk
The Nice Guy
Night+Market
Open Sesame
Pearl's Liquor Bar
Petrossian Boutique and Cafe 2009 | 2011 (new chef/menu)
Petty Cash Taqueria
Pitfire Pizza
Playa - CLOSED
Prova Pizza
Red Seven
Singapore's Banana Leaf
Smoke Oil Salt
Sona * - CLOSED
STK
Sushi on Sunset
Terrine
XIV - CLOSED
Zinque Cafe and Wine Bar

**** HOLLYWOOD/MID-WILSHIRE/SILVERLAKE /ECHO PARK****

Blue Boar Pub
BoHo - CLOSED
The Bowery
Butchers and Barbers
Cheebo
Cube Marketplace and Cafe
Demitasse Roastery & Kitchen
Formosa Cafe
The Foundry on Melrose
Fukuburger - CLOSED
Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop
The Griddle Cafe
Grub
The Hungry Cat (CrabFest V)
Jitlada
Kabuki
Komida
Lexington Social House
Loteria Grill
Luca on Sunset
Lucky Devils
Mario's Peruvian and Seafood
Next Door Lounge
Osteria Mozza
Pizza Fusion
Pizzeria Mozza
Providence **
Public Kitchen and Bar at The Hollywood Roosevelt
Sadie | Spring 2012 | Summer 2013
Scoops
STREET
Vintage Enoteca
Wood and Vine

Mid-Wilshire/La Brea/Mid-City
Campanile - CLOSED
La Brea Bakery
Luna Park
PingTung Eat-In Market
Tart Restaurant
Tinga
Twist Eatery 
Umami Burger
Urban Garden
Ray's and Stark Bar

Koreatown

BCD Tofu House
Beverly Soon Tofu
The Commissary
Dae Bok
Dansungsa
Feng Mao Mutton Kebab
Grainivore
Ham Ji Park
Hite Kwang-Jang
Ma Dang Gook So
Mandarin House
Mirak
Ondal 2
Palsaik Samgyupsal Korean BBQ
Pot
Saint Martha
So Kong Dong
Star King BBQ
Tom N Toms Coffee
Yong Su San

Silverlake/Westlake
Bowery Bungalow (Silverlake)
Fred 62 (Los Feliz)
LA Mill
Mess Hall (Los Feliz)
Shibucho
Stamp Proper Foods (Los Feliz)
Tam O'Shanter (Atwater Village)

Echo Park
Allston Yacht Club - CLOSED
Allumette 
Mohawk Bend | AYCE Pizza Night


Downtown
643 North (Chinatown)
Artisan House
Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken
Bottega Louie
B.S. Taqueria
Bugis Street Brasserie
Cafe Pinot | Summer 2014
Chaya Downtown
ChocoChicken
Church and State
Daily Grill
Dr. J's Vibrant Cafe
Eat Drink Americano
The Edison
The Factory Kitchen
Faith and Flower
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar
Holbox
Industriel Urban Farm Cuisine
KazuNori
Kendall's Brasserie
LA Market
Langer's Deli
Nickel Diner
Noe at the Omni
Nola's 
Okipoki
Patina
Pitfire Pizza Company
Q Sushi
SUGARFISH
Testa
La Tostaderia
Umami Burger
Villains Tavern
Water Grill *
WP24
Wurstkuche

Little Tokyo
Chado Tea Room
Chin-Ma-Ya of Tokyo
Daikokuya
Lazy Ox Canteen
Marugame Monzo
Shojin 
Simbal
The Spice Table - CLOSED
Sushi Komasa 
Toshi Sushi

Highland Park
The York

**** GLENDALE/EAGLE ROCK ****

Auntie Em's Kitchen (Eagle Rock)
Bashan (Glendale)
Palate (Glendale)
Rambo's Taco Truck (Eagle Rock)


****EAST LA/SOUTH LA ****


Amor Y Tacos (Cerritos)
Corazon y Miel (Bell)
La Casita Mexicana (Bell)
La Huasteca (Lynwood)

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