Eat LA County

New Long Beach Joint that I'm very excited about: number nine noodles + beer

2009-04-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm in Long Beach today, working, a rarity since I usually work in Los Angeles these days - anyway, I'm in Long Beach, and I try to make the most of it by visiting some places I haven't been to for a while to see if I can make an appointment with them..... I head to 4th Street to a new wine bar I have passed by a few times called Fourth on Vine or Vine on Fourth or something like that - finally, I get a chance to talk to someone there, and I ask questions about whether this block is hopping at night and he says it is really in a growth spurt, ie. it is not quite super busy but it sure is trying to get there.

And I ask, is the theater on that block the draw?

And he answers, no, its actually the noodle place.

I'm like, hmroo?? What do you mean, the draw is "that noodle place?"

In my mind, a noodle place is like a divey old school Pho place that is old-looking and certainly not much of a draw to young hipsters who drink wine at winebars.

Alas, I was wrong. Apparently this new place is called "number nine noodles + beer." Okay, you had me at beer. Not that I'm a raging alcoholic, but when you put some classic Asian food with artisan beer, you might be getting somewhere.... somewhere that people want to be. And so I was intrigued.

I headed out of the wine bar and down a couple of doors to number nine noodles + beer.

Alas the place had a vibrancy to it that one doesn't find with your grandparents' pho place. Bright clean lines, modern decor, done a little flashy but still tasteful, and oh that aromatic pho broth permeating one's pores as one walks through the door. If you weren't hungry before you walked in, you will be, there is no fighting the pungent herbs and rich broth that is thick in the air, but not in a bad way. But in a way that makes you want to come back for dinner, or lunch, IMMEDIATELY.

I'm excited about this place. It serves wine, it serves beer, and a menu full of goodies featuring noodles and some other things. I haven't eaten there yet (I just learned of it about 3 hours ago), but I will. I just hope the line out the door won't be too long.

number nine noodles + beer
2118 e. 4th street
long beach, ca 90814
562-434-2009

Nanbankan

2009-03-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

In this week's edition of where did Nancy & Paul eat? we present Nanbankan.

We were a group of 4, Paul and Hitomi, Johan and Nancy, and we met at one of L.A.'s established establishments, Nanbankan, a yakitori and more.

This is a Japanese restaurant with a grill menu, featuring chicken and other meats seasoned and marinated expertly, skewered delicately, and grilled to perfection.

We had a variety of delicious things on skewers including chicken meatballs, chicken liver, chicken gizzards, chicken hearts, some beef cubes, chicken wrapped in a herb, and finally, some triangles of grilled rice. It was all washed down with some Japanese and Canadian (Sapporo) beers.

The meal was delicious. The setting was peaceful and elegant and conducive to lively conversation. We sat in the dining room where there was not much smokiness or anything like that. The bar area is less formal and it is where you can view the action of the open kitchen and grills.

This was definitely a fun and enjoyable restaurant, with sound food. I would go back, definitely!

Vegan Glory

2009-02-04T21:44:00.001-08:00

Yes, it's true, I don't travel with a camera when I eat. Nor do I usually find myself at a place that serves vegan food. But I kept passing by this place in a crowded mini mall (conveniently located near Light Bulbs Unlimited, in case you need a 75W halogen light after a vegan meal) and I got a friend to go with me. You know that friend: goes out to restaurants, more adventurous than you, won't hold it against you if the food is so terrible that you have to run across the street to Taco Bell after eating. We were both more than pleasantly surprised, we were pretty much bowled over.

This is a Thai place with staples from American, Vegetarian, and Angeleno menus. And they do that thing that Paul's been talking to me about for years: they fake the meat. I always thought that I was going to have to hotfoot it over to Monterey Park to get Pressed Duck made out of seitan and tofu, but it's right here, my friend. At Orlando and Beverly. Incredibly close to a eye-popping variety of incandescent light bulbs.

Since I was fascinated with the fake meat, I had to have something from that side of the house, so I dove into the Crispy Chicken, which was essentially their fried chicken (available also in nuggets!) on a lunch special with brown rice, spring roll, salad, and the soup of the day. The chicken was great. Now, chicken lovers will not be fooled, but it was damned good. The soup was excellent as well. The spring roll. Eh, I could take it or leave it. Seemed like the oil wasn't hot enough when they dropped that puppy in.

I decided to take my vegan friend the next time, who sat in amazement when he realized that he could order any item off the menu he pleased. (He asked the waitress if they put milk into their Thai Iced Tea.) He was flabbergasted. Not being your typical vegan, he went for the Pepper Steak Sandwich, which he loved. Since I was on the New Me approach to life, I decided I would have to order something different every time I came; I got the Pad Thai. Delicious. The next time: Lentil Loaf. Much more awesome than it sounds. Three Flavor Fish was great.

But then came the item that changed the New Me:Spicy Yaki Soba with Soy Fish. This dish changed the New Me into the Old Me and it's been the dish I've eaten every time I've been back.

Probably the most amazing thing about this food, and I have no idea if this is why vegan people are always going on and on about their diet (except my vegan friend, who has no interest in speaking about it), I walk out of that place feeling great. I mean, I eat mounds of Yaki Soba, every morsel on the plate, and I don't feel weighed down. I honestly have no idea what the heck they're doing to their food, but damn it, I like it.

You will too. Promise.

Vegan Glory
8393 Beverly Blvd.
LA, 90048
Link

Basilic in Balboa Island

2009-01-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

Basilic is a tiny 24-seater Swiss-French restaurant on Balboa Island off of Newport Beach in Orange County. I have been a fan of this restaurant since my hubby took me there about 3 years ago for my birthday. The place has a very cute ambiance because it is situated on the cutest street ever, on the cute island of Balboa. Just driving onto this island and walking along this quaint seaside high street makes you feel different than being elsewhere in southern California. It makes you feel like you are on vacation.

