More LateNight Westside Option: Tokyo Table

OK, so Tokyo Table is kind of a chain. But I've been going there quite a bit that I figured I should blog about it. Not only are they open later at night than most places, the food they serve is pretty solid and the prices quite reasonable. Late at night (though not *too* late) during the weekdays when I used to be stuck with burgers or Denny's, now I may be able to get something healthier.

I've been back quite a few times just to get their Tofu salad ($8.95)- when I'm craving tofu and something healthy-ish.Their tofu is homemade and is pretty good and smooth. The tofu salad is served with sesame dressing, which can be a bit salty so mix your salads carefully. I love eating the tofu with the crispy wontons and nori and the greens. The texture play is fun and the sesame dressing brings the different flavors together.

Tokyo Table offers various sushi rolls, your typical ones such as rainbow roll etc, and some more 'interesting' ones. Below is the Cohiba roll ($11.95) which is just California roll wrapped with salmon with ginger sauce.
I don't have much to say for sushi rolls in general. These were good, nothing special.


They also have a couple of Ishiyaki (hot stone bowl). Pictured below is the Unagi rice ishiyaki ($9.95).
I like eating the burnt rice from the sides of the bowl at the end :P. I've also had the garlic shrimp rice ishiyaki -- WARNING: very, very garlicky.

We usually like getting the Banana Flambe ($7.95) for dessert - since it's not too heavy and it's also fun watching it sizzle :P (what? I'm easily entertained)

Their most famous dessert is their Honey Toasts (Original $6.95, Chocolate etc $7.95)
It's just honeyed toast, the inside is diced up into small cubes and then toasted, making each cube nicely crispy. It makes for a nice breakfast too the next morning :P

The Beverly Hills branch is open until midnight every day and until 1 am on Fri/Sat, so it's a pretty good late night option and a good place to go to with a bunch of friends. Their selection is big enough to keep most people happy.

Tokyo Table
50 N La Cienega Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310)657-9500
www.tokyotable.com

Mario's Peruvian: Great Seafood

After my trip to Peru last summer, I fell in love with Peruvian cuisine, but I haven't managed to try many of the Peruvian restaurants in LA. One of the ones I've had my eye on is Mario's but since it's kinda far it's hard to drag someone there. When I finally had the chance to do so, I immediately went. There was a wait and the small restaurant was packed. We waited about 30 minutes - since it was cold I waited inside but felt kind of in the way of all the servers bringing food/dishes in/out.

By the time we got seated, we already knew what we wanted to order.
We wanted something light with seafood, so instead of going with the deep fried stuff, we went with the Siete Mares soup ($13.00)The seafood was fresh, and the broth was very delicious! The name siete mares means "seven seas" so I tried counting the number of seafood types: squid, crab, shrimp, clam, mussels, fish, octopus. This is a relatively light dish - again, I Loved the broth. Do give it a try sometime!

I ordered the lomo saltado ($11.25) since I've been craving it for a while! Lomo saltado is beef sauteed with onions, tomatoes, and french fries.
The meat was a little tough, but the flavors were excellent. I love the fries also and kept eating them with the fragrant rice! Next time I might try out the seafood version, saltado mariscos, so I can avoid having my beef overcooked and yet still get to taste the delicious flavor of saltado.

For good measure we ordered dessert: Crema volteada/flan ($3.00)
This is a pretty heavy duty flan! Rich and dense - a bit too dense for my taste although it's still tasty. Eat in moderation :P

Overall I loved Mario's. The food was excellent although I would stick with the seafood as the meat can be tough and overcooked ... The line can be long during dinner time, so go early or just prepare to wait! (It's worth it!!)

Mario's Peruvian & Seafood
5786 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323)466-4181

Giveaway+Review: Pineapple Jerky!!

I was recently approached by Doug from Jerky.com to review their products and hold a giveaway on my site!
I checked out their website after that, of course. Jerky.com has a wide variety of beef jerky but I was most excited to see Venison, Elk, Buffalo and Ostrich jerky sections!

Apparently they are coming out with their own brand of jerky in March, but in the meantime they are holding this giveaway for some Pineapple Jerky. Yes, yes, pineapple jerky! I was originally expecting some beef jerky marinated in pineapple juice or something when I heard "pineapple jerky" but it truly was Pineapple, marinated in honey.

When I opened one of these bags in the car, the aroma just permeated the air and my friend who's driving just turned around and said "Whoaaa! That smells good!"
The pineapple jerky is chewy with a pretty concentrated pineapple flavor, but it's actually quite sweet (probably due to the honey). I love how this is not that tart, as the tartness of pineapples usually leave a bad aftertaste in my throat.

I can't really say I've had pineapple "jerky" before so if I were to say "this is the best ..." that wouldn't really fly would it :P ? Well, as far as "preserved pineapple of some sort" goes, this is the best one I've had.

I did check out the price afterwards and currently a 1/4 lb bag is going for $9.99 (retail $14.99) on their site - not cheap indeed, but the superior quality definitely shows. This would tend towards the higher end snack splurges for me.

In the meantime, though, you guys can win a bag for FREE! (who doesn't love free stuff, huh?)

So just leave your email address (or just some way to contact you) in the comments below, or if you don't want to leave your contact info, you can also just email me at gourmetpigs@gmail.com