This past Saturday, the OC Bruins went to Oki Doki after the Angels game. I wanted to go to Honda-Ya, which was clsoer, but everyone knew where Oki Doki was, so we went there. Unfortunately, it turns out Rooster doesn't eat seafood, and so I was stuck with the task of ordering for some of us without seafood. At Oki Doki, this was surprisingly hard to do, and we ended up with a lot of vegetarian offerings, which were only so-so. There was seaweed salad, which went over very well, but was just like the stuff you can buy in a supermarket. The same with the kim chee, which was also greeted with mysterious references to a Mr. Yu, whom Rooster apparently knows. There was also fried tofu, which was pretty good, but served very hot. The chicken wings were surprisingly fishy, which was gross. They were out of pork belly, which was sad because Zond liked it a lot, and thought Rooster would too. We also got a pitcher of beer, but it turned out not to really be a full pitcher, because there was a cylinder int he middle, taking up space- what a rip off! It was cheap, but not good. Their best stuff is still fish, I think, though Zond said something ridiculous about the eel nigiri (2 pieces) costing $4- way overpriced for the probable quality of fish. Sigh. Poor clueless Zond.
Date of Visit: 6/23/07
Oki Doki
Costa Mesa, CA
Showing posts with label dinner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dinner. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Sor Tino- Brentwood
BruinLawyer, GameBoy, and I went with two of my friends from high school- N. and M. (interesting moniker forthcoming) up to LA to go to the LA Film Festival. Short Program 2 had little interesting food-wise, and was pretty, well, crappy in general. The last short, about black lesbian teenagers, was a bit, um, graphic, but there was scene at the end where they're eating ice cream, and it made me hungry for some. Luckily, GameBoy felt the same way, and at the next film, which was at the brand-spanking-new Landmark theaters at the Westside Pavillion, he went to the concession stand and returned with some Pinkberry! Ok, it wasn't even ice cream, and, by some standards, not even really frozen yogurt, but it was my first Pinkberry, and it was good. Not so delicious that I would wait in line like some people, but good for movies, definitely. After "The Paper Will Be Blue," which, by the way, was a pretty good Romanian film about the end of the Cold War, we went to Sor Tino in Brentwood.
We parked on the rooftop parking lot, and made our way down to the restaurant, which was crowded with well-dressed middle aged types on the patio celebrating something. BruinLawyer was immediately intrigued by the women in their cleavage-baring outfits, but soon lost interest once he acertained their age. GameBoy spotted the burrata and carpaccio and immediately insisted we order them. BruinLawyer is allergic to cheese (I'm so glad I didn't inherit this Asian gene!), so we also ordered calamari as a final appetizer. Even better, it turned out that N. and M. weren't so hot on the burrata, so GameBoy and I got the lion's share of that. The burrata itself was creamy and yummy as usual. However, since it's not quite tomato season yet, it was atop some rather mediocre slices of tomato, which detracted from the experience. While it was much more buratta than Fraiche, GameBoy and I agreed that we preferred Fraiche's version, since they used better tomatoes and aged balsalmic vinegar, which really made the difference. The carpaccio was good, but GameBoy complained that it was less than he expected. I'm not sure if he gets that it's supposed to be very thinly sliced and that it's supposed to be a small amount. Sigh. I was so busy eating those two dishes that I didn't get a chance to eat any calamari, but judging from the empty plate, BruinLawyer, N., and M. really enjoyed it.
GameBoy got a spinach salad with chicken for dinner, but the rest of us went for the pastas, which are all homemade. M. got the risotto, which must have been good, because he ate it all rather quickly. N. got the penne with tomato sauce, which was okay, but it's really something hard to mess up. BruinLawyer and I got the wild boar ragu, which was yummy, as usual. However, I'm not sure if BruinLawyer liked his quite as much, and he said something about how he didn't see how wild boar tasted that much different than regular pork. GameBoys salad was only so-so, with the chicken all dry. So, in total, an okay meal, but not spectacular. Still, in LA, not a bad meal for $30 each or so.
The real bummer was that I had about half of my pasta left over, which I intended to take for lunch the next day. However, when I opened the container at work, I was sad to see only a tiny scoop of N.'s penne. Somehow the boxes must have gotten mixed up. So sad.
Date of Visit: 6/24/07
Sor Tino
Brentwood, CA
We parked on the rooftop parking lot, and made our way down to the restaurant, which was crowded with well-dressed middle aged types on the patio celebrating something. BruinLawyer was immediately intrigued by the women in their cleavage-baring outfits, but soon lost interest once he acertained their age. GameBoy spotted the burrata and carpaccio and immediately insisted we order them. BruinLawyer is allergic to cheese (I'm so glad I didn't inherit this Asian gene!), so we also ordered calamari as a final appetizer. Even better, it turned out that N. and M. weren't so hot on the burrata, so GameBoy and I got the lion's share of that. The burrata itself was creamy and yummy as usual. However, since it's not quite tomato season yet, it was atop some rather mediocre slices of tomato, which detracted from the experience. While it was much more buratta than Fraiche, GameBoy and I agreed that we preferred Fraiche's version, since they used better tomatoes and aged balsalmic vinegar, which really made the difference. The carpaccio was good, but GameBoy complained that it was less than he expected. I'm not sure if he gets that it's supposed to be very thinly sliced and that it's supposed to be a small amount. Sigh. I was so busy eating those two dishes that I didn't get a chance to eat any calamari, but judging from the empty plate, BruinLawyer, N., and M. really enjoyed it.
GameBoy got a spinach salad with chicken for dinner, but the rest of us went for the pastas, which are all homemade. M. got the risotto, which must have been good, because he ate it all rather quickly. N. got the penne with tomato sauce, which was okay, but it's really something hard to mess up. BruinLawyer and I got the wild boar ragu, which was yummy, as usual. However, I'm not sure if BruinLawyer liked his quite as much, and he said something about how he didn't see how wild boar tasted that much different than regular pork. GameBoys salad was only so-so, with the chicken all dry. So, in total, an okay meal, but not spectacular. Still, in LA, not a bad meal for $30 each or so.