The restaurant is a family-run operation that is closed on both Sunday and Monday. The owners are from Switzerland, and hence the menus reflect some classic Swiss dishes such as Raclette and Veal Zurich-style. Raclette is a type of Swiss cheese and it also refers to a special preparation of this cheese, which is melted by a broiler and served with fingerling potatoes, cornichon, and pickled onions. If you have never tried this, you must try it. Either at this restaurant, or just purchase Swiss Raclette cheese from Whole Foods and broil it in an ovensafe dish and serve with little potatoes. Pure bliss. Better at the restaurant made by the pros, but darn good even in your own home.

Anyway, I have gone to this restaurant a few times before, but this last week, went with my inlaws and husband and the four of us squeezed in for a 8pm seating. There was an amuse bouche of a goat cheese spread on crostini. For appetizers, two of us had the fish soup which was done Provencal style with pastis. The other two of us had the seared foie gras. For mains, two of us had the veal Zurich-style, while the other two had Cassoulet, a traditional French dish of lamb, sausage, duck confit and beans - needless to say, this is a very rich dish and not for the faint of heart.

For dessert, we had the special which contained meringues and chocolate ice cream, surrounded by a homemade and very tasty strawberry sauce.

Everything was good, except those who had the veal Zurich were less than impressed. It was sliced veal and sliced potatoes and did not look that appetizing, so that was less than expected.

Service was attentive.

Overall, this is a fun classic French-styled restaurant, if you are looking for that sort of thing. All in a cute setting.

Spago Beverly Hills

2009-01-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

I had never been to Spago before, and neither had my hubby or his parents, so I chose it as a fun gastronomic destination for his birthday on January 20. I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate both his birthday and also the inauguration of our new president.

We requested a table in the patio/courtyard and we got it. It was a great place to sit and I recommend it, though I might try getting a table closer to the open kitchen next time.

I said next time! That means I liked the restaurant and would go back again! Yes, everyone at the table agreed that there would be a next time.

Our first course - we all chose the sweetbreads. Delicious.

If you have never tried sweetbreads before, do try them! They are a mild and tender organ meat, and lends itself to different preparations. Here it is deep fried like a schnitzel and dressed with a sauce that had mustard, citrus juice, and some five-spice powder. Very nice.

For my main course, I had calves liver. Yes, it was a veal organ day for me, but it was not unpleasant!

The calves liver was very nicely prepared. I was initially skeptical, and wondered if the liver would taste grainy or too strong. But it wasn't - it was very expertly executed. I savored this dish.

My hubby ordered the veal chop:

My inlaws order fish, the loup-de-mer, which I didn't get a picture of, but it was also very nicely done, and served and sauced table-side.

Yes, indeedy, the birthday boy liked his veal chop!

Dessert was a Hungarian layer cake called Dobos Torte. It is a traditional 7-layer chocolate/espresso cake that hubby and his parents recognized as they have travelled to Hungary. It was a nice cake.

Overall the experience was 2 thumbs up from everyone at the table, and we were very happy with everything. We will definitely return!

Father's Office Culver City (and Santa Monica)

2009-01-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

Father's Office. For some reason, we always seem to end up here, even though many times I try to think of somewhere else to go for a casual but high-end drink and and snacks..... but we end up going to Father's Office. There is just a perfect little niche that Father's Office seems to fill in the Los Angeles area that other joints don't seem to do as well.

I'm talking the kind of place you can waltz into in jeans and a t-shirt or whatever casual wear you happen to be sporting. A place that looks and feels hip and youthful and serves great beer without asking a lot from you, other than to wait in line and serve yourself for the most part. Father's Office has not only high end beers, but high end food as well, in a fun setting. It is a contrast to the thought of going to a snooty bar where you have to dress up and be fancy, only to have the choice between a martini and a glass of wine..... sometimes you really would rather have beer.

Yesterday when we went we enjoyed some of their delectable Californian and Belgian beers, along with crispy sweet potato fries, grilled octopus salad, and deep fried brussels sprouts. Yum!

Valentino in Santa Monica

2009-01-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

The food and ambiance at Valentino's were both excellent.

First of all, it's on Pico near 31st street in Santa Monica, on the North Side of the street. Parking is usually pretty tough in the area, so it's probably a good idea to use the valet. (If you get lucky, you might find some street metered parking.)

We didn't have reservations, so we ate in the bar area. They had a kind of special going on, where you can order 2 appetizers or 1 appetizer and 1 entre' plus a dessert for $35, and it was well worth it. The panzerotti, tortellini, ravioli, and dessert (I think we had a canoli and some type of sorbet) were all excellent, probably the best I've had in L.A. Great wine list to choose from as well. Service was also excellent, however I don't think they were as swamped the night I went as I hear they usually can get. 2 of us ate a really excellent meal with a glass of wine or 2 for only about $100, but I hear that the menu in the dining area is a little higher priced (and probably more extensive).

Anyway, I will definitely be going to Valentino's again soon for more great Italian cuisine, without having to drive to Hollyweird or Sunset, etc.

SugarFish by Sushi Nozawa in Marina del Rey

2009-01-16T22:39:00.001-08:00

It has been a while since we have had sushi anywhere outside of Yen in Belmont Shore. Two reasons: one, we haven't been eating out that much (economic downturn, people!) and two, we really like Yen Sushi and Sake Bar.

But I found this new place, SugarFish, through my work, and through some samples generously provided by management, I was hooked and charmed and decided that hubby and I should try this place for a real dinner.

SugarFish is a casual off-shoot of the original Sushi Nozawa out in Studio City, which I have never gone to, but had heard was nick-named the Sushi Nazi because Chef Nozawa doesn't take kindly to those who use tons of soy sauce on his delicate fish, or ask for non-Japanese dishes such as California rolls.

