Mr. Gohan

Hey there stranger (The Bazaar, Beverly Hills)

2010-11-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hey there stranger. It's been a long long time since I've seen you here on the web posting your food outings. So much has changed.... The Lakers are back to back champions and my little "Baby Gohan" is now a toddler. Wow! Having a toddler sure has changed this rice eating machine's life. It's not like I haven't had the time to go out and eat, it's just that certain things are more important to me. What? More important than eating good food.....Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but being a father is more important than food blogging Man I must be getting soft. LOL.

Mr and Mrs Gohan don't like to abuse/over use our babysitters, so we like to spread out our fine dining outings. But when Dine LA's Restaurant Week starts, we go for the gusto. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the other places I visited this year, but I did remember to bring my camera to The Bazaar by Jose Andres. Good thing too. I've been wanting to come here for quite some time now. And this was the perfect opportunity.

LN₂ Caipirinha

Made tableside with Brazilian Cachaça, fresh lime and sugar with a twist by adding liquid nitrogen to give it that unique texture. I couldn't resist myself by ordering this unique cocktail even if it cost me $20. It did not disappoint!

Olives: Traditional & Modern

I'll be the first to admit that I am not an olive fan, but the Mrs. absolutely loves them. But those who know me, know that I tend to let my inhibitions go and try dishes that I usually don't like at fine dining establishments. And this was no exception. I had to give it the good old college try. I was pleasantly surprised by the texture and flavor of the modern "olive". It had a unique texture and a burst of intense olive flavor. I'm glad I tried it.

Jamón Serrano Fermin

The dry cured ham served with the Catalan style toasted bread with tomatoes was absolutely delicious. My good friend was dead set on ordering a Jamón dish after seeing an episode of Anthony Bourdain. LOL. I think what really made this dish was the toasted bread with the tomatoes. Yummy!

Cotton Candy Foie Gras

That's right you read it right and you are seeing what you are seeing. Yes....cotton candy foie gras. Another intriguing dish that I couldn't resist. Although I love foie gras, I usually don't like it prepared like a terrine, but this was the exception. The sweetness of the cotton candy and the slight crunch of the crystals of the sugar married well with the saltiness and silkiness of the foie gras. Pure decadence.

Tortilla de Patatas

Oh me oh my. Now this little dish made a HUGE impression on me. Beautifully presented in a egg shell was potato foam, egg 63 (egg cooked sous vide at 63°C), and caramelized onions. The flavors were outstanding. I think we could've eaten a dozen of these.

Embutidos Platter

This was a platter of Chorizo, Lomo (typically pork tenderloin), and Salchichon (a type of Spanish sausage). In my opinion, this platter was good but I'm not enough of a connoisseur of cured meats to truly appreciate this dish. Nothing really popped. Everything was kind of one note to me.

"Philly Cheesesteak" & "Hilly Cheesesteak"

Apparently these are one of the more popular dishes at The Bazaar. The "Philly Cheesesteak" is made with an air bread which had the cheese embeded on the inside and topped with wagyu beef. These were nice and light and full of flavor. I could've eaten more of these for sure. The "Hilly Cheesesteak" was basically the same except the wagyu beef was substituted with mushrooms. I could see why these are one of the more popular dishes.

Boneless Chicken Wings

I love chicken wings and this version did not disappoint. They were seasoned very well and heck, they were boneless.....less work for this lazy person. LOL

Organized Caesar

This was like a bite sized deconstructed Caesar Salad made with quail eggs and Parmesan cheese. If there's one thing that Mrs Gohan loves to eat, it's Caesar Salads. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm pretty much anti green. I'm pretty much a carnivore. LOL. But Like I said before, when it comes to certain restaurants, I step out of my comfort zone and go for it. I was pleasantly surprised!

Papas Canarias

Salted wrinkled potato with mojo verde. Sounded good but I think this one was a miss. It was just way too salty for my taste. I ended up having to rub most of the salt off before I ate it. I know in the description it said salty but this was just ridiculous.

"The Ultimate Spanish tapa"

Those were not my words! With the name ultimate Spanish tapa, one would think this dish would've been out of this world considering how good everything else was that night. It had a lot to live up to, but in my opinion this was the ultimate Spanish tapa fail! This was my least favorite dish of the night by far.

Sea Scallops

This dish not only sounded good, looked good, smelled good, but it tasted good too! The scallops were perfectly cooked and basically melted in your mouth. The Romesco sauce was very tasty and accentuated the scallops even more. Bravo!

Croquetas de pollo

Another excellent dish. Can't go wrong with fried food! These chicken and bechamel fritters were nice and crispy on the outside and tasty on the inside. They were not overly oily either. One of the better dishes of the night.

Catalan spinach

This spinach dish was prepared with apples, pine nuts, and raisins. Spinach happens to be one of the few vegetables that I actually enjoy, but to be honest I was a little skeptical with the combination of the other ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised and thought that the pine nuts were actually what made this dish.

Beef hangar steak

Ahhh....beef! Another one of my favorites of the night. The meat was perfectly cooked to a medium rare and the piquillo pepper confit was full of flavor. My only complaint was that the choice of beef....hangar steaks tend to be a little on the tougher side, although the taste was outstanding.

Sauteed Shrimp

The sauteed shrimp with garlic and guindilla peppers was another excellent dish. It was well balanced and tasty for sure. I thought that this dish was going to be more garlicky than it actually was. In fact this dish was quite delicate and the shrimp really shined.

Wild mushroom rice

The wild mushroom rice was creamy and full of flavor. The idiazabal cheese which is a type of sheep's milk added a little sharpness and complimented the earthiness flavors of the mushroom My friend who usually doesn't like mushrooms was enjoying this dish quite a bit. That's saying a lot.....to make something that a person usually doesn't like and to transform it in to something that you really like speaks volumes.

Down to earth

This cocktail was made from mezcal del maguey, cynar, fresh lime and orange on an agave truffle bed. However you want to describe it....there's no question that this cocktail packs a mean punch. No wonder it's called down to earth. The strong taste of alcohol you'll be down on the ground. Here's my friend trying to plug her nose to finish the drink. Hahaha! Too funny!

Traditional Spanish Flan

I'm not the biggest flan, but this was pretty good. It wasn't overly sweet like many flans and I found it to be very creamy. All in all, it was a very good flan

Creamy chocolate heart

I was a bit disappointed with this dessert. I love chocolate desserts, but I found this one a bit dry and the cardamon was a bit over powering for my taste. I have to say that the desserts were the weakest part of dinner, which is a bit saddening. There's nothing like ending a good dinner with a good dessert. Oh well.

Great friends and great food. What a combination! I know I've stated this before, but what is good food without good company? Food is meant to be shared and it's more than just satisfying your stomach. Dining out should be an entire experience beyond your pallet. With that being said......The Bazaar did not disappoint. Or in the words of my good friend "Bravo Jose Bravo." LOL

The Bazaar by Jose Andres
465 South La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310-247-0400

The end of fine dining train (Wolfgang's Steak House, Beverly Hills)

2009-12-02T15:10:00.000-08:00

Sadly, this was the end of our fining dining train. It was steam rolling pretty good for 2 months. It all started at Comme Ca, then to Chaya Downtown, Craft Los Angeles, Spago Beverly Hills, and finally Wolfgang's Steakhouse. No....not that Wolfgang. This place is Wolfgang Zweiner's Steakhouse. I don't think we'll be hopping on a train like this again :( Unless, I win the Lottery. The first time we did something like this, was our food trip to New York. That trip started the birth of Mr. Gohan :) We were eating at all these 'fancy' restaurants that constructed beautifully put together dishes, but I was in the mood for a straight forward steakhouse. And that's what I got, good meat. All though this was the end, I guess all good things must come to an end.