The real bummer was that I had about half of my pasta left over, which I intended to take for lunch the next day. However, when I opened the container at work, I was sad to see only a tiny scoop of N.'s penne. Somehow the boxes must have gotten mixed up. So sad.
Date of Visit: 6/24/07
Sor Tino
Brentwood, CA
Monday, June 11, 2007
Fraiche- Culver City
Downtown Culver City isn't zoned for valet, so GameBoy dropped me off to secure our reservation, while he parked at a public parking lot down the street. Even though it was a before 7 pm on a Saturday night, the streets and sidewalks were alive with people- even more of a downtown than Downtown LA, and less shady!
I made my way to the resaurant, and was promptly seated. While our table was inside, the front is all windows that retract to open onto the large airy patio. It was a bit cold for a June night, but manageable. As I was waiting for GameBoy, the waitress brought out two half-glasses of complimentary champagne, which was a nice touch. GameBoy arrived shortly, and we examined the menu.
I have been rinking a lot at various happy hours this past week, so I suggested we forgo the drinks and focus on the food, which GameBoy happily agreed to do. We ordered two appetizers t split, the daily special of burrata with oven-roasted tomatoes and aged balsamic vinegar, and the beef tartare.
Though there was a bit of a wait for the food, we were kept happily occupied for a time with the bread and really yummy tapenade. Unfortunately, it was so good that we ate it all up right away, and it wasn't refreshed until right before our entrees come. Still, though excellednt people watching.
Our appetizers finally arrived, and I wasn't disappointed. The burrata appetizer came with two lumps of burrata- a little small- and tree tomatoes, making it easy for us to split. Since GameBoy paid for out meal, I don't know how much it was, but I'm pretty sure it was about e price of the buratta at SorTino, which gives you much more. Still, though, the tomatoes were great. The fava bean mash was okay, but really I'd like more burrata. Also, less mozzarella covering, more creamy burrata part.
The beef tartare, however, was my favorite dish all night. Two large pieces of crostini piled high with mounds of beef tartare. Instead of grinding the meat like most places, they diced it into small cubes, which showed off the flavor and quality of the meat much better. It also came with a small amount of arugula salad, which paired nicely with it. Definitely a must-get if you ever go here.
After another surprisingly long wait (especially considering how long it takes me to eat), our entrees arrived. I got the Kurobata pork chop, and GameBoy got the lamb stew. I had heard good things about the pork chop online, and wasn't disappointed. It was like taking the special pork at Santouka and eating a whole pork chop of it! Not surprising, considering that the special pork at Santouka is Kurobata, too, but, still....Tons of fat, I'm sure, which is probably why I could only eat half. But delicious. I savored every bite, and even hesitated before offering GameBoy some, becuase I know how he doesn't like fat. Trust me, this was the go type of fat. It was so good, in fact, that GameBoy's lamb stew paled in comparison. He said it was good, but I was too distrcted by my own food.
It was also a very filling meal, and after that, we skipped dessert and got doggie bags for our leftovers. Despite feeling very full, the memory of the yummy pork chop so lingered in my mind that when I woke up at 6 am the next morning, I had my leftovers with a few mimosas for brunch. In fact, I was so delighted by my experience, I half-jokingly suggested that GameBoy move to Culver City this year so we can go there more. I've heard all about the downtown gentrification, but Culver City seems to be where it's at for me...mmm..food. I'm nexly enthusistic about Culver City, and am already planning how I can check out the other places there!
Date of Visit: 6/11/07
Fraiche
Culver City, CA
I made my way to the resaurant, and was promptly seated. While our table was inside, the front is all windows that retract to open onto the large airy patio. It was a bit cold for a June night, but manageable. As I was waiting for GameBoy, the waitress brought out two half-glasses of complimentary champagne, which was a nice touch. GameBoy arrived shortly, and we examined the menu.
I have been rinking a lot at various happy hours this past week, so I suggested we forgo the drinks and focus on the food, which GameBoy happily agreed to do. We ordered two appetizers t split, the daily special of burrata with oven-roasted tomatoes and aged balsamic vinegar, and the beef tartare.
Though there was a bit of a wait for the food, we were kept happily occupied for a time with the bread and really yummy tapenade. Unfortunately, it was so good that we ate it all up right away, and it wasn't refreshed until right before our entrees come. Still, though excellednt people watching.
Our appetizers finally arrived, and I wasn't disappointed. The burrata appetizer came with two lumps of burrata- a little small- and tree tomatoes, making it easy for us to split. Since GameBoy paid for out meal, I don't know how much it was, but I'm pretty sure it was about e price of the buratta at SorTino, which gives you much more. Still, though, the tomatoes were great. The fava bean mash was okay, but really I'd like more burrata. Also, less mozzarella covering, more creamy burrata part.
The beef tartare, however, was my favorite dish all night. Two large pieces of crostini piled high with mounds of beef tartare. Instead of grinding the meat like most places, they diced it into small cubes, which showed off the flavor and quality of the meat much better. It also came with a small amount of arugula salad, which paired nicely with it. Definitely a must-get if you ever go here.
After another surprisingly long wait (especially considering how long it takes me to eat), our entrees arrived. I got the Kurobata pork chop, and GameBoy got the lamb stew. I had heard good things about the pork chop online, and wasn't disappointed. It was like taking the special pork at Santouka and eating a whole pork chop of it! Not surprising, considering that the special pork at Santouka is Kurobata, too, but, still....Tons of fat, I'm sure, which is probably why I could only eat half. But delicious. I savored every bite, and even hesitated before offering GameBoy some, becuase I know how he doesn't like fat. Trust me, this was the go type of fat. It was so good, in fact, that GameBoy's lamb stew paled in comparison. He said it was good, but I was too distrcted by my own food.