I have heard that Sushi Nozawa is excellent, and I do hope to go there someday. But last weekend we did experience SugarFish, and this is what we learned.

You can order a la carte at SugarFish, but I think most people get the prix fixe meals, which are posted on a rotating computer screen on the wall. Oh yes, speaking of the wall reminds me I should speak about the decor. The decor is minimalist and modern, at the same time casual. This is not a ritzy, high end place in terms of the atmosphere, but the idea is the food is the freshest you can obtain in such a relaxed environment.

So back to the food. The fish is excellent. The sashimi, sushi, and rolls are all melt-in-your-mouth, with a delicacy and succulence that is very different from that found at Yen. The style is, I would say without knowing much about authentic Japanese food, more authentically Japanese, with the focus on delicate, balanced flavors. Contrast this to Yen, which is owned and operated by Koreans, and the cuisine is bolder, with bolder flavors and spiced up sauces and slices of Jalapeno sometimes adorning some of the less orthodox rolls. The food at SugarFish is definitely more classic, at least to me.

The downside is that though this is a casual restaurant, ie. you don't have to dress up to eat there, and plenty of Marina del Rey locals are coming in with their kids, etc, and some are bellying up to the bar to have their dinner, the prices are high. Dinner for the two of us ended up being around $120 (we did have beer and sake though). And after the $120 dinner, we were not stuffed; instead, we were a bit craving for more food. In other words, portions are not big. Contrast to Yen, where we leave pretty stuffed, because the fish portions are big.

Conclusion: the restaurant is a good one, the food is way above par, and if money were no object, I would eat here and eat here often, and probably add a la carte pieces to the prix fixe options. However, until the time when money is truly no object, I would hesitate. But that's just me! If you love fine sushi though, you should go and try it!

Bouchees Bistro

2009-01-13T22:01:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Bouchees Bistro is a lunch counter next door to a Panda Express sharing a building with WalMart, situated across from the Blue line station on Long Beach Blvd. this is not where I'd expect to find good eats. I don't even remember how I first ended up in Bouchees Bistro. I remember laughing at the name - not so much because it was a bad name for a restaurant, it just looked so out of place on that particular stretch of the Boulevard. And yet, somehow, that's exactly where it belongs.

Bouchees belongs on Long Beach Blvd. because, as I mentioned, it is a lunch counter. There are a few tables available for groups of two or four, but not much more than that. Every table I've ever sat at wobbled. The floors are cement and the walls are covered in local folk art, that changes out every couple months. the waitresses wear all black with silver studded belts. In these regards Bouchees Bistro looks pretty much at home in the neighborhood.

the menu is burgers and fries, ice cream, macaroni and cheese; oh, and butternut squash ravioli, belgian endive and roquefort cheese salad, crab minestrone soup... if you've been following along you may have noticed I turned a corner there. But the fact is the burgers and fries (sweet potato fries, or parmesan and herb fries - you can get both in one order) have more in common with the gourmet menu than they do with any other burger joint in the LBC or most of LA County. the burgers here are really good.

Having tried all their specialty burgers, I can tell you you can't go wrong with any of the four, but start out with the #2 - applewood bacon, chipotle cheeseburger. It's like eating a burger for the first time. Oh, but, if you can't decide on one, they sell all their burgers as sliders, (they call them minis... which makes more sense than sliders, doesn't it) Anyway order as many as you want for 3 or 4 bucks apiece. The fries are served with ketchup. I don't know what that ketchup is made of, but I've never had ketchup like that. Get the fries combo.

I tried the macaroni and cheese once - it was pretty good, but if it comes down to a side of mac and cheese or dessert - don't waste a moment weighing your options. The desserts are unbelievable. tis past weekend I ordered the ice cream sandwich of the day. Simple enough. It was lavender gelato topped with hazelnut sauce and sandwiched between two macademia nut white chocolate cookies. WHAT?! That's just crazy enough to work.

Well, to top it all off, the bill was about what you'd expect to pay at Denny's. The burgers run between 8 and 10 bucks, the fry combo a bit pricy at 4, and the ice cream sandwich another 4 bucks. The fancy entrees are a bit more, but you're at a lunch counter - get a burger and fries already,

I'm still not sure about the name, and I'm a little worried about the location, but bouchees bistro must be to our generation what the Apple Pan must've been like for our .... uh for our great grandparents.

Anyway here's the ink
Bouchees Bistro
515 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90803

Sushi in the LBC

2008-09-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

The best advice I can give to the sushi lover banished to Long Beach for the evening is: try to think of something else you can eat. If it is sushi you must have, then just know what you're getting into. Here's a rundown of Long Beach fish.

Yen - on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore may be the best sushi in Long Beach. Their known for their creative rolls, ceviche and other unsushi like delicacies, but the fish is pretty fresh, so if you dare order raw fish on rice you won't be terribly disappointed. Their Creamy Shrimp Appetizer is pretty good, as is their Scallop Dynamite. (Where did the idea of Dynamite come from? I'll have to look into that.) Actually if you can stomach a roll or two, you can try their RocknRoll original. Stupid name but not bad. The atmosphere is pretty hip and you can check out Long Beach's "beautiful people" with a sidewalk table. Know that this is a chain restaurant, but compared to Applebee's it's not so bad.

Sushi Saurus - Also on 2nd street. Hmmm. I'm not sure what this place wants to be. Dive? Chic? chic dive? Well it doesn't matter. On the day Hitomi and I went the fish wasn't as fresh as the wait staff. Outstanding point: The saba probably would have tasted better cooked.