I've been wanting to come here for a couple of years. Ever since I read someone's post on Chowhound. After reading more about this place I was very intrigued. Wolfgang Zweiner used to be the head waiter at the famed Peter Luger in Brooklyn. Having been to Peter Luger in New York, I was interested to see if Wolfgang's Steakhouse shared any resemblance. And I have to say, conceptually it seemed to be very similar except for the decor. Wolfgang's Steakhouse was much more modern and "Beverly Hillsish" :)

On this particular evening, me and the Mrs were dining with some friends who also share a passion for eating. We came during Dine LA and ate a 3 course meal for $44. When else can you eat Prime Grade steaks for so cheap. We were seated in the 'wine room', which I enjoyed very much. It seemed like we had our own private room. Although I walked away from this dinner enjoying the company of some friends and having my stomach full with very good steak, the night didn't get off to a good start. For one I forgot my camera again! I had to use my phone. Secondly, we all agreed that our waiter was terrible. His attention to detail and our needs were absent at best. Having been to many restaurants, one thing that brings down the impression of restaurants are the patron's impression of the wait staff. Having said that, I still enjoyed our night out. The food and company outweighed that terrible waiter.

2005 Sequoia Grove

When I eat a good steak I also enjoy some vino and preferably some gohan (rice). LOL. I'm no connoisseur of fine wine, that would be my brother, but I know when I enjoy a wine. And this particular Cab was very good and very reasonably priced considering.

Tuna Tartare

For those who know me, know that I'm not much of seafood person. Although, as I am getting older I am beginning to like it more and more. So my experience with tuna tartare is very limited and I don't have much to go against. In my opinion, Wolfgang's version was decent. Nothing earth shattering about it.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

I have never had or remembered of hearing of Manhattan Clam Chowder. Whenever I think or hear of clam chowder, I think of New England Clam Chowder. I guess I need to get out more often :) So when it came out I was a bit shocked to see that it was red! My impressions were that it tasted very similar to a vegetable soup. Again, nothing earth shattering about it.....it was just good.

Sizzling Bacon

This was a familiar sight. The sizzling bacon reminded me of Peter Luger's. How can you go wrong with bacon? It was very tasty and juicy. The only downside besides it making me more fat is the cost :) LOL.

New York Steak

I know, I know...the picture sucks! Blame it on the camera not the photographer. Similar to Peter Luger's, the steak comes out piping hot and is sliced at the table. Unfortunately, we didn't try their Porterhouse Steak to make a true comparison to Peter Luger's. One thing they do have in common for sure is that the steak was very good! My only knock on my steak, was that it was a bit under seasoned. Other than that it was great! The flavor of the meat was outstanding.

My Plate

Here's a picture of my plate. Pictured is some New York Steak, Creamed Spinach, Mashed Potatoes, and German Potatoes. Everything was very good! Both the Creamed Spinach and Mashed Potatoes were very creamy and delicious. My favorite side was the German Potatoes. They were very delicious and also reminded me of Peter Luger. Everything we had that night was all in all good, with the exception of the steak. Which I felt was outstanding!

Apple Strudel

Although I only took a small bite, my impressions and my memory of this dessert was that it was pretty straight forward and good. Before coming here, I looked at the menu and saw that all the desserts came with a fresh schlag. I was thinking to myself, 'what the hell is a schlag'? It turned out to be their fresh whipped cream. What ever you call it, it was good :)

Chocolate Mousse Cake

This is another example of my recent 'falling out' with chocolate desserts. Usually my favorite desserts always tend to be chocolate but this was not my favorite of the night. hmm....something is going on. Anyways, this was very rich and went nicely with my cup of joe :) All in all, I enjoyed it a lot. It just was not my favorite.

Cheesecake

I felt that the cheese cake was the best dessert of the night. It was very creamy and wasn't overly sweet. Again this was a straight forward interpretation of a dessert. Nothing fancy about it. But then again that's what I enjoyed about that night. Everything was pretty straight forward and good.

Wolfgang's Steakhouse
445 North Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA. 90210
310-385-0640

Thanks Dine LA! (Spago, Beverly Hills)

2009-11-09T09:34:00.000-08:00

The fine dining train keeps on rolling! When can you get a three course meal for $44 at Spago? Got to love Dine LA! If it wasn't for L.A's restaurant week, I don't think we would have gone to Spago's. I guess we would have for a special occasion one day, but to go for no reason, it would have never happened. It was probably the best deal out of the 200+ participating restaurants.

Again. we made the earliest reservation time available because of "baby gohan". When we arrived they were still setting up tables :) That's how early our dinner reservations were. When we were seated at the outside dining area, we were a little skeptical because some leaves were falling from the trees onto our table, but as the night went on the breezes calmed down and the falling leaves were in the past. The night had turned out to be very pleasant. I have to say....the outside dining area is absolutely beautiful and romantic. We really enjoyed the atmosphere. We were a little concerned that Spago might be a little snooty, but to our delight that was not the case at all. It was the same experience at the Spago's in Maui. The staff was excellent and the restaurant was very inviting. All in all, we had a very enjoyable evening out. Thanks to Dine LA :)

Heirloom Tomato Soup

"Mrs. Gohan's" sister ordered this starter on the recommendation of our waiter. I'm not a tomato person at all, but I have to say that this had a very clean flavor and finish to it. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad someone ordered it so I could try some :) I enjoy trying different dishes, I just have a hard time ordering stuff I'm not accustomed to ordering for myself. That's where other people come in handy. lol

Crispy Monterey Bay Calamari

Yet, here is another example of me being happy that someone ordered this dish. This was "Mrs. Gohan's" appetizer. I would never order this for myself as I am not much of a seafood person, but I'm sure glad I ate some. This was the best appetizer that our table ordered for sure. It was delicious!

Maine Lobster & Spinach Ravioli

This was my order. The Maine Lobster & spinach ravioli. I have to say this was my least favorite of the appetizers. It sounded very good, but it didn't live up to my expectations. It wasn't very flavorful and I didn't get the taste of too much lobster :(

Sweet Corn Agnolotti

This was what they called a mid course. This was my favorite of the night! This was the supplemental dish that we ordered. And boy...was it worth it! The texture of the Agnolotti was just right. The sweetness of the corn was balanced perfectly with the saltiness of the Parmesan Reggiano and was tied together with the butter sauce. This was excellent!

Halibut

This was probably my least favorite entree of the night. I thought the halibut was a tad bit on the dry side and a little tough. The mushrooms and pancetta with the foam, however, were quite tasty and yummy.

Kurobuta Pork Chop

The Kurobuta Pork Chop with pear-ginger compote, stir fried green beans and confit pork, Chinese 10 spice and port-licorice reduction was quite delicious. The Kurobuta (Berkshire Pork) was perfectly cooked and seasoned.

Wood Oven Roasted Poussin

The Poussin (young chicken) was prepared with caramelized garlic and preserved lemons and served with fingerling potatoes. The skin of the Poussin was very crispy and the meat was very juicy and flavorful. It was one of the best prepared "chicken" dishes I've ever had!

Apple Upside Down Cake

I really enjoyed this dessert. I thought it was one of the best apple desserts I've tried. It was nice and flaky and the apples were not too tart or sweet. It was very delicious.

Chocolate Purse

The chocolate purse was comprised of a crepe filled with a chocolate ganache. The top portion of the crepe was crispy which added a nice contrast in texture with the smooth velvety ganache. This was very rich and decadent.....and oh yes, it was very good!