It was also a very filling meal, and after that, we skipped dessert and got doggie bags for our leftovers. Despite feeling very full, the memory of the yummy pork chop so lingered in my mind that when I woke up at 6 am the next morning, I had my leftovers with a few mimosas for brunch. In fact, I was so delighted by my experience, I half-jokingly suggested that GameBoy move to Culver City this year so we can go there more. I've heard all about the downtown gentrification, but Culver City seems to be where it's at for me...mmm..food. I'm nexly enthusistic about Culver City, and am already planning how I can check out the other places there!
Date of Visit: 6/11/07
Fraiche
Culver City, CA
Friday, April 27, 2007
Z'Tejas- Costa Mesa
GameBoy and I went to Z’Tejas last night before seeing Rent at the Orange County Performing Arts Center for two reasons: its location within walking distance of the OCPAC, and its happy hour. We sat ourselves down at the last empty table in the bar area, then promptly ordered drinks- a margarita for me, and a Budweiser for him. After GameBoy walked up to the hostess stand to check, we verified that their happy hour meant half-off appetizers. I had been here several times before, mostly with my family, and GameBoy had been here once before with me. I really like the catfish beignets, so we ordered some catfish beignets and perused the menu. I normally hate fried fish, but these are coated with cornmeal and the dipping sauce has a bit of a spicy kick, which really makes a difference. That, and they don’t overcook it.
The drinks and the beignets came out, and while the waitress was there, we ordered shrimp Tostitos, a chicken quesadilla, and guacamole. The guacamole came out and it was yummy- nicely spicy unlike many versions, with tons of chips. We had some leftover, and it we hadn’t been on the way to the musical, I would have taken the leftovers home. The chicken quesadilla was fairly good, and filling to boot. I had eaten a huge lunch from Maggiano’s at work that day, so I was completely filled, and couldn’t even touch their usually yummy cornbread. GameBoy felt full too, so we sent back the shrimp tostitos, though those looked yummy too. We ended up taking the cornbread back with us, and hopefully my mom will not have tossed it by the time I get back from work today.
The best part about it was that GameBoy and I ended up having all that, plus another $1 off happy hour drink each, all for about $35 including tip. We stumbled away pleasantly buzzed and full. Happy hour, indeed.
Z’Tejas
3333 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 979-7469
The drinks and the beignets came out, and while the waitress was there, we ordered shrimp Tostitos, a chicken quesadilla, and guacamole. The guacamole came out and it was yummy- nicely spicy unlike many versions, with tons of chips. We had some leftover, and it we hadn’t been on the way to the musical, I would have taken the leftovers home. The chicken quesadilla was fairly good, and filling to boot. I had eaten a huge lunch from Maggiano’s at work that day, so I was completely filled, and couldn’t even touch their usually yummy cornbread. GameBoy felt full too, so we sent back the shrimp tostitos, though those looked yummy too. We ended up taking the cornbread back with us, and hopefully my mom will not have tossed it by the time I get back from work today.
The best part about it was that GameBoy and I ended up having all that, plus another $1 off happy hour drink each, all for about $35 including tip. We stumbled away pleasantly buzzed and full. Happy hour, indeed.
Z’Tejas
3333 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 979-7469
Monday, April 23, 2007
Cattlemen's- Roseville
My second cousin and his wife recently had a baby, so GameBoy and I drove across Sacramento to visit them in Rocklin. On the way, we stopped for dinner at Cattlemen's. I had been to the one in Rancho Cordova about six years ago, and had a good experience, so we figured this location couldn't be too bad. It was located right off of the 80, which was convenient in the pouring rain. As advertised, they had plenty of parking in their lot. At 6 pm on a Saturday night, the place was packed with lots of families, young couples, and even old couples. We grabbed a pager and studied a menu so that we would know what to order by the time we were seated. As promised, we were seated twenty minutes later in a booth deep within the noisy resaturant. Since I was on painkillers, I ordered a Coke, but GameBoy went for a mug of Budweiser, which turned out to be a huge 25 ounce mug. Given his low tolerance, I thought that was pretty funny, and took a series of photos as he slowly made his way through the mug that night.
GameBoy loves filet mignon, so he ordered the "petitie" 7 oz. cut of that. I had heard that the sizzling prime rib was pretty good, but with my tooth aching, I decided to go for the filet mignon as well. We both ordered it medium rare, as is our custom. The dinners included bread, salad, beans, and a baked potato as well. The sourdough bread, despite the fact that we had ignored it for about 5 minutes, was still warm, soft, and deliciously chewy. Much better bread than had been expected for this restaurant, which, with its hokey Western theme, evoked memories of Claim Jumper and Lone Star Steakhouse. The all-you-can-eat salad arrived next, served family-style in a large metal bowl. Again, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that they used good ingredients in their salad. Our dressing, Thousand Island for GameBoy and bleu cheese for me, was served in metal gravy boats. I was pleased to discover that mine had chunks of real bleu cheese.
After a few small plates of salad, our steaks and potatoes came. GameBoy's was perfectly medium rare and yummy. Unfortunately, mine, while surprisingly good, was medium well, separated into two pieces, and a bit small for 7 ounces. I don't usually send food back, but this one got sent back, and GameBoy gallantly shared his with me. The baked potatoes were fairly standard, and served with the usual sour cream and chives for toppings. We added the butter served with the bread as well, but some bacon bits would have been nice. That's just nit-picking though- I love baked potatoes.
The bean girl arrived next, bearing baked beans in a big metal bucket, which she spooned into a cute metal bowl for us. The beans were only mediocre, but I don't really like beans that much anyway. The novelty was cute, though, and she seemed nice enough. This steak was noticeably larger than the first (and GameBoy's) and cooked rare. I normally prefer medium rare, but I felt bad about complaining again, especially when the servers had been very nice about taking it back the first time (I got free button mushrooms while I waited). Despite this, the steak was very good cooked rare, and I enjoyed every bit. I was going to shared some with GameBoy, but he likes his steak more done than that, so he only had a few end slices, and I ended up eating most of it- yummy! The button mushrooms, by the way, were not good, but I was so happy with my filet mignon that I ignored them completely.