Sushi Of Naples - It's big, crowded on the weekends, the wait staff is running around like crazy, people are waiting to get it much of the time. Is this place owned by the Wizard of Oz. There is something going on behind the curtain - behind the smoke and mirrors, Sushi of Naples is the worst Sushi Bar in LA. The worst, the worst, the worst. (Koi in Seal Beach runs a close second). What do these people see in this place? I need a Tums just thinking about it.

Aki on Redondo - Not bad, just uninspired. this is a pretty new place, and they just haven't really found their stride yet. The sushi was pretty decent, fresh enough, it feels more "Japanese" than most LB sushi bars. (In fact it's one of the few places that we actually heard Japanese spoken). The main chef, AKi was pretty well known in LB circles before this place opened so many people were awaiting it's grand opening a year or two ago. We went right away, and it was fine... Maybe we expected too much. We went back once, but we just couldn't get into the place. It probably deserves a better review than this.

Aki on 7th. - This place is what Long Beach is famous for. Sushi and Thai food. Actually it's two restaurants - Aki on the East side and Baiplu on the West side. You can order from both menus, so feel free to enjoy Panang curry and Maguro Sashimi. Eat the Sashii first though. Thai food flavors obliterate Japanese food. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and say "It's a bad idea to have a Sushi Bar and Thai Restaurant under the same roof.

Kinoya in the mini mall with Target, Big Lots and Trader Joes - on Bellflower. Well, if you're there picking up some stuff at Target and you want a sushi lunch, Kinoya won't disappoint. No Japanese work here, but one of the waitresses told Hitomi that many of their customers are Japanese. Maybe so. Anyway, the fish here was fresh, while there were plenty of rolls to choose from, it did appear that at least the concept of sushi was not foreign to these folks. Overall though, as Hitomi pointed out, there is a general "sweetness" to their sauces and dressings. Still for lunch the special is pretty good and the price is right.

Sakura Sushi - I can't even remember how to get there. It's near the Kmart - wherever the Kmart is. Anyway this place is a crack-up. What they lack in taste they make up for in effort. Let's just say the fish wasn't particularly fresh. Basically the only options were a variety of tired rolls, they really didn't have anything but the very basic fish, the ice was strange - the vinegar mixture was off and the style was really cheap american Calrose. Buuuut.... they just worked so hard. Thank you Thank you Very Muc Thank You. Can I help you, Can I get something for you, Tea is hot.... and on and on. I think their really trying to give this sushi thing a go, though why they chose sushi is anyone's guess. They appear to be recent Cambodian immigrants, so I might suggest they try something a little closer to home next time.. maybe Italian.

Hibachi Sushi and Grill - PCH. The sushi chef was actually Japanese. this alone was enough to bring us back. The Maguro was pretty tasty as was the saba. The rest of the usual suspects were fine. Overall not bad, but like Aki, this place just doesn't have itself together yet. It feels like you're in a mini mall food court. Maybe they just need some time. Still we'll go back.

Daimon - If you remember Tokyo Delves in North Hollywood, you'll feel right at home at Daimon. This ain't your Japanese ancestor's sushi. Despite the party music, dancing and layer of beer foam on the sushi bar the fish wasn't bad. Can't hear the sushi chef though. "What do you want?" What? Want? Oh fine thanks. How are you?. OK maybe I'm just too old for this stuff.

Benley - A Vietnamese Kitchen in Long Beach, and how I learned the history of Pho

2008-08-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to go on at length about Benley, because of two reasons: (1) much has been said about this restaurant on the blogosphere, and if you want to read some of these thoughts, you can go to clayfood.blogspot.com or just google Benley Long Beach and read professional and lay reviews of the place at length, and (2) the owner doesn't really care for blogs about his place, probably because so many bloggers come in and take pics of the food and blog right there on their handheld devices, and he thinks it is silly and takes away from the enjoyment of the food. I agree and I would never blog while dining out, but I have been known to snap a pic or two. But I didn't do this at Benley!

Suffice it to say that if you want some Asian food in Long Beach, you are limited to Korean sushi from Yen on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore, and Vietnamese French fusion at Benley in a strip mall at the corner of Norwalk and Wardlow. Tucked away in this tiny location, Benley offers up some great eating to the few people who have found it. It seats only about 30 people. The offerings are tasty, aromatic, unique, and perfect for sharing, family style. And did I mention, very wine-friendly foods (drink German or French wines with these foods, this is the key to happiness).

Now, onto the history of Pho. This is where it gets interesting. Benley owner Fong told me about this, and if he had not, I would be ignorant about this important food-history note possibly forever. Did you know that Vietnamese Pho (pronounce "Fuh") was from the French???

He shocked me with this. He said that the French colonialists brought over a beef-based soup that is like the soup for French onion soup, and I said HUH? To me, there is little resemblance of French onion soup, with its overflowing bubbling hot gruyere cheese atop big crouton over a dark broth that I thought was basically caramellized onion water and a Asian rice noodle soup with thin slices of rare beef and aromatic basil and bean sprouts and lime and what have you.

But yes, he continued! It is French!! He said even the name comes from the French "feu" which means "fire" from the soupy stew dish called pot-au-feu. Wow! Pho = feu!

So I did some google searching, and learned, he is right! Pho is a relatively nouveau Vietnamese cuisine, brought over by the French, who introduced an aromatic and rich beef stock to the Vietnamese. There were noodle soups in Vietname prior to the French, but they were like in the rest of Asia, made from pork. Beef stock was a new thing, as cattle were not used for food, but for farm work. But according to this story, this new beef stock, with its aromatic seasonings of maybe caramellized onions and things, intrigued the local Vietnamese, and they adapted it by adding local ingredients: rice noodles. The original Pho, which according to the internet source I read, came from Hanoi in the northern part of Vietnam, and it was just that - beef soup and rice noodles. When North and South Vietnam split, the southern Vietnamese began adapting the recipe and adding all those extra fresh veggies that we associate with Pho - those side items that come raw and get added in.