Berry Short Cake

Although I'm a chocolate lover, I think this was my favorite dessert of the night. Maybe I'm being biased since this was my order :) Although, I find myself enjoying the non chocolate desserts more often than not recently. hmmm.....maybe my palate is changing. Anyways, this dessert was very refreshing yet very satisfying. It even had golden raspberries, which were a treat. They were very good!

Spago Beverly Hills
176 North Canon Dr.
Beverly Hills, California 90210
310-385-0880

Happy 3rd Anniversary! (Craft Los Angeles, Los Angeles)

2009-11-02T10:36:00.000-08:00

Me and Mrs have been on a real roll recently. After "baby gohan" came along, the meaning of dining out to us was going to places like Carrows or IHOP :) But, recently we've been going out to eat at a lot of really nice restaurants. Luckily we had a gift certificate for Craft and what better time to use it and celebrate our 3rd Anniversary. I have to say, that might have been one of the cheapest fine dining experiences I've had in a long long time :) Needless to say, we both were very excited about going. We've wanted to eat here ever since Tom Colicchio opened his restaurant here in Los Angeles, but it almost didn't happen. "Mrs. Gohan" was sick the whole week, but luckily she recovered in the nick of time.

As we approached the restaurant, the appearance from the outside really didn't have that much appeal or character. As soon as we entered, we knew it was a different story. I was pleasantly surprised by the decor and atmosphere of Craft. The colors were warm and inviting but yet had a real contemporary feel. The shape of the dining area was very unique as well. Well, enough of that......On with the food :)

Shishito Peppers

These were some of the biggest shishito peppers I have ever seen! These were nicely seasoned and sauteed. Nothing too special about them. Pretty straight forward

Potato Gratin

The potato gratin was the second side dish we ordered. Too bad they didn't have gohan (rice). LOL. Again the potatoes were nothing mind blowing, but I have to say it was very creamy and good!

Kobe Sirloin

I just had expressed to the Mrs. that online menus have in some capacity diminished the surprise element of going to new restaurants. But at the same time, it does come in handy as well :) Having said that, when we made reservations, we had our minds made up to order the ribeye for the table. After arriving, we were informed that a special item was on the menu. The Kobe Sirloin steak for the table. We jumped at the opportunity. Although it was very tasty and PERFECTLY cooked, I think we should've stuck to our original plans since our favorite cut of meat is the ribeye. But having said that, it was very good. What would have made it better? Rice of course!

Grapefruit Gelee with Prickly Pear

I was not used to having complimentary desserts from the pastry chef. In fact we got two desserts compliments of the house. I only took a picture of this one though. This was a grapefruit gelee with prickly pear. It was very delicious and refreshing.

Chocolate Souffle

I am the biggest fan of chocolate souffles! I basically grew up eating chocolate souffles and that has not changed one bit. Craft's souffle was very light and scrumptious. On a scale from 1-10, I'd probably give it a 7. Nothing beats the one at Moustache Cafe! Sadly it's no longer around :(

Craft Los Angeles
10100 Constellation Blvd
Los Angeles, CA. 90067
310-279-4180

Birthday Celebration Part 2 (Chaya Downtown, Los Angeles)

2009-10-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

We've always been a fan of the Chaya restaurants. So when we heard that they were opening up in Downtown we were very excited that Chaya was going to be closer to home. To celebrate "Mrs. Gohan's" birthday, I decided to take her to Chaya Downtown. We went from not going out to eat often, to eating at two nice restaurants in 3 nights :) A couple of days prior we went to Comme Ca with "Mrs. Gohan's" sister and brother in law to celebrate her birthday. So in essence, this was birthday celebration part 2. This time it was just me and the Mrs. We really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was a nice mix of clean contemporary lines with traditional Japanese decor. While most of the clientele that evening were the business crowd enjoying happy hour and delaying their time to get home, we were the opposite.... I made reservations early so that we could get home in time to put "baby gohan" to sleep :)

Pork and Duck Rillette with Toasted Baguette

I've never tasted nor have I even heard of a Rillette before this occasion. Frankly, I think I would've been quite happy if it remained that way. Maybe that's being a little harsh. The flavors were not bad, I just thought it was extremely chewy and I didn't like the texture. Although, the sweetness of the figs balanced very nicely with the saltiness of the Rillette.

Miso Marinated White Sea Bass

This dish is absolutely delicious! The miso marinated white sea bass is delicately flavored to let the delicate flavor of the fish shine. The miso doesn't over power the moist fish. The wasabi soy broth adds a nice bite to the dish without being overpowering as well. I really enjoyed the nasubi (Japanese Eggplants) as well. This was a very well though out harmonious dish. Oh, Oh.....I can't forget. This dish had gohan (rice) too! Got to love that :)

Grilled Kobe New York Steak & Braised Kobe Short Rib

People who know me, know that I love my beef. And two of my favorites are steak and short ribs. I couldn't have been happier....oh wait, If there was only a bowl of gohan (rice) with the dish :) Although my steak was a tad over cooked, both of these were very flavorful, delicious, and succulent.

Warm Milk Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

Oh My Freaking God!!!!!!!!!! This was kick ass! This was soo good! Usually, I'm such a chocolate dessert person that nothing can compare to chocolate desserts. Wait a minute... this does have a little chocolate in it :) But the breading pudding portion was incredible! The croissant adds a real lightness and butteriness to the pudding. I think I just made up a word....butteriness :) I love it, I love it, I love it!!!

Fallen Chocolate Cake

How can you go wrong with a chocolate fallen cake? On any other occasion this would have been a stand out dessert, but I just couldn't get over the bread pudding. A funny thing about this night was that "Mrs. Gohan" got carded that night :) It was a nice touch that the waiter remembered that it was "Mrs. Gohan's" birthday.

Happy Birthday "Mrs. Gohan"!!!

Chaya Downtown
525 Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA. 90071
213-236-9577

It's been a long time (Comme Ca, West Hollywood)

2009-10-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been so long since we've gone out to eat at a decent restaurant. We almost didn't know what to do or how to act :) In all seriousness, it truly was a treat to get away for an evening and to leave behind our parental responsibilities for at least a couple of hours. "Mrs. Gohan's" sister and brother in law took us out to dinner to celebrate "Mrs. Gohan's" birthday. After a brief deliberation on which restaurant to go to, we decided to make a reservation at Comme Ca in West Hollywood. Since we're still relatively new to this parent hood thing and it's our first child, we still cater our outings around our daughter. We made dinner reservations as earliest as possible so that we wouldn't get home too late. I'm sure if we have another baby in the future we would jump at the chance to stay out late and leave the baby behind :)

Blooming Daisy

"Mrs. Gohan" started the evening off with a Blooming Daisy Cocktail. I wasn't feeling particularly well that evening so I didn't order any drinks, but I tasted hers and it was DANGEROUS :) It resembled a shaved ice dessert. It was very good!

Salmon Tartare

To be honest...I don't remember much of this dish. Not to say that it was not good nor memorable, it's just that I only had a small bite. I'm not much of a fish person. But I do remember that I enjoyed the flavor profiles.

Roasted Beef Marrow & Oxtail Jam

Now this appetizer I remember vividly :) This was just indulgent and rich! I just love marrow in all of it's glory. It's soo tasty and yummy.....oh yeah and probably bad for me :) When combined with the oxtail jam, toast, and fleur de sel, this appetizer was a slam dunk for me. I'd order this again and again.

Steak Frites

A typical a menu item at "French" restaurant. Steak and French fries. This was "Mrs. Gohan's" entree. I took a few bites and was not overly impressed. It definitely was not bad, but it definitely can not compare to other top restaurant's steaks.