All in all, a good experience for a good price (about $20 each for the petitie filet dinner). I'll keep this one in mind too.
Date of Visit: 4/21/07
Cattlemen's
2000 Taylor Road
Roseville, CA 95678
My new steak arrived fairly quickly, and
GameBoy loves filet mignon, so he ordered the "petitie" 7 oz. cut of that. I had heard that the sizzling prime rib was pretty good, but with my tooth aching, I decided to go for the filet mignon as well. We both ordered it medium rare, as is our custom. The dinners included bread, salad, beans, and a baked potato as well. The sourdough bread, despite the fact that we had ignored it for about 5 minutes, was still warm, soft, and deliciously chewy. Much better bread than had been expected for this restaurant, which, with its hokey Western theme, evoked memories of Claim Jumper and Lone Star Steakhouse. The all-you-can-eat salad arrived next, served family-style in a large metal bowl. Again, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that they used good ingredients in their salad. Our dressing, Thousand Island for GameBoy and bleu cheese for me, was served in metal gravy boats. I was pleased to discover that mine had chunks of real bleu cheese.
After a few small plates of salad, our steaks and potatoes came. GameBoy's was perfectly medium rare and yummy. Unfortunately, mine, while surprisingly good, was medium well, separated into two pieces, and a bit small for 7 ounces. I don't usually send food back, but this one got sent back, and GameBoy gallantly shared his with me. The baked potatoes were fairly standard, and served with the usual sour cream and chives for toppings. We added the butter served with the bread as well, but some bacon bits would have been nice. That's just nit-picking though- I love baked potatoes.
The bean girl arrived next, bearing baked beans in a big metal bucket, which she spooned into a cute metal bowl for us. The beans were only mediocre, but I don't really like beans that much anyway. The novelty was cute, though, and she seemed nice enough. This steak was noticeably larger than the first (and GameBoy's) and cooked rare. I normally prefer medium rare, but I felt bad about complaining again, especially when the servers had been very nice about taking it back the first time (I got free button mushrooms while I waited). Despite this, the steak was very good cooked rare, and I enjoyed every bit. I was going to shared some with GameBoy, but he likes his steak more done than that, so he only had a few end slices, and I ended up eating most of it- yummy! The button mushrooms, by the way, were not good, but I was so happy with my filet mignon that I ignored them completely.
All in all, a good experience for a good price (about $20 each for the petitie filet dinner). I'll keep this one in mind too.
Date of Visit: 4/21/07
Cattlemen's
2000 Taylor Road
Roseville, CA 95678
My new steak arrived fairly quickly, and
Thai Cuisine- Bakersfield
Given this restaurant's generic name and its location in a seedy discount strip mall in Bakerfield, I was understandably skeptical of GameBoy's former roommate, QuietLawyer, when he suggested this place for dinner. Still, though, I was hungry and was willing to settle for anything that promised to be better than Benji's, the unmemorable Basque restaurant from a few weeks ago.
The decor wasn't much- very diner-like, with a few Thai Buddhist statues, some Asian instrumental music, and a very basic menu. We started with Chicken Satay, and ordered different types of curry for our entrees.
The Chicken Satay was surprisingly decent. Not spectacular, but well above what I had expected. It was relatively moist, and served with a peanut sauce and a cucumber relish. The appetizer came with 6 healthy sticks of chicken, which we gobbled up quickly.
Next came the curries. QuietLawyer got the green curry with tofu, which was the spiciest. GameBoy got the Panang curry with beef, and I got the red curry with chicken. These two curries were rated as medium spicy. The curries came with rice, and we spooned the curry onto the rice. Mine was yummy, despite the mysterious profusion of bamboo shoots. Not bad for about seven bucks.
The dishes used were surprisingly nice, without chips, with intricate lacquer designs in bright blue and gold. The place seemed clean, and brought our food out fairly speedily. For a restaurant in Bakersfield, this is a good bet.
Date of Visit: 4/22/07
Thai Cuisine (formerly Thai Gardens)
Somewhere in Bakersfield, a few blocks from the 99
The decor wasn't much- very diner-like, with a few Thai Buddhist statues, some Asian instrumental music, and a very basic menu. We started with Chicken Satay, and ordered different types of curry for our entrees.
The Chicken Satay was surprisingly decent. Not spectacular, but well above what I had expected. It was relatively moist, and served with a peanut sauce and a cucumber relish. The appetizer came with 6 healthy sticks of chicken, which we gobbled up quickly.
Next came the curries. QuietLawyer got the green curry with tofu, which was the spiciest. GameBoy got the Panang curry with beef, and I got the red curry with chicken. These two curries were rated as medium spicy. The curries came with rice, and we spooned the curry onto the rice. Mine was yummy, despite the mysterious profusion of bamboo shoots. Not bad for about seven bucks.
The dishes used were surprisingly nice, without chips, with intricate lacquer designs in bright blue and gold. The place seemed clean, and brought our food out fairly speedily. For a restaurant in Bakersfield, this is a good bet.
Date of Visit: 4/22/07
Thai Cuisine (formerly Thai Gardens)
Somewhere in Bakersfield, a few blocks from the 99
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Basilic- Newport Beach
I originally discovered Basilic while searching for a nice place to go to dinner with GameBoy’s parents. We found it to be a tiny, cute Swiss-French place with lots of charm, great service, and yummy food. Unfortunately for GameBoy and I, such greatness does not come cheap. On our own, we decided the best time for a return visit was for their Raclette Night, which is held on the first Tuesday of every winter month. We tried to get reservations for last month, but the restaurant is so small that it books up ridiculously fast, and after a bit of a muddle conversation on the phone with the maitre’d, who spoke only heavily-accented French, I managed to get reservations for April’s Raclette Night.