I loved this, this rich history of a noodle dish! Maybe some of you out there have heard this story before, but not me. I enjoyed it very much. Who knew that Pho was feu and had some French roots? Who knew that Vietnamese cuisine was by definition fusion? Who knew?

Easy like Sunday Morning Tripe

2008-08-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Sunday brunch at El Torito on PCH Highway, on Long Beach. El Torito is nestled among a bunch of chain restaurants, and we have never found a reason to go there until today, when our good local friends were having a going-away party as they are moving out of state. Their friends organized the brunch there, so all we had to do was show up.

It was really nice. "Champagne," which is really a typical brunch sparkling wine of some sort, was poured immediately upon seating, and continuously poured. Buffet style, the brunch offered an array of Mexican goodies, such as enchiladas, beans, Spanish rice, custom-made tacos, and Menudo. We noticed many people enjoying the Menudo, so Johan and I, being lovers of tripe and other interesting meats, went for a couple of big bowls ourselves.

It was great! Seasoned just right, the broth was flavorful with hints of chili, herbs, tomato, and rich meat. The tripe was tender, flavorful, and just a bit chewy, which any tripe lover would want. It was the best dish in the brunch. I'm not sure I could have had a more authentic Menudo elsewhere. We enjoyed it so much even though we weren't hung over!

We spoke to a fellow diner and asked her how Menudo is made, since we don't know, ie. we wondered if some stock is made to flavor the soup beyond just tripe. She coyly asked, "Are you sure you want to know?" When we assured her that we like tripe and know that it is intestine, she answered that it is made by boiling guts for 14 hours, along with some finely chopped special type of chili, plus oregano, tomato paste and some other herbs and spices. I asked if there was another meat or bones used to make the stock, and she said, you don't have to, but you can add bones or meat, but they have to be from the feet (pig's feet). I nodded approvingly, "Ah, yes, so you can get the gelatinous thickness to the broth." Ah, yes. Now you're talking.

I also enjoyed a chicken taco and some rice and beans, which were all seasoned well and good, though of course there are more authentic versions elsewhere. There was also an omlet bar for those who wished to have this brunch standard. There was also many desserts available, including chocolate cake, churros, and jello.

On the whole, I would not hesitate to take a family from out of town to the El Torito Sunday brunch. It has a festive, fun atmosphere, great service, a lot of choices, and really decent food for a chain operation. Plus, I think the food type is more suitable for a weekend brunch than a dinner, but that could just be me. So next time you have family from out of town, think El Torito! (Did that sound too much like a commercial?)

South Bay Breakfast

2008-08-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Breakfast is like a pair of old shoes. It's a comfortable meal. A little boring, pretty worn out and only complete with the familiar aroma of coffee and bacon. Trying something new for breakfast can be like squeezing your foot into hard tight leather that still needs a few weeks of blister building stretching before it feels right. And so I present to you a couple of comfortable old shoes for breakfast.

Misto Caffe - Yeah, I know it's spelled like it should be on 3rd and La Cienega, but it's on Hawthorne just up the hill from PCH. Hardly an exclusive neighborhood, unless Texaco, Bob's pool supply, and Michiko's Hair Salon are on someone's "A" list. True this is where middle class Torrance passes off to wealthy Palos Verdes, so maybe that explains the spelling. Misto is also hidden from the street in a little mini mall that features a number of businesses for suburbanites who have just a little too much money on their hands (a jewelry store, interior design office, hair salon, knitting shop, etc.). It's easy to miss, but when you hit Palos Verdes Blvd. turn back - you've gone too far.

If weather permits (when does weather not permit in LA?) sit on the patio. Misto is primarily a bakery so you'll love the mini-muffins and scones they bring - gratis. The fact is, I love Eggs Benedict and most any Benedict-like variation. For me Misto is a breakfast heaven. Eggs Benedict, Sirloin Medallion Benedict, Crab Cake Benedict, Salmon Benedict, Vege Benedict... it's crazy. Anything that they can fit on an English Muffin. And they're all good. I've tried them all. Hitomi usually has an omelet. They do the basics - salmon omelet, Mediterranean Omelet, Vege Omelet, whatever... and they're never a disappointment either. The service is always good, and those little muffins are the little muffin rulers! in my book Misto Scores 4 old shoes.

The Admiral Risty - Out where Hawthorne Blvd. Meets the Pacific Ocean, there is a nearly forgotten strip mall that features the Starbucks with the best view in LA County. Next door you'll find the Admiral Risty - Average age: 60+, average car in the parking lot:
Lincoln Continental, or 1980's Caddy. The Admiral Risty is only open Sunday for brunch, and no one seems to know about it. You're likely to get a table in front of the window. The view is unobstructed ocean, what could be better for your digestion? (the picture is from their website - I didn't take it) The service here is old school. the people are small town friendly and pretty attentive. The coffee is actually fresh ground. They serve banana bread or like breads for appetizers and the menu rides the thin line between breakfast and lunch (it is Brunch after all, isn't it?) I always get the seafood crepes, because I find I am really just a creature of habit. They're good though. Hitomi usually opts for lunch and tends to lean toward the Seared Ahi. That's good too! Yup Risty for brunch is another 4 old shoe experience.

The Admiral Risty, 31250 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes

Misto Caffe 24558 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90505

Pinkberry in Northridge

2008-07-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hey, does anyone blog here anymore???? Come on, I know you guys have been going to restaurants!!

Ahem, okay, so I found myself in the unfortunate predicament of being 2 hours early to meet someone in the Valley today. It was not a super hot day, but it felt super hot in Northridge. I tried to contain myself in a mall, but that drove me crazy, so I had to drive around with the AC on - this was not enough to cool the car down. Finally, I saw a Pinkberry and decided that this would be the solution: I would try Pinkberry for the first time and finally know what it was like so I could form my own opinion. And it would hopefully cool me down.

I made the right choice. The place and the frozen yogurt I got cooled me down and hit the spot. I got a medium original with one topping: strawberry. In retrospect, I should have chosen a more exotic fruit such as lychee or mango. But the frozen yogurt was good, it wasn't fatty, it wasn't artificial, and it wasn't sweet. It was tangy but not too much so. It tasted fresh. The strawberries were equally tangy and zingy and not sweetened. The whole place was cool with air conditioning down to 76 degrees and the cold dessert helped remove the Valley heat from my body.

I liked the experience. I didn't want to like it because it was such a fad, but I guess there is a place for fads like this one.

Oh, and the experience costed just under $5.

Empress Pavilion Chinatown, Father's Office Culver City, and Musha Torrance - all in one day

2008-07-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

It's rare that I get a day off to spend with Johan these days, so when the opportunity came up this past Sunday, we decided to head up to Los Angeles downtown, to look at lofts and other opportunities to buy into a housing market that's going through the floor.

To feed our foodie appetites, we aimed to go for dim sum in Chinatown's Empress Pavilion. This is a classic Chinatown dim sum destination, a place that both Johan and I have enjoyed on several occasions. I even recall taking my dad there when we were in town. Well, we weren't the only ones with this bright idea - a huge crowd was waiting for tables like we were. After a half-hour wait milling around the many shops, our table was called. We ordered a variety of steamed dishes, since we tend to like these versus the fried ones. We enjoyed some sui mai dumplings, some squid, tripe, chicken's feet, rice noodles wrapped around minced beef while we sipped our hot tea. We finished with some egg tarts. The experience was good, though not excellent. I was surprised that there was not as much variety as I had expected from a place that was getting such high turnover. But overall the food was good. But maybe not better than a dim sum place closer to us in Cerritos, the name of which escapes me right now.

After this, we headed to the west side, toward Culver City. Actually, we first went to look at some condos on La Tierra Blvd near the airport. That made us thirst, so we headed back north to Culver City, to the new Father's Office. We have been longtime fans of the original Father's Office on Montana. Well, the original location, anyway, since we didn't really know the Original Father's Office, befor the current owner modernized it. Anyway, this second location has been a hit since it opened, catering to a new clientele. We had visited this location once before. We decided to sit inside at the bar and each ordered a Trappist Belgian beer out of the bottle called Westmalle Triple. This is one of our favorite beers, priced at $10 a bottle. What we got was something that started out somewhat refreshing, but later turned not so great, kind of out of balance and acidic. We surmised that this beer was not so fresh, maybe something that many folks did not order. I started drinking water after this; Johan ordered a Maredsous on tap. We ended up having a decent time there, but I would have preferred something else, like a Chimay on tap...

Usually at Father's Office we enjoy some of their tasty snacks, like their Frites (fries) or Sweet Potato Fries, but this time we tried not to ruin our dinner. I still like the place, and think that this visit might have been better if we had actually ordered some fried goodies!

In the evening, we made our way down to Torrance, to Musha. We have been to Musha a few times before, the first time with Paul and Hitomi - and that was the best experience to date! This time, we ordered the chicken leg, the cheese risotto, the torch-seared makerel, and an egg and noodle dish which I don't remember the name of, but it seems really popular since several tables ordered it. We drank some Asahi beer which hit the spot. The food was all lovely. All the other diners seemed to be Japanese Americans. It was fun. We left feeling pretty satisfied, but I think we still had more fun that time with Paul and Hitomi when we order like 10 dishes or something!

So that was our big day of eating out. The rest of the time, we have been eating in mostly, so not much to write about. So I'm happy to have had something to contribute this week!

Avocado Grill - Larchmont

2008-07-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

217 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles 90004 between 1st St & Beverly Blvd 323-962-3880

Just reading the word "avocado" makes me want to vomit. The combination of slimey, squishiness coupled with snotty shades of extraterrestrial intestines... uugh. In fact even typing it is less than fun, therefore throughout the remainder of this blog, I shall henceforth refer to the dreaded "A" word as "Kryptonite" and I urge all future contributors to follow suit, otherwise I may have to invent a puke-proof keyboard. So why am I even entering this establishment without an air-sickness bag? Because Lorenzo and I really wanted to try Larchmont Deli, but it was closed on Sunday. Being the hungry people that we were (and usually always are), I employed my beyond-superhero-strength to overcome the evil forces of Kryptonite. Actually, Lorenzo loves Kryptonite so I went in partly to make him happy too. The place was pretty quiet, as most probably are at 3:30pm on Sunday - no wonder we actually found a parking spot. He ordered the roasted vegetable burrito - $7.95 (caramelized onions, fire roasted corn, choice of cilantro or white rice, black or pinto beans, guacamole, pico de gallo and sour cream) PLUS chicken (add $2.00). For a minute there you actually thought he would eat a meatless item? Ha! I had a bowl of tortilla soup $5.95 and a bottle (yes, an actual glass bottle) of Lime Soda. The evil forces were surely conspiring against me as my soup arrived with - yep, you guessed it - a slice of Kryptonite right smack in the center. I quickly removed it and gave it to Lorenzo before it had a chance to contaminate the rest of my meal. The soup itself was really more of a spicy tomato sauce with a few strands of crisp tortilla strips that didn't stay crisp for long. Lorenzo's burrito had some noticeably sweet roasted corn, and ironically no Kryptonite. Long story short - dunking his burrito into my soup - or, if you prefer, pouring my soup over his burrito - was a very tastey combination of two otherwise mediocre entrees.

Anisette Brasserie in Santa Monica

2008-07-09T17:20:00.001-07:00

Just returned from lunch at Anisette Brasserie in Santa Monica and I have to say I enjoyed the experience and would go again.

The place has a very nice feel and that started right when we walked in. Beautifully tiled floors, long zinc bar, red lobsters chilling on ice next to oysters, and servers dressed like waiters in France with their long aprons. The front desk folks were friendly, and tons of diners were already there enjoying their lunch hour. It was as though the restaurant was recession-proof.

When we got to our food, we found it all to be very good, and creative as well. We had a couple of appetizers to share - pate maison and a smoked salmon terrine. Both were beautifully presented, with the terrine in a fashion that I have never seen before. But even tastier than the smoked salmon was the pate, which was very light and almost like a mousse.

We each ordered a soup for the main course - my companions had onion soup, which was served in a cute tall red crock, and mine was the Provencal fish soup, which was served in bowl, but they poured it tableside from a teapot. My soup was flavorful and everything I wanted from a fish soup - tasted very homemade.

We shared a dessert of lavendar ice cream which definitely tasted of lavendar and vanilla bean.

To conclude, Anisette is a cute and relatively casual but still upscale place that I enjoyed and made me want to live in L.A. again. It's definitely a great addition to the 3rd Street Promenade area that really doesn't have enough good places. I say Yay!!

Anisette Brasserie is located on Santa Monica Blvd between 2nd and 3rd Street, right off the 3rd Street Promenade.

More Comfort Food - "Cravings"

2008-06-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

Angela's review of Cici's Cafe got me thinking about good comfort food. It seems out of character for me to recommend a trendy joint on The Sunset Strip - especially when on the subject of comfort food - but for some reason I'm going to. The set up goes like this: Somehow Hitomi and I found ourselves walking down the Sunset Strip on a Friday night at about 9pm looking for food (Don't try this yourself). All the usual restaurants were full (who knows why) but "Cravings" looked like they had a seat in the back. so we took it.

Cravings is a pretty appropriate name for a shishi comfort food joint, and the atmosphere is pretty unique and relatively comfortable. the concept: put a bunch of tables outside, then decorate the outside as if it were the inside and put a tent roof over it all so it kind of is inside - but not quite. It's a lot like camping with rich people... on Sunset Boulevard.

Anyway, they have a lot of warm food: Like chicken noodle soup and chicken pot pie. Crab ravioli, chicken curry, chicken Parmigiana, trout, seafood stew, lamb chops... they even have hamburgers and a ham and cheese omelet. (I didn't just remember all this, I checked their website) I ate the curry, because I can't pass up curry. It was really good. The pine nuts and raisins gave the otherwise warm, rich, curry flavor a little additional sharpness and texture. the chicken was cooked perfectly, juicy and tender. Hitomi had the Chicken pot pie, which was also very nice. The gravy was rich and well spiced and the pastry on top was flakey. I kept stealing bites of her pot pie, as she looked at me with that "why didn't you just order it yourself" look.

And that's it. that's all we had. Next time we're on the strip we'll definitely go back. (As if we'll ever be on the strip again... maybe we'd even consider making a special trip... no, I doubt it.)Anyway for good comfort food - Cravings, 8653 West Sunset Blvd. (Price was about 20 -30 bucks a head before drinks)

I was gonna put pictures, but they don't have any on their website.

CiCi's Cafe

2008-06-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

18912 Ventura Blvd Tarzana, CA 91356 (818) 881-6704

No offense, but the 818 sucks. I only go there because I get paid to. But this place officially subtracted one de-merit from the stinky steaming stew of porn shops and smog that is otherwise known as the valley. The servers here are grunge-chic (but in an attentive-to-personal-hygiene way), and way cooler than the pit crew themed Hollywood skank staff at Swingers - bunch of snooty wanna-be actor/model rejects...CiCi's is to pancakes what the Factory is to Cheesecake. I can't rave over them (yet) because I had the chicken breast spinach salad. This was the first time I didn't get stuck with an entire field of spinach after running out of succulent grilled chicken and tastey sweet walnuts. Busy place. Sit at the counter. Period. No, exclamation point...

Ramen - It's not just for college anymore

2008-06-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Hitomi and I went to Asa Ramen, a new ramen shop in Gardena. Yes Gardena. It may come as a surprise to some, but Gardena, California is home to many of the best ramen shops in the whole U.S.A. - So when you open a ramen shop in Gardena you gotta have something to back it up. In that climate Asa Ramen may not last long. It's the kind of ramen shop that would do OK somewhere else - like Studio City or Rancho Cucamonga - but competing with Hakata Ramen on Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena Ramen on 182nd Street, I don't know how they'll survive.

So started to think about ramen in general. Ramen soup is like white bread. It's one of the simplest foods imaginable, but the divide that separates a baguette at La Brea bakery (albiet overrated) and Wonderbread (also overrated) is more vast than the Grand Canyon. So if we can agree that Top Ramen is Wonderbread, here are a few shops serving Ramen on the other side of the divide. this is not intended to be a definitive list of Ramen, but merely a list of places where a good bowl of ramen is almost a guarantee. Anyway at least they're my favorites by region. Let me know if you disagree.

Gardena
Hakata Ramen - There's not much of variety here, but the ramen is al dente, and the soup is rich simmered pork broth - like the real Hakata Ramen in Japan. The sliced pork (cha shu) is tender and melts in your mouth. The people here are a bit loud so when they yell something at you in Japanese just smile and nod. No doubt it's a term of endearment that they are yelling across the restaurant... go and you'll see what I mean.

Torrance
Shisen Ramen - Here's a hole in the wall - basically a counter usually overpopulated with Japanese salarymen on their way to inebriation. And if that doesn't make you hungry, I don't know what will. But, if you can stand the ambiance, the ramen is worth it.