Beef Stroganoff

This was the dish I ordered. Sorry for the crappy picture! It was really dark and plus I forgot my camera again. I enjoyed the flavors of my dish and particularly the texture of the egg noodles. I nearly licked my plate clean :)

Crispy Skate Grenobloise

My only prior experience with skate is eating it in Japanese cuisine. Particularly, eating it sliced thin and broiled. Although I always enjoyed the flavor, I really never cared for the texture. My experience has always shown me that skate tends to be a little tough and chewy. This was on the contrary. This dish was both crispy and moist. I enjoyed it very much. Thanks sister in law for letting me take a bite. It changed my perception forever.

Although we did order several desserts, it was soo dark in the restaurant and without a proper camera, I did not even attempt to capture the images. We ordered a rice pudding, creme brulee, and pot du creme. They were all very delicious and a good way to end the night. I enjoyed our dinner very much!

Comme Ca
8479 Melrose Ave
West Hollywood, CA. 90069
323-782-1104

What a name! (Silver & Gold Amazing, Monterey Park)

2009-06-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

One day someone showed me an article in the LA Times about a restaurant in Monterey Park which grabbed my attention. Naturally my eyes and ears perk up when anything is written about Monterey Park because I was born and raised here. Not too many people can say they were actually born in the city of Monterey Park. Anyways, back to the food. The LA Times article went on to describe this tiny restaurant which turned out excellent noodle dishes, although their name is something left to be desired. WTF is the meaning of Silver & Gold Amazing. There has to be something lost in translation on this one. One thing that wasn't lost in translation are their tasty dishes. Now that me and Mrs. Gohan have a Baby Gohan, we don't get the chance to go out to eat. The only exceptions are places that are relatively close to home and quick. Silver & Gold Amazing is both. The first time we walked in we were pleasantly surprised. We were expecting a hole in the wall, but what we found was a very clean and bright little restaurant which has become of my favorite local places.

Minced Beef Fried Rice

The minced beef fried rice was one of the dishes that was mentioned in the article in the food section of the Times, so we had to give it a try. I don't think that the minced beef was what made this dish good. You could have substituted it with anything and it would have been just as good. Although this was very delicious, I wouldn't say it's my favorite fried rice.

Chow Mein with Shredded Pork & Bean Sprouts

This now has become my favorite chow mein ever! The noodles are super crispy and very tasty. The gravy on top of the chow mein is the icing on the cake. Did I just do that?

I know I've said this before about Chinese restaurants and other type of foods that are better served family style, but it's always better to go in a big group. Otherwise you have to make repeat trips to try everything you want. On this occasion, it was just me, Mrs. Gohan & Baby Gohan. Well, Baby Gohan doesn't really count because she can't eat yet. So we only had room for these two dishes. Although we only got to try these two, it left a very big impression on us. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera and had to make due with my phone.

Silver & Gold Amazing
728 S. Atlantic Blvd #108
Monterey Park, CA. 91754
626-282-8108

Sure beats hospital food (El Taquito Taco Truck, Pasadena)

2009-06-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've heard about this place for years, but I never had the time to go or it never crossed my mind to go. It took me the birth of my daughter to finally go and eat here. "Baby Gohan" was born at the Huntington Hospital in Pasadena which was about a block away from El Taquito's taco truck. After the long and excitement filled day of "Baby Gohan's" birth, the whole family was hungry for some good food. Unfortunately, "Mrs. Gohan" didn't get to eat any. She had C-Section and was only limited to a liquid diet :( So on that note, the whole family picked up and went to go eat some tacos leaving behind baby and mamma. Sorry "Mrs. Gohan" :) Some of us walked while others drove, but we all met up there the night that"Baby Gohan" was born and grubbed down. The tacos were absolutely delicious. It sure beat the cafeteria food at the hospital.

My plate of tacos

This was my plate of different tacos that I ordered. I got the carne asada, carnitas, al pastor, and not pictured was the chicharron ( I ordered seconds :) I have to say that my favorite was probably the carne asada. They were oh so delicious!

El Taquito Taco Truck
510 S. Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105
626-577-3918

Exciting lunch (Saladang, Pasadena)

2009-05-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

Many moons ago, Chan Dara was one of the few popular Thai restaurants that people used to frequent. But unfortunately for people who lived on the East Side, it was not very convenient. Not until the mid to late 90's when Saladang in Pasadena opened, did us East Side people have something to get excited about. In my opinion, Saladang has gone down hill. Perhaps my opinion is a little harsh. Perhaps it might be that many other Thai restaurants have since gone on to show case Thai food. Back in the day, people's palate towards Thai food was relatively in the infant stage and therefore everybody thought places like this were the greatest ever. So I must rescind my previous statement that Saladang has gone down hill. Actually their food is still very good. Damn, I'm flip flopping like a fish on land right now :) But in all honesty, I can't say that their food is bad. I still like this place, but the only thing is that I compare it to a place like Lotus of Siam in Vegas. And really, that's not a fair thing to do.

Singha Beer

This beer was refreshing! I've really grown to like the different Asian beers. To me, they are similar to Mexican beers. Really refreshing on warm sunny days. Ahhhh!

Garlic/Black Pepper Chicken

This dish is consistently delicious. Although it says Garlic Chicken, in my opinion it is not overly garlicky. Maybe, that's because my taste buds are permanently nuked from eating so much garlic. I love garlic!

Pad See Ew

This dish was a little disappointing. Usually the noodle dishes here at Saladang are pretty good, but on this occasion it was not. The beef in this dish was tough as nails too. I was surprisingly disappointed :( But I'll forgive them this time.

Chocolate Ice Cream

The complimentary ice cream was a real nice treat. I just wish they gave me a bigger scoop :)

When dining at places like Chinese or Thai restaurants, it's best to go with a lot of friends and family that way you can order a myriad of dishes. Variety is the spice of life. But on this particular occasion, it was just me and "Mrs. Gohan". We were in the neighborhood seeing the doctor. This was before "Baby Gohan" was born. So we decided to stop in and enjoy some lunch and to talk about the excitement of having a baby.

Saladang
363 S Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105
626-793-8123

Everyone's Favorite Gyoza (Mom's house, Monterey Park)

2009-05-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

There are somethings in life that brings such joy to people and sometimes it is a particular food. Such is a gift that is my mom's gyoza (Japanese dumpling). Anyone who has had the privilege of tasting her gyoza will tell you that it is absolutely fantastic. Everybody craves her gyoza and can barely wait until she makes it again. It's like a food orgy in your mouth. "Momma Gohan's" gyoza are delicious and perfect. So perfect, that I find it very difficult to order gyoza from any restaurant or eat anyone else's home made gyoza. They pale in comparison to my mother's. Some may say that my opinion of her gyoza is a bit over exaggerated or biased, I say you're crazy. They are that good! We always joke, that one of us better learn to make her gyoza before she passes away and takes her secrets with her. Sadly that was the case with my father's sukiyaki. Since he passed away 7 years ago, no one can come close to replicating his sukiyaki :( You always hear a question posed when it comes to eating....What would be your last meal? I recently asked my wife to narrow down her list of a last meal. My mother's gyoza was a top of that short list. And I would have to say, most of my family would agree!

Uncooked Gyoza

Gyoza

Unfortunately the picture I took of my mom's gyoza doesn't do it any justice. Believe me, it is to die for. When they are cooked right, they are crispy on one side, but yet nice and moist. After each batch is made, my whole family begins to eye them before they even hit the table, so that they can lay claim to the one they want. It didn't take long for "Mrs. Gohan" to get in the act too :) Before long, her hashis (chopsticks) were moving pretty quickly too. Sometimes even my nephew and niece eat any where from 15-20 pieces.

Mom's House
Address: Top Secret :)
Monterey Park, CA.