I was running late, and by the time I showed up at the restaurant, GameBoy was calmly sitting by the raclette machine, sipping a beer. Raclette is a type of Swiss cheese that is traditionally melted, and eaten with potatoes and cornichons. Baslic uses an electric device to heat half a wheel at a time. The heat source faces down, against the flat surface of the halved wheel. As the cheese on top melts, it is scraped off onto a plate and whisked away to diners. Unfortunately, this device, similar to ones used in Swiss and French alpine towns, also gets hot if you sit too close to it, so we squeezed onto the banquette side of the table so GameBoy could avoid the heat near his chair.
The waiter, who surprisingly remembered us despite that fact that we had last been there in February, was friendly and helpful as usual. We ordered a glass of Fendant wine each, which is the traditional wine one eats with raclette. We also split an order of raclette, which was all-we-could-eat, and a plate of Swiss charcuterie. The charcuterie plate was not bad, but not spectacular either. Still it was good to have some meat with all that yummy cheese. It’s a bit strong for some people, and definitely makes you breath smell, but for me it was all worth it. I’m glad this place isn’t in LA, because then it would be even more packed than it already is. I can’t wait for next winter already!
Date of Visit: 4/3/07
Basilic
217 Marine AveNewport Beach, CA 92662
Sushi Zo- West LA
Sushi Zo had gotten rave reviews from two of GameBoy’s friends, one of whom works for Bon Appetit (though in the marketing division). A quick search on Chowhound yielded very good reviews as well. GameBoy had been wanting to try it for a while, and last Saturday, we finally did. It’s located in a surprisingly shabby area of town, between Cheviot Hills and the Culver City/ Palms area, just east of the 10 on National. Though we were able to find street parking just outside, at 6 pm it was about 1/3 full, with an all-Asian clientele.
I’m not sure if it’s because GameBoy is white, or if we just looked clueless, but the first thing the hostess said to us was that this was not a place where they served California rolls or cut rolls. Familiar with the Sushi-Nazi reputation, we reassured her that we were still interested. Then came the next question- whether or not we wanted omakase. Though we had heard it was well worth it, the fact that a price wasn’t listed on the menu gave us pause. When we inquired as to the relative price, she told us it would range from between
$100-200. Though I understand that sushi can get pricey at top places, the location, florescent lighting, and unremarkable interior of Sushi Zo certainly did not warrant that price, especially since I had seen omakase menus as low as $65 at Sushi Sushi in Beverly Hills. Since GameBoy and I aren’t making that kind of money yet, we opted to just order a la carte.
Surprisingly, we were still seated at the bar, possibly because the tables were reserved. This is especially remarkable, because I’ve found that seats at the bar normally book up before table, since people prefer to banter with the chef. I began to understand, however, as we began getting our food. Though there were only four diners besides us sitting at the bar, the two sushi chefs ignored us, and we were forced to order over our shoulders to the waitress. Our only communication with the chefs were when we were gruffly instructed on how much soy sauce to use (or not use).
As I may have mentioned before, GameBoy is a bit slow at reading menus, and even I have to admit that the waitress came to take our orders way too fast. In contrast to, say, the impeccable timing at bushi-tei, the timing of the service here seemed calculated to make you feel rushed and unwanted. Since you order by the piece, it was difficult for GameBoy and I to coordinate our orders so that we both got food at the same time. I didn’t think this was as big of a problem as GameBoy, but then, I knew that they would serve one piece at a time, to ensure freshness, while he didn’t, adding to the confusion. While we could have just kept bothering the waitress for each piece, ordering from her made me feel like I should at least order a few each time, to save her time, whereas I would have felt fine ordering sushi one at a time from the bar. In any case, we didn’t enjoy ordering from the waitress at the bar. To make matters worse, there was a bit of a language barrier, and she didn’t get down all of our orders.
Once the sushi got ordered, however, it was quite nice. It was very good quality, but definitely overpriced for what we ate. GameBoy felt stressed about eating the sushi correctly, but I thought the little guide they had on the counter on sushi etiquette was helpful in maximizing my enjoyment of the experience.
Besides the pricing, which was too high for the service, atmosphere and location, I was also bothered by the fact that I had to keep moving to let the waitress remove my plate while I was still chewing. This may sound minor, but I like to savor each bite of sushi, not be interrupted. The worst was when I was prompted to order by the waitress when I was still enjoying my mirugai (giant clam).
Having gone to many Chinese restaurants, I am very familiar with poor service. While not atrocious, the service at this restaurant clearly needs some work. I left with the feeling that they were upset we didn’t go for the omakase, and that we weren’t particularly welcome there. The sushi was really good, but given GameBoy’s particularly negative reaction to the service at Sushi Zo, it might be a while before we go back.
Though it is possible we hit it at the wrong time, the flurry of negative reviews recently posted on Chowhound makes me think our experience was not unique. I think we’ll head to Sushi Echigo or somewhere else next time we want fine sushi.
Date of Visit: 4/7/07
Sushi Zo
9824 National Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 842-3977
Hours:
Mon-Fri 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
Monday, April 2, 2007
bushi-tei, San Francisco
Although we were only in San Francisco for a weekend, I wanted to squeeze in a meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Unfortunately, most of them were too expensive. After a methodical survey, I found two one-Michelin star restaurants in the city of San Francisco that were somewhat reasonable- Range and bushi-tei. Both restaurants looked good, but Bushi-tei got better reviews and seemed to have a more interesting menu.
It’s a Japanese-French fusion restaurant located in Japantown. Unlike Orris, that other Japanese-French fusion favorite of mine, however, bushi-tei is decorated with wood from a 16th century Japanese building. As you can guess, the design is more high-concept, and the prices are correspondingly so.
We were seated by an older woman in a kimono, which is actually sort of unusual given that this was a sophisticated city restaurant and not, hopefully, a tourist trap. The clientele was sleek, sophisticated, and in their 30s and 40s. I was very glad I had worn my Dian von Furstenberg wrap dress. While not quite as label conscious as LA, the diners were definitely a cut above the vegan people last night.
I wanted to order a glass of sake, but the first one I ordered was out. Given the foods we were ordering, a white wine or sake would have been fine, but I though a Pinot Gris would hold up better to the heavier plates than sake. Well, that, and I can tell the difference between good and better wines more easily than I can for sake. In any case, GameBoy got some white wine, and I ended up with some Pinot Gris. It worked well for me.
We nibbled the amuse bouche, a piece of cocktail toast with green flying fish caviar on top, and perused the menu. Having filled up on cheese and fries late in the afternoon, we decided to order four different appetizers to split. The first appetizer was smoked sockeye salmon. It consisted of about 5 slices of salmon, sliced sashimi-thin, and topped with delicate paper-thin slices of radish and a few soy sauce-marinated ikura. It was a bit awkward to pick up the fish with our stylish wood branch chopsticks, but deliciously rich and flavorful.
Next was the ahi tuna tartare. The tuna was made of big-eye tuna, which was chopped and mixed in with other stuff, then piled high on top of an avocado base. It was garnished with the typical wonton chip, but a very good version compared to every other place in California that does this dish. The thing that set this apart was the generous helping of tobiko flying fish caviar on top. It was a nice dark red, and had a satisfying crunch we both liked. Still, I think it’s hard to taste the quality of the tuna this way, and I would have preferred to try other dishes. Very yummy, though, and something to keep in mind when making my own variant of ahi poke.
Our third dish was the miso-marinated Kobe beef. This was sliced sashimi-thin, and topped with sprouts, slices of apple and melted cheese. The Camembert was nicely smoky and flavorful on its own, and complimented the beef and toppings nicely. It’ve had Kobe beef once before, but this was much better prepared and even GameBoy, who generally avoids fat, ate every morsel. We also noted that the General Manager, who was dining next to us, ordered this. He ordered this as an appetizer, and his date ordered it as her entrée. Incredibly yummy, and definitely a must-eat.
Finally, we had the foie gras. This was seared and served in a dish with a pumpkin crème. As you might have notice from my review of Orris, I love foie gras, but this version was particularly good. It was seared nicely and contrasted well with the sweetness of the pumpkin crème. My only complaint was that it was somewhat of a small portion for the price. I need to learn how to sear my own, since otherwise I’m going to spend all my money on this indulgence until it gets banned in a few years.
During this dish, the owner came over to talk with us, which was quite nice and interesting. He was a short, well-groomed Japanese gentleman who spoke knowledgeably about his chef, restaurant manager, and the food. Though I suppose it’s very common for owners to go over and talk with customers, I felt especially flattered since I’m relatively younger than his target demographic. GameBoy seemed especially happy when the owner asked if he was in the hospitality business. Since his father actually is in that industry, it was fun for GameBoy to be asked this, apparently. The owner talked with us for some time, and returned later, which was very nice of him.
For dessert we split the apple dumpling, which the owner described as a signature dish of the chef. It was a good version of an apple tart, and had cute presentation. GameBoy stopped eating when we ran out of ice cream, but it was not overly sweet like many desserts, and I finished it on its own.
Surprisingly, the bill, while pricey, was not as high as for Millenium, despite the top-quality dishes we had ordered. To us, this reaffirmed our initial feeling that Millenium was not a good value for the money. In contrast, bushi-tei, though pricey, was well worth the expense, considering the quality of ingredients together with the sophisticated preparation and presentation of the food. The timing, in particular was of note, since each dish came out at just the right time, without making us feel rushed, or like we were waiting forever. I’ll definitely be back, but I might have to supplement this fine dining with food afterwards- the portions, like many similar restaurants are a bit on the small side. However, it made up for this with its beautiful décor. The wood added charm and character to an otherwise somewhat sterile design, the place settings were nicely done, and the fancy automated Japanese toilet was a fun quirky touch. Well worth a trip if you’re in town.
Date of Visit: 3/31/07
bushi-tei
Millenium Restaurant- San Francisco
This past weekend, GameBoy, M, and I went up to San Francisco to attend the UC Hastings Admitted Student Day. To maximize out dining experience, I did some quick research at work. Since M could only get off work at 2 pm, we ended up leaving Orange County at around 3. Not surprisingly, we hit a lot of traffic getting out of LA. Thanks to GameBoy’s efficient driving, however, we were able to roll into the Hotel California at around 10 pm. While GameBoy handled our check-in, I ran to the hotel restaurant, Millenium, in an attempt to make our 10 pm reservation. Leaving M to hold down the table, GameBoy and I raced upstairs to our tiny hotel room to drop off our bags, then joined him for dinner.
We were seated in a large booth near the bar area of the restaurant. Since the Hotel California’s building dates back to the turn of the century, it had high ceiling and nice, dark wood. The restaurant area was a curtained-off section of the lobby near the bar, but the high ceilings made it seem much larger than it was.
Though the hotel had provided us with frosted tequila shots at check-in, GameBoy and I opted for beer- an Ommegane Witte for me, and some sort of pilsner for GameBoy. M, less of a beer drinker, ordered a French 75, which proved to contain currant seeds. M was very excited about this, since apparently it’s an ingredient that’s hard to find. Mostly, I was just puzzled as to why it was so different than the French 75 at French 75 restaurants in LA and Orange County.
M was really eager to try the four course tasting menu, and one could only order it if the whole table did so, so GameBoy and I somewhat hesitantly agreed to do so. The reason for our trepidation was that Millenuim is a highly regarded vegan restaurant, and the tasting menu cost $48 per person, before tax and tip.
Our first course was a strawberry salad, which, while yummy was basically a salad with nuts, topped with strawberries, something one could easily do at home. We were so hungry from the trip that this was scarfed down quickly. Once we realized how unfilling it was, M and I started to get worried.
The next course was a tiny triangle of mushrooms over polenta. The presentation was nice, but it was too small to be filling, and again, we had questions about the monetary value of the ingredients.
For our main course, we had a choice between an Asian-influenced black rice cake or artichoke over risotto. M got the rice cake, and GameBoy and I opted for the risotto. Both were good, and the rice filled you up. The waiter made much ado about the seitan sausage, which, in my mind, does not taste at all like sausage. We were very hungry, so we cleaned our plates, but I think I just don’t like still feeling hungry or ripped off.
I don’t normally finish desserts, especially rich chocolate ones, but I devoured my chocolate brownie sundae. It was decent, but the strawberry banana sorbet was a bit too sweet, and it lacked the creamy goodness of non-vegan desserts.
The food was not bad, but I don’t think I’ll go back here unless someone else is paying and I’m very full already.
Date of Visit: 3/30/07
580 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 415-345-3900
Fax: 415-345-3941
Orris- West. LA
After a few bottles of wine and some good cheese, GameBoy’s friend Ember, M, and Beta stumbled a bit tipsy down the street with GameBoy and I to Orris. Since it was a Sunday night, we walked in and were seated at the bar right away. To continue our buzz, we ordered some sort of nice red wine. Unfortunately, I haven’t the slightest idea what it was, other than to say it was good. M and I decided to split the foie gras, shrimp mousse ravioli, and the seafood spring rolls. However, due to our late arrival, they were out of both the ravioli and the spring rolls, so we ordered the seafood salad and roasted quail instead. In addition, we ordered a Seafood salad, featuring Maine Lobster, squid, tomatoes, cucumber, and green beans. Finally, M selected the quail, which GameBoy and I had had before, and rather enjoyed. GameBoy, familiar with my passion for foie gras, split another order of the foie gras, which came seared atop a chunk of Japanese eggplant in shoyu sauce.
The food here is a bit pricey for my current salary, but compared to pricier and trendier small plates options in LA, such as the overrated A.O.C., Orris has better quality food for less cost. The service is good, and I like that they don’t take reservations, so you can actually go to a good place on a moment’s notice. Parking is readily available, both in the lot and on the street. One of my favorites delivered once again.
Date of Visit: 3/18/07
Orris
2006 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90025
(310) 268-2212
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Honda-Ya, Tustin
GameBoy and I decided to head over to one of our Orange County favorites, Honda-Ya, which is located in Old Town Tustin. It's also notable because it's the first, and best, restaurant that I've discovered while surfing food blogs. We parked, then dashed to sign outselves up on the clipboard outside the front door. Though it was relatively late- around 9:30pm- the place was packed. The list gives you the option of sitting in the tatami room and at the bar, in addition to the tables. Since it was cold out, we checked everything, and huddled with the others out in the cold. Honda-Ya's clientele on this Friday night was young, Asian, and very hip. I felt a little out of place in my office attire, but was very glad for my black coat, especially when I saw GameBoy shivering in his gray sweatshirt. After about a 30 minute wait, we were seated, surprisingly, at a table for four.
Immediately, I grabbed the pencil on the table and filled out the yakitori menu. It lists a variety of items you can get grilled on wooden skewers, all for about $3 a skewer. GameBoy, a bit of a Jack Sprat, chose items without fat- chicken hearts, chicken wing, and quail eggs. I, on the other hand, have no such qualms, and went with chicken hearts, chicken gizzards, quail eggs, shitaki mushrooms, and pork belly.
Having made our selections, we handed the waiter our order, ordered some hot sake, and then turned to the regular menu, which features both Japanese pub (izakaya) small plates and larger Japanese dishes, such as ramen, sushi, and teriyaki. Having ordered more skewers, I went for broiled squid, while GameBoy chose the more substantial tempura dinner.
Though it sometimes takes a while for yakitori orders to show up, this time they appeared rapidly, and all at once. I eat the eggs first, since their flavor is the most mild. They really taste just like tiny hard-boiled eggs, except for the fact that grilling them gives them this nice, subtle smoky flavor.
I go for the pork belly first, which is a thin strip of meat threaded on a skewer. It tastes like bacon, only better, with each taste oozing with salty smoky flavor.
Next are the mushrooms, which, like the eggs, are fairly bland on their own, but yummy to eat in order to appreciate the flavor of the grilling process, and the special salt they shake on everything. Yum.
I go for the chicken hearts after that. The hearts were tiny but flavorful, and very different from the special hearts. GameBoy and I made the mistake of getting those one time, and to me the flavor is too, well, hearty. GameBoy and I stick with the regular hearts.
Finally, the last skewer is my favorite- chicken gizzards. GameBoy doesn't like the "Fatty" part of these, but I pop them in my mouth as one crunchy and chewy morsel. They are a bit bigger and chewier than the hearts, but with similar flavor.
I look up from the bliss of eating my yakitori sticks to find that GameBoy has already begun to dig into his miso soup, which comes with the meal. His tempura and my squid arrive. The squid is a whole, broiled squid that is cut horizontally into thin strips and drizzled with some sort of sauce that's a bit like unagi sauce. In any case, it tastes like how it sounds, and I munch it up happily.
GameBoy's tempura was not bad, but not spectacular, and the mountain of fried shrimp and veggies proves too much for him to eat. We leave, tummies full and happily toasty. Another Friday night ended early due to food coma, but it was worth it.
Date of visit: 3/9/07
Honda-Ya
556 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA
714-832-0081
Open 7 days, dinner only
5:30pm - 1am, last order at 12:30am
Immediately, I grabbed the pencil on the table and filled out the yakitori menu. It lists a variety of items you can get grilled on wooden skewers, all for about $3 a skewer. GameBoy, a bit of a Jack Sprat, chose items without fat- chicken hearts, chicken wing, and quail eggs. I, on the other hand, have no such qualms, and went with chicken hearts, chicken gizzards, quail eggs, shitaki mushrooms, and pork belly.