Little Tokyo
Kouraku - the original ramen restaurant. It's like the Little Joe's of Italian Food. (except Little Joe's is no longer with us...) Plenty of choices here. This is not really particularly great ramen but it's always good and consistent. The variety keeps us coming back... and the fact that they're open till 2am. Ramen tastes best after midnight, after all.

West LA
Ramen ya - The bowls are giant, it's tough to get a seat, there's no parking, and they close on Wednesdays. What could be better? the truth is I order tan tan men here every time I go - without fail. They have the same variety as Kouraku, but the Tan Tan Men rocks.

Orange County
Who knows? I guess Daikokuya in the Marukai Market food court in Costa Mesa. there's a Daikokuya in Little Tokyo too, but we almost always end up at Kouraku.

Ok, I know, enough about noodles. One more thing, if you eat in any of these places once it should completely cure any desire to stop by Noodle Planet - forever.

Oh by the way for Jyl, Tom, Nancy and Johan, Of course there's no ramen in Long Beach, but Chen's has "Three Flavor Noodle Soup." It's not on the dinner menu, but if you order it they'll bring it anyway and charge you like a dollar extra. Hooray for Chen's! (Bruce and Gail: Chen's is Connie's sister's restaurant)

Wilshire - on Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica

2008-06-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Peter and Natasha invited us to have dinner with them at a restaurant they have frequented before and enjoyed called Wilshire. We were looking forward to this because we had heard such good things from them, and trusted their judgment as we have dined together on many an occasion.

It was Saturday evening, and we had a reservation for 7:15. First good sign! None of this "Would you like to come in at 5:30 or 9:30?" We walked in and I had a good first impression. A dark room with pleasant comfortable artwork and fixtures greeted us, and our table was a small booth tucked in the corner of a cozy room. The patio looked inviting also, with its more well-lit tables - perhaps next time we will check out the outdoor seating. For for this evening, we were happy with our booth.

Peter had brought a bottle of 2003 Sattler Zweigelt from Austria, and they had called ahead to determine their corkage policy, which was very fair: $25 a bottle, but this is waived if you purchase a bottle from their list. Our plan was to order a bottle of white, which we did.

The server changed our glasses to red wine glasses upon seeing our bottle. She gave us a list to choose our white from. All the service henceforth was very good, which was impressive for a busy Saturday evening in L.A.

My husband Johan choose for his dinner a steak tartare for the appetizer and a duck breast for the main. I choose the mussels cooked in a curry sauce broth for the appetizer and a short ribs with yukon gold potatoes for the main. Peter got a hamachi (yellowtail) appetizer and a nice salad for the main, while Natasha choose the miso marinated black cod. Everyone was very pleased with their meal! The food was spot on and I was impressed.

I would return to this lovely institution in a heartbeat. It is often I am a bit disappointed in restaurants in L.A. but not last evening! The service was friendly and gracious, the food was all that I hoped for (plump mussels, tender short ribs), the menu interesting, and the room comfy. Not too formal, but special enough, this is a pleasant place I would recommend to anyone contemplating dining in the Santa Monica area.

Creme de la Crepe - Hermosa Beach

2008-06-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hermosa Beach might be the most bland tasting region of the whole South Bay, so when I first heard of this French cafe on Hermosa's Pier Avenue, I was already convinced that it was terrible. How could it not be? But oddly enough, Hitomi stumbled on a buzz about the place in the local Japanese language paper - and who should know French food better than the ... Japanese? So we decided to give it a try. We went for brunch first. The place was packed, but we squeezed in on the sidewalk and ordered French press coffee and sweet crepes. Inside the place was pretty charming - simple and provincale looking - yellow walls, paintings of rural scenes and French flags. All the wait staff had strong French accents, so how could it be that bad? It wasn't bad. It was really good. Excellent crepes - fluffy and light - and the ingredients really tasted fresh and hand-picked. the coffee was clearly gound on the premises and tasted really French. Yeah, it was really good.

But we weren't convinced yet, so finally, last night, we returned to "La Creme" for dinner. Once again the wait staff all had French accents. So far so good. The dinner menu is French but not haute-cuisine. It features beef bourguignon, dijon chicken, chicken provencale, and the like - along with quiches and a number of savory crepes. All old school, Julia Child style French. They also feature fondue! (mmm fondue) I had Beef Bourguignon, on the recommendation of the waitress, and Hitomi had the Crepe Nordique. She asked about the tomatoes, because we are in the middle of the salmonella tomato scare, but the waitress said "Our tomatoes do not have salmonella." How could we not believe her?

The truth is the food was simple, but really good. The ingredients were exceptionally fresh and flavorful, the sauces were nice - even the salad dressing, and the noodles were homemade. The ratatouille was chock full of bay leaves and was nicely herbed. (Can I say that?) They comped us a plate of 6 escargot, which were prepared in olive oil and herbs and pretty tasty, as escargot go.

Finally, against my better judgement, I ordered the dessert crepe, "The Zindane". It's a nutella crepe with strawberries, bananas and ice cream. It was unbelievable. the crepe was light and fluffy, (in contrast to those delightful crispy crepes available at the Farmer's Market!) the whip cream was home whipped, and the nutella was... nutella.

The most amazing thing about "La Creme" are the prices ... Nothing on the menu is over $20, and most selections are under $15. The "Zidane " was $6.95 - 2 dollars cheaper than that "French Crepe" in the Farmer's Market. By the way, I asked the waitress about the "Salmon en Croute", and she seemed pretty luke-warm about it. You may want to stay away from the Salmon...

Suzy, you're the closest thing to French in our group. Check out this place and let us know what you think!

Creme De La Crepe
424 Pier Avenue
Hermosa Beach