Delicious Katsudon! (Ducks Restaurant, San Gabriel)

2009-05-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Rewind about ten years or so.... my mother's friend told us about a new restaurant that serves really good katsudon (Japanese rice bowl dish with pork cutlet). Having just returned from a short stint of living in Japan, I was in the mood for some authentic katsudon. But since that time, a decade had past since I returned to eat at Ducks . Not that I was disappointed from my previous experience, on the contrary, it was more out of convenience. Ducks was a little out of the way and soon became....out of sight out of mind. But I'm glad that it's back in my life again!

Katsu Don

The breakdown for the terminology of Katsudon is actually two-fold. The first portion (katsu) comes from tonkatsu (Japanese for pork cutlet), the second half (don) comes from the word donburi (Japanese for rice bowl). So actually this would be a pork cutlet rice bowl with egg and sauce drizzled over a big bowl of rice. What ever you want to call it...it's just plain and simply good! I would have to say that Duck's katsudon is probably one of the best that I've tasted here in the states, although I have not tried many here. It's not that often that you see katsudon on menus.

Udon & Tempura Set

Because Mrs. Gohan doesn't like eggs and therefore doesn't order the katsudon, this is what she usually orders. She orders the Udon & Tempura Set. Since I'm not the biggest fan of Udon, I really shouldn't judge the quality or taste. But for what it's worth....I thought it was pretty decent and the Tempura is pretty good as well, although this combination set is a little bit on the pricey side.

Corn Soup

In my opinion this corn soup is one of the worst corn soups I've ever tasted. If this was the only dish that I had to base my opinion on about Ducks, I would never ever return or recommend them to anyone. But luckily for them everything else that they serve is pretty good. The corn soup seemed like it was warmed up milk with a little corn inside. Absolutely terrible in my opinion. Definitely not like Curry House's corn soup.

Katsu Curry

I've always know that Duck's tonkatsu was delicious, but I never tried their curry before. And on a recommendation from a friend I decided to forgo my usual and try Duck's Katsu Curry. Katsu Curry is one of my all time favorite dishes so I was pretty eager to try it. After having tried it I was not as impressed as I had anticipated. Although the flavors were all good, I think I'll still stick to my usual dish....katsudon

Ducks Restaurant
1381 E. Las Tunas Drive #1
San Gabriel, CA. 91776
626-287-8743

What a great import! (Beard Papa's, Little Tokyo)

2009-04-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

In Japan Shu-Cream (cream puffs) are really popular. It's almost like donuts here in America. I never really got into cream puffs, but years ago I remembered hearing about this place at the Gardena Marukai store where people would line up just for cream puffs and often times would sell out. The place was called Beard Papa's and it was a franchise store from Japan. Why would people line up just for cream puffs? But then again, when Krispy Kreme first opened it was a mad house as well. I figured it's probably the same thing, so it piqued my interest. Now you can find Beard Papa's everywhere. What a great import! From the moment I first ate a Beard Papa's cream puff I was hooked. Hook, Line, and Sinker. I'm glad that they've grown but I'm afraid that they are over saturating by growing too fast and that they will end up closing up shop. They just need to look at Krispy Kreme and learn from their mistakes. I do like that they created a new cream puff. The cookie crunch cream puff. I absolutely love it!

Eclair

The eclair is just like the original cream puff except that it covered in chocolate. Anything dipped in chocolate is good!

Strawberry Cookie Crunch Cream Puff

This was the first time I tried the cookie crunch with the strawberry filling. And I fell in love with the strawberry filling although I still think the original is better.

Vanilla Cookie Crunch Cream Puff

The original vanilla filling is still my favorite. If you look closely you can even see specks of vanilla bean in the picture :)

Beard Papa's
333 S. Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA. 90013
213-620-0710

Always a crowd (Shabu-Shabu House, Little Tokyo)

2009-04-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Many, many, many years ago I used to work in the heart of Little Tokyo and I always wondered why does everyone wait outside for so long to eat at Shabu-Shabu House? Like clock work, people would start gathering outside right around 5pm or so as I watched in amazement. I couldn't get over the fact that people would wait such a long time and pay money to eat shabu shabu (Japanese Hot Pot). Shabu Shabu was always a type of food that we would eat at home, never at a restaurant. Next thing you know shabu shabu style restaurants were all the rage. The first time I ate here was years after I had worked in Little Tokyo. Again it was my wife's family that got me hooked to this place. Soon after my first experience, I too, was one of the many who would endure standing in front of the restaurant like a bunch of salivating wolves ready to pounce.
The quality of the food is really good, but what makes this restaurant so good is their sauce. Their sauce is truly unlike any other shabu shabu restaurant sauce. Oh, and I can't forget....they don't charge for extra gohan (rice) :) You got to love that! And we always end our meal with an Iced Coffee, which by the way, used to be free :( But I won't hold that against them. I still love this place!

Shabu Shabu Set Up

In my opinion, what makes this place so special and worth the wait is the sauce. The sauce on the left is some sort of peanut/miso dipping sauce. Add a little minced garlic and this sauce defines deliciousness! The other dipping sauce is regular ponzu (Japanese citrus sauce). Nothing too special about it, but the peanut sauce is something else!

Beef

The quality of beef is really good at Shabu-Shabu House. In fact, the owner's wife actually attends the same church as my mom and for awhile we used to order big slabs of the ribeye from them. We then used to slice it ourselves and eat shabu shabu at home or cut it thicker and make steaks.

Shabu-Shabu House
127 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-680-3890

My third favorite (Hakata Ramen, Rosemead)

2009-04-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

You know, I would have to say that Shin Sen Gumi's Hakata Ramen in Rosemead is probably my third favorite ramen-ya (ramen shop). But due to its proximity to where I live, I frequent this ramen shop more than any other now. I used to go to Foo Foo Tei in Monterey Park, but since we moved I really haven't gone back there. And having eaten at Hakata Ramen, there really is no comparison to that location. Hakata Ramen truly serves a better ramen anyway.
There are times when you go to Hakata Ramen and you may encounter a line and other times you can go there and get a seat right away. I don't think there is any rhyme or reason. I think you just got to be lucky. But as far as the food goes, I really enjoy there ramen a lot. I love the fact that you are able to pick how your noodles are cooked (hard, medium, soft), how much oil in your soup base, and how strong of a flavoring you would like have your broth. Another thing I like about this Shin Sen Gumi compared to the Monterey Park location is that they are not as boisterous.

Gyoza

Although these gyoza (Japanese dumpling) are quite small, they pack a big punch of flavor. I have to say that Hakata Ramen's dumpling is quite delicious. Although nothing compares to my mom's home made gyoza!

Hakata Ramen

Hakata is actually a city in Japan in Fukuoka prefecture and it is renowned for ramen. And this ramen definitely does not disappoint! Like I stated before, I love that they allow you to pick how you like your ramen cooked! I always order my ramen noodles hard with strong oil and flavor.

Hakata Ramen
8450 E. Valley Blvd
Rosemead, CA. 91770
626-572-8646

SoCal's best Ramen! (Santouka, Torrance)

2009-04-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

After reading countless reviews of all the different ramen-ya (ramen restaurant/shops) around SoCal, one shop is always mentioned as one of the best. Santouka ramen is consistently rated as the top ramen shops, but unfortunately for me, Santouka is only located in the Mitsuwa Markets on the West Side, Torrance, and Costa Mesa. Living on the east side makes it difficult for me to justify driving all that way for ramen. Like I've stated in previous blogs, I'm not the biggest fan of ramen. The only ramen I actually really love is in Tenri Japan. But having said that, I think I might have found another favorite ramen-ya in Santouka.