Having made our selections, we handed the waiter our order, ordered some hot sake, and then turned to the regular menu, which features both Japanese pub (izakaya) small plates and larger Japanese dishes, such as ramen, sushi, and teriyaki. Having ordered more skewers, I went for broiled squid, while GameBoy chose the more substantial tempura dinner.
Though it sometimes takes a while for yakitori orders to show up, this time they appeared rapidly, and all at once. I eat the eggs first, since their flavor is the most mild. They really taste just like tiny hard-boiled eggs, except for the fact that grilling them gives them this nice, subtle smoky flavor.
I go for the pork belly first, which is a thin strip of meat threaded on a skewer. It tastes like bacon, only better, with each taste oozing with salty smoky flavor.
Next are the mushrooms, which, like the eggs, are fairly bland on their own, but yummy to eat in order to appreciate the flavor of the grilling process, and the special salt they shake on everything. Yum.
I go for the chicken hearts after that. The hearts were tiny but flavorful, and very different from the special hearts. GameBoy and I made the mistake of getting those one time, and to me the flavor is too, well, hearty. GameBoy and I stick with the regular hearts.
Finally, the last skewer is my favorite- chicken gizzards. GameBoy doesn't like the "Fatty" part of these, but I pop them in my mouth as one crunchy and chewy morsel. They are a bit bigger and chewier than the hearts, but with similar flavor.
I look up from the bliss of eating my yakitori sticks to find that GameBoy has already begun to dig into his miso soup, which comes with the meal. His tempura and my squid arrive. The squid is a whole, broiled squid that is cut horizontally into thin strips and drizzled with some sort of sauce that's a bit like unagi sauce. In any case, it tastes like how it sounds, and I munch it up happily.
GameBoy's tempura was not bad, but not spectacular, and the mountain of fried shrimp and veggies proves too much for him to eat. We leave, tummies full and happily toasty. Another Friday night ended early due to food coma, but it was worth it.
Date of visit: 3/9/07
Honda-Ya
556 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA
714-832-0081
Open 7 days, dinner only
5:30pm - 1am, last order at 12:30am
Inka Grill- Costa Mesa
My loyal dining companion, GameBoy, and I met up for dinner here on night that quite suddenly turned from sunny to foggy as I was driving down Bristol. As I got out of my car, I felt a fine layer of mist settle on my bare skin, and I grabbed my umbrella before heading inside to wait for GameBoy. Inside was warm and cozy, and minutes later I found myself sipping a fairly sweet Pisco Martini with Maracuya ($6.50) at a booth by the window. There was a bit too much maracuya juice, which is apparently a fruit found in the Amazon, and not enough liquor. However, I was pleased by the fact that it came with its own small pitcher of refill- enough to fill a whole additional martini glass!
After having a bit of difficulty finding the place (it's next to Del Taco on the southeast corner of Bristol and Red Hill), GameBoy parked and made his way in. Though I had already selected my entree, having scanned the menu as I waited, GameBoy, a bit of a slow and methodical reader, took several minutes to peruse the six or so pages of menu items. After our waitress had come and gone a few times, we were finally ready. I ordered the paella, while GameBoy went for the lamb stew, which the waitress pronounced as her favorite menu item.
The food came out quickly. My paella had more brown rice than the yellow that was depicted on the front of the menu. It contained one mussel, perfectly-cooked chunks of salmon and some white fish, lots of calamari rings, and two perfectly-cooked shrimp. I'm not that familiar with paella, but I liked this version, and certainly it's price ($14) was reasonable too. Not being a huge fan of calamari rings, I would have preferred more shrimp and mussels, but no big quibbles.
The big disappointment was GameBoy's lamb stew ($15), which to me tasted heavy and greasy. I should note, however, that I'm not a big fan of lamb other than lamp chops, so maybe it's just that I don't have a taste for it. GameBoy claimed he liked it, though he didn't finish it. In any event, though, I was glad I had gone with the paella, which was yummy. Service was a bit slow when we wanted to get the check, but other than that was fairly competent. It was my first time trying Peruvian, but I'll definitely come back.
Date of Visit: 3/13/07
Inka Grill
260 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Phone 714-444-4652
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30am-9pm. Fri & Sat 11:30am-9:30pm. Sun 5pm-9pm
After having a bit of difficulty finding the place (it's next to Del Taco on the southeast corner of Bristol and Red Hill), GameBoy parked and made his way in. Though I had already selected my entree, having scanned the menu as I waited, GameBoy, a bit of a slow and methodical reader, took several minutes to peruse the six or so pages of menu items. After our waitress had come and gone a few times, we were finally ready. I ordered the paella, while GameBoy went for the lamb stew, which the waitress pronounced as her favorite menu item.
The food came out quickly. My paella had more brown rice than the yellow that was depicted on the front of the menu. It contained one mussel, perfectly-cooked chunks of salmon and some white fish, lots of calamari rings, and two perfectly-cooked shrimp. I'm not that familiar with paella, but I liked this version, and certainly it's price ($14) was reasonable too. Not being a huge fan of calamari rings, I would have preferred more shrimp and mussels, but no big quibbles.
The big disappointment was GameBoy's lamb stew ($15), which to me tasted heavy and greasy. I should note, however, that I'm not a big fan of lamb other than lamp chops, so maybe it's just that I don't have a taste for it. GameBoy claimed he liked it, though he didn't finish it. In any event, though, I was glad I had gone with the paella, which was yummy. Service was a bit slow when we wanted to get the check, but other than that was fairly competent. It was my first time trying Peruvian, but I'll definitely come back.
Date of Visit: 3/13/07
Inka Grill
260 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Phone 714-444-4652
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30am-9pm. Fri & Sat 11:30am-9:30pm. Sun 5pm-9pm
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