The first time I actually tried their ramen was when I was coming home from watching my nephew play basketball at Venice High School. I had to pick up a few things at the market and I remembered that I passed a Mitsuwa on the way. So when I went into the market I had totally forgotten that there was a Santouka there. So needless to say I was ecstatic and anxious to try Santouka. What I ended up ordering was the Tokusen Toroniku Shio Ramen (Special Pork ). I was completely blown away. The texture and of the noodles and depth of flavor in the broth was just exquisite. Not to mention that pork. The pork is so tender and delicious it almost melts in your mouth. If you really want an in depth review, you should read Rameniac's blog. After having tried the ramen at Santouka I became a believer!

On this particular occasion, I found myself at the Torrance location. And again I was coming home from seeing my nephew's basketball game at South Torrance High. Wow, I should thank my nephew for having games in locations where it is close to some good food :) Personally, I felt that the location in Los Angeles was actually a little better than the Torrance one. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but regardless it was spectacular!

Toroniku

Here it is....the special pork. I like that Santouka serves the accompaniment on the side for you to put in by yourself. The pork is so tender that it probably would disintegrate if it was put in there for too long. Just thinking about this is making me crave some Santouka ramen.

Ramen

Here's the picture of the Tokusen Toroniku Shio Ramen. The noodles have a very nice texture to them unlike many typical ramen restaurants around. They have a nice bite to them and the soup is soooo good! In my opinion, its the best ramen in SoCal!

Santouka
21515 Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90501
310-212-1101

Old faithful (Curry House, Little Tokyo)

2009-03-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

I've been coming here ever since I was 8 years old when they first opened their doors in Little Tokyo back in 1983. I remember when they first opened on the second floor of Weller Court and then they moved up to the third floor and then back down to the second floor. That's how long I've been coming to Curry House in Little Tokyo. And every time I get the same great tasting curry. I remember when my family first came to eat here, we were all excited to see that a new restaurant specialized in curry. Although curry is originally from India, the Japanese have adopted this dish and tweaked it to appeal to the Japanese palate. Curry has truly become embedded in Japanese culture has become a type of comfort food to many Japanese.

Curry House is like Old Faithful. I can always count on having good consistent curry, fast service, and a relatively inexpensive meal. Curry House has been there since my childhood all the way up to my adulthood. And now I'm a father myself. Crazy! I'm getting old.
There is a funny story about Curry House. Years ago, me and my friends used to work in Little Tokyo. Man...those were some fun times, but anyways...It was one of our best friend's birthday so we all decided to go take him out for dinner after work, so we decided to go to Curry House because it was good and within walking distance. His birthday happens to fall in the month of June, which unbeknownst to us at that time, also coincided with Curry House's special Anniversary special. The Katsu-Curry was only a few dollars. So our friend was like "thanks guys for splurging on me". Laughing our asses off, we told him he could order as many as he liked :) I think we only chipped in a couple of dollars each. To this day he won't let us forget how cheap we were by taking him there for his birthday dinner. And because of that incident I will never forget that in the middle of June is when Curry House has their Anniversary special.

Corn Potage

Curry House's corn potage (from the French, meaning a thick soup) which is the fancy way of saying corn chowder is one of the best corn soups I've ever eaten. The corn potage is creamy, savory, and absolutely delicious.

Chicken Katsu Curry

Notice anything different here? That's right there's no salad on my order. For those who know me, know that I'm an anti-salad type of guy. I always opt for more gohan (rice) in lieu of the green stuff. Curry House's chicken katsu curry is consistently good and is what I ALWAYS order.

Curry House
123 S. Onizuka St. #204
Los Angeles, CA. 90012
213-620-0855

In Memoriam (Regent China Inn, Los Angeles)

2009-03-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

With a sad heart, I write this entry. Long before I met my wife, her and her family would always make it a point to eat with their "Granny" at her favorite restaurant in China Town.... Regent China Inn. And this tradition continued all the way until her passing about a year ago. At least once a month, my wife's parents would come pick us up and we would drive together to go pick up Granny at the Tokyo Towers in Little Tokyo. And we would always have to eat by six o'clock. She didn't like to eat late :) Like a well oiled machine...as soon as we got off the third/fourth street exit and crossed over the bridge, my wife would make the call to Granny on her cell phone and say "hello (in a broken English accent mimicking Granny) come down stairs" And as we would approach, she would be eagerly waiting outside for the car to drive up. I truly believe that her joy in life towards the end was seeing her grand kids. Her face would lighten up and you could see the pep in her step. It would have been her 93rd birthday just last week. It's just a shame that she was not here to see her other great grand daughter....baby gohan. She is sorely missed!

Spicy Salt Shrimp

I just love these shrimps. They always come out piping hot and perfectly seasoned. My wife and I would always tear the head off and give it to Granny. She would always end up with ton of shrimp heads to eat :)

Egg Foo Young

Not until recently did we start ordering this dish. My father in law started to have a craving for the egg foo young and I'm glad he did. I never really tried egg foo young until this time, but I'm a big fan now. I just love the onions and bean sprouts in the light airy egg batter smothered with a type of gravy. yummm!

Chicken Chow Fun w/ Black Bean Sauce

I am a sucker for carbs. Anytime I see a rice dish or a noodle dish, I am like white on rice. I am all over it. I really enjoy Regent's version of Chow Fun as it is slightly spicy. And besides, doesn't it seem like anything cooked with black bean sauce is delicious? But in all seriousness....Regent's version is really good!

Crispy Chicken

Who doesn't like crispy chicken? Especially when it comes out hot and crispy. Sprinkle a little bit of the salt and you are good to go. And after all the years of my wife's family requesting to get extra chips, the waiters don't even have to ask and always serve our chicken with extra crispy chips. You can barely make out that there is chicken underneath heaping amount of chips :)

On this particular occasion eating at Regent was our first dinner there without Granny. When she was alive, we would always order the lobster with black bean sauce. And once that dish came out, you would not hear a peep from Granny. She would have her head face down working hard on getting every morsel out from the lobster shells. She absolutely loved that dish! On a regular basis her appetite was average, but when it came time to eat at Regent she would almost eat as much as me. And trust me....I can eat a lot! You can bet, every time we go to Regent we'll be thinking of Granny. We'll miss you Granny!

Regent China Inn
739-747 N. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-680-3333

Small plates, big appetite! (Honda-Ya, Little Tokyo)

2009-03-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

I remember hearing about a place out in Orange County on ChowHound for quite some time and when I got wind that it was opening up here in Los Angeles I was pretty excited to give it try. Honda-Ya always got good reviews from everybody so naturally it piqued my interest, but unfortunately never got the chance to go until recently. For a while it seemed that Izakaya (Japanese Tapas) restaurants were all the rage. Everyone and their grandmas were opening up Izakaya restaurants. My only gripe with these style restaurants is that there is more pictures for me to take. Although I really enjoy photographing all my meals, sometimes it gets tiring. Occasionally, Mrs. Gohan has to remind me to take a picture. Once in awhile I get ahead of myself and I want to start eating before snapping....a photograph.

On this occasion, me, "Mrs. Gohan", and "Baby Gohan" joined a very good friend of ours to have a nice dinner. Knowing that it can get a bit crowded at times I was a bit worried when I called earlier in the day to procure a reservation. Sadly I was informed that they did not take reservations for small parties, but the person who answered the phone revealed something interesting to me. The person stated that for some reason that they did not have a single reservation for the entire evening, so it should not be any problems getting a table. Even with that knowledge I was still worried. I hate waiting with a passion! And when we arrived we were one of the few patrons in Honda-Ya. What could be wrong? Has the food quality gone bad? Or could it be the sign of the economic times where people are eating out less? Regardless I was both happy and skeptical. Happy that I finally got to try Honda-Ya and I didn't have to wait, but skeptical because the place was so empty.

Regardless of the reasons why it was so empty, the quality of food was quite nice! To be honest I still feel that Musha is better. The amount of choices that were available to us was mind blowing and a bit confusing. I wanted to try so much but only had limited amount of stomach room. Perhaps sometimes offering too much of wide variety compromises food quality. I would have to say though, not a single dish served was a bad dish. Every thing was at least average, although some dishes that sounded absolutely delicious underachieved. All in all, Honda-Ya was worth the try, but I don't feel that it lived up to the hype.

Age-Dashi Mochi

One of my all-time favorites is eating fried mochi (Japanese rice cake). So I was super stoked to see this variation on the menu, but unfortunately this dish failed. For one the dashi (Japanese broth) was just okay and the mochi was not fried enough and lacked a textural difference between the softness and crunchiness that can be accomplished with frying mochi.

Garlic Spinach

This particular dish was slated as one of Honda-Ya's specialties. If they are going to boldly highlight such items as being one of the specialties they should make sure that they are really delectable and delicious. Again I was slightly disappointed with this dish. By no means was this inedible, on the contrary, this dish was not bad but it lacked proper seasoning in my opinion.

Buta Kakuni

I usually love this dish. Everything about Buta Kakuni (Japanese braised pork belly) is comforting. I just love the rich flavor and the melt in your mouth quality that buta kakuni can achieve. Honday-Ya's version was satisfactory but does not even come close to other places like Musha for example.

Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab

Now this dish was a hit! Finally something that thoroughly satisfied all of us. Like I said before all the dishes served that night was definitely satisfactory, only a couple really stood out and the deep fried soft shell crab was one of the stand outs. The crap was nicely fried which was crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside. Very nice!

Kawa

I just can't help myself. Every time I see yakitori (chicken skewers) items on the menu I have to order some, especially kawa (chicken skin). I just love fatty foods, but this version was very disappointing. It was dry and lack luster. As much as I love kawa I would not order this again.

Miso Nasubi

One of the few healthy food that I actually love....nasubi (Japanese eggplant). Another hit for Honda-Ya. The miso nasubi was actually one of my favorite dishes of the night. The nasubi was nicely cooked and still preserved some of the firmness of the texture of the eggplant and was nicely marinated in their miso sauce.

Sasami

This dish was also a big disappointment. The sasami (chicken tenderloin) was over cooked and too dry. Not to mention the wasabi that was on the chicken skewers. The wasabi was a bit overpowering.

Pork Belly

Yet another dish that I must order..... and again was I disappointed. Shinsen gumi's version is much better. Honda-Ya's pork belly was again to dry, tough, and lacked proper seasoning. I guess I should have known not to order yakitori dishes here, I should of just ordered off the menu and if I felt like eating yakitori I should have gone to a yakitori restaurant.

Tsukune

Sadly again I should have to stuck to the main menu....and leave yakitori items to a yakitori restaurant. The tsukune (chicken meatball) was poorly executed and can not even compared to other restaurants. I guess you live and learn! or in this instance...you eat and learn!

Sesame Fried Chicken

The sesame fried chicken was pretty good. I was expecting a more bold flavored chicken marinated in some type of sesame sauce but what came out was a surprise. This was more like a traditional karaage with sesame seeds. It was very delicious and I would definitely order this again.

Tonkatsu

Although this was an ordinary tonkatsu (deep fried pork) it was actually one of the better dishes of the night. The panko crust provided a nice crunch and the pork was nice and tender.

Zosui

Although the zosui (Japanese porridge) was serviceable, I wouldn't recommend it. Perhaps it's just me, but I felt the zosui lacked a depth of flavor which is usually associated with a zosui.

Sesame Ice Cream

Finally after all that food, we still had a little room for dessert. I decided on the sesame ice cream. I just love sesame ice cream because of the intense nutty flavor. It almost has a hint of coffee as well.

Honda-Ya
333 S Alameda
# 314
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-625-1184

Chicken Man (Rotisserie Chicken of California, Pasadena)

2009-03-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

My family likes to call him Chicken Man and so do a lot of people, but actually his name is Yoshi. Chasing him around was like chasing a chicken. The main thing is that I'm glad he has found a new home. Rotisserie Chicken of California is located right next to Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena and still serves one of the best rotisserie chickens around. And did I mention they serve rice! Any place that serves rice is good with me. It so happens that my sister is really good friends with Yoshi's nephew who also is one of the top chefs in Mammoth Lakes California. One day we were dining at Chicken Man's restaurant and we got around to talking about how we know his nephew and so on, Yoshi was kind enough to cook up some special items. Delicious! Yoshi then told us that he used to train in Japan and then went to study in France. He said his true love of cooking is actually French cuisine. Lucky for us he found his niche cooking chicken. The chicken is so delicious and the sauces are great too. The chicken skin is perfectly seasoned and crisp and the chicken is moist and delicious. There is a myriad of different sauces that are available but I always order the garlic chicken. Sorry I don't have a picture of it though :(

Rotisserie Chicken with Rice

On this occasion we dined here for lunch and unfortunately during lunch time they do not offer the garlic chicken. But the chicken was still outstanding, although I wish Yoshi would use regular Japanese rice instead of what they serve. But beggars can't be choosers....I'll take any rice that I can.

Rotisserie Chicken with French Fries

This was Mrs. Gohan's chicken with french fries. Although Mrs. Gohan likes gohan (rice) she LOVES french fries and Rotisserie Chicken of California's french fries are really good!

Rotisserie Chicken of California
26 N. Los Robles Ave
Pasadena, CA. 91101
626-405-0365

Glad she didn't take that bet! (Rio's Pizza, Monterey Park)

2009-03-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

I remember when Rio's Pizza first opened, I said to "Mrs. Gohan", "there's no way this place is going to stay in business. I bet $100 that it won't last a year" Man, am I lucky that she didn't take me up on that bet! For some reason I didn't think that it'd do that good. Fast forward 8 or 9 years now and there still going strong. I forgot to factor in that East Los Angeles Community College is right next to Rio's. I'm sure the college accounts for a lot of their business as well as the decent pizza that they serve. If you like thick crust pizza with oozing melted cheese, than Rio's Pizza is the place for you. On a side note....For some odd reason I love eating left over pizza the next day and zapping it in the microwave. I know it sounds weird but that's what I like. Oh, and I can't forget, you can't eat pizza with out drinking something carbonated. Whether its soda or beer. It's just standard operations :)

Fat Tire

Fat Tire was my choice of weapon to wash down the pizza this time. Fat Tire is one of my favorite beers.

Pepperoni Pizza

Well here it is....the slice of pizza that ALMOST costed me $100. The thing I like the most about Rio's Pizza is their crust. It's nice and crunchy without being too heavy and doughy. I've really come to like Rio's Pizza.

Rio's Pizza
2223 S. Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA. 91754
323-269-2002

Special lunch combo (Tokyo Cafe, Little Tokyo)

2009-02-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

I remember years ago when I used to work in the Little Tokyo area we used to eat at Tokyo Garden every Thursday to eat their lunch special. Only on Thursdays were you able to get the Chashu & Shumai Combination. All the old timers and locals knew what days were the "special" days. So years after I stopped working in the Little Tokyo area and learned that they had closed down, I was very saddened to say the least. Fast forward a few years....What? What's this you say? Tokyo Garden is opening again at a new location and under a new name. I can't believe it. I thought I would never get to eat their combo again. Wow! The good thing about the reincarnation of Tokyo Garden is that the new Tokyo Cafe serves the Chashu & Shumai Combination everyday but the bad thing is that they are not open for dinner. So only on special occasions when I am out that way or if someone happens to be in the area do I get to eat the Chashu Shumai Combo. I think of it this way, at least I still get to eat it. The combination once slipped through my hands but time was kind and the combination was given back to me like a heavenly gift. God I hope it doesn't get ripped from me again! Long LIVE Tokyo Cafe!

Chashu Shumai Combination

Tokyo Cafe
116 Judge John Aiso St.
Los Angeles, CA. 90012
213-628-3017

One of my all time favorites! (Furaibo, City of Industry)

2009-02-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

FuRaiBo is one restaurant that I used to frequent regularly when they were located in Little Tokyo because I used to work in Little Tokyo. Unfortunately they closed that location down years ago, but when I first started dating my wife years ago, she told me that there was this restaurant that just opened up right by her parent's house called FuRaiBo. Then it got me thinking "could this place be the same restaurant? or is my wife (my then girlfriend) mispronouncing it? sounds too good to be true!" Lucky for all us it was the same restaurant. I knew that the original was out on the Westside, but that was too far of a trek for us.

The one thing that keeps me coming back has got to be the tebasaki (chicken wings). I swear they must lace their food with some highly addictive drugs. I get these cravings for their tebasaki that are indescribable! I definitely would have to say F uRaiBo is one of my top 5 restaurants ever! Unfortunately I don't get to dine at FuRaiBo as often now. I guess it's pretty hard to maintain that once a week or once every other week visit to FuRaiBo :)

Age -Dashi Tofu

Furaibo's version of Age-Dashi Tofu (deep fried tofu served in a broth) is very good. The tofu has a nice light coating of potato/cornstarch and then is deep fried and served in tentsuya (Japanese dipping broth) sauce. Although I thoroughly love tofu, you would think that I would love eating Age-Dashi Tofu . But some odd reason it's not one of my favorite dishes.

Age-Nasu

Now this is one of my favorite dishes at FuRaiBo. The Age-Nasu (Fried Eggplant) is absolutely delish! The eggplant which is deep fried soaks up all that goodness of the broth and brings joy to my taste buds.

Tofu-Katsu

I have to admit, the first time I ordered this dish I fell in love it. It was love at first bite! All that crispy goodness contrasting with silky softness of the tofu...it is pure Heaven! The tofu-katsu is served with a dipping sauce that is equally as good.

Gyu-Kushi

Gyu-Kushi (beef on a skewer) is another dish that is absolutely delicious. If I only could grill some meat like this at home. The meat is sooo juicy, tender, and tasty it should be illegal. Squirt a little lemon on this and eat it with some rice and you're good to go!

Tebasaki

Now this is the true reason that I keep on coming back. The seasoning is a perfect balance of the slight sweetness and the taste of pepper alongside with the sprinkled sesame seeds which gives the tebasaki (chicken wing) a slight nutty flavor. Because of my inept quality to describe taste, I unfortunately can not begin to describe how good these really are. Again served with gohan (rice) you're good to go!

FuRaiBo
17859 Colima Rd.
City of Industry, CA. 91748
626-964-4014

Simplicity! (Koshiji, Los Angeles)

2009-02-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

Koshiji is one of those restaurants that truly has a special place in my stomach. Simplistic and delicate flavors are at the forefront of this yakitori/kushiyaki style restaurant. I've been dining here for well over 10 years now and I always leave wanting more. In the beginning, I didn't appreciate the subtle flavors, but as I've gotten older I've learned to appreciate simple and delicious food. If your looking for bold flavors this is not the place for you. Koshiji truly lets the main ingredients shine.

Chicken Karaage

For those who have read my blog before, you'll know that Chicken Karaage is one of my all time favorite dishes ever. I used to eat Karaage almost everyday while I was living in Japan. Koshiji's Karaage is pretty damn good when it is on....the problem is that this is one of the dishes here that for some reason is really inconsistent. When its good... its really good, but when its bad its just okay.

Elingi Foil

This pocket of goodness is filled with Elingi Mushrooms, Moyashi (bean sprouts), and a slice of lemon cooked on the grill with a dollop of butter and some shoyu. I'm not the biggest fan of mushrooms but I really like this dish. The elingi foil is slightly tart from the fresh lemon and is accompanied nicely by the shoyu flavoring. This is one mushroom dish I love!

Sasami

Talk about simplicity at it's finest. Sasami (chicken tenderloin) wrapped with shiso leaf and grilled to perfection. The sasami is juicy and perfectly seasoned as the taste of the chicken is perfectly accented by the herbaceousness of the shiso leaf.

Teba

Yet another simple and delicious dish. The teba (chicken wing) is simply seasoned and grilled to perfection on the grill. Koshiji simply lets the chicken shine. The teba are absolutely delicious!

Nasu-Maki

Now this is one of our absolute favorites. The Nasu-Maki (Japanese eggplant wrapped with pork belly) are so juicy and tasty they're GREAT! Wow...when I wrote that, I envisioned Tony the Tiger from the Frosted Flakes commercials :) Seriously though, if you like nasubi (Japanese eggplant) and pork belly (who doesn't) this dish is for you. If I only could order one dish, it would be this one.

Corn

"This corn is spectacular" is how one of my friends described the corn at Koshiji. It was kind of funny but a spot-on description of how this corn tastes. The corn is always really sweet and juicy. The flavor of the wood coals blends perfectly with the shoyu basted corn. The sweetness of the corn and the saltiness of the shoyu is a perfect balance. The corn at Koshiji has to be one of the best corn I have ever tasted!

Zosui

You know me, anything with rice I love. The zosui (rice porridge with chicken) is a dish that really hits the spot. Although it is typically pretty good at Koshiji, sometimes it can be a bit over powering. The zosui is served in a hot pot with rice, chicken, carrots and mushrooms. You can add extra ponzu (citrus soy sauce) if you like, I prefer not to. This dish is really good during the winter months.

Yaki-Onigiri

This is another dish that I always used to order in Japan whenever I had the opportunity. The problem with ordering yaki-onigiri (grilled rice balls) here in America is that they never take the proper time and care to go about cooking the yaki-onigiri. Too many places rush to make it and do not grill or season it enough. Some places also try to get all "Hollywood" and make it all fancy, but Koshiji, true to form keeps it plain and simple. We always order the yaki-onigiri in the beginning because it takes a long time to cook. They take the time to cook it right. The outside is crunchy and perfectly seasoned with shoyu and the inside is hot and fluffy. Perfection!

Koshiji
123 S. Onizuka Street #203
Los Angeles, CA. 90012
213-626-4989

Celebrating 4 birthdays! (Mastro's Steakhouse, Beverly Hills)

2009-02-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that we were celebrating 4 birthdays in our family? On this particular night we were celebrating my sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother's birthdays. All of their birthdays are about a month apart so we celebrated all of theirs together. So when they said that we were going to go to Mastro's, I was game! I was especially excited because of my memorable experience at the Costa Mesa location a few months ago and I was eager to try the Beverly Hills location. And you know me, I am always down to eat some kick ass steak.

My initial impression upon entering Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills was that this location felt more like a steakhouse than the Costa Mesa location. True to form of traditional steakhouses, Mastro's is really dark but unlike traditional steakhouses it maintains a more modern feel and decor. We were seated upstairs where the dining room was filled with an air liveliness. The jovial laughter and conversation from our table and surrounding tables permeated throughout the room and created this lively atmosphere. There was also a pianist playing and singing which also added to this atmosphere. It truly was a pleasant night, but then again, when isn't it a nice night when you get to share great food with family :)

Chilean Sea Bass

"Mama Gohan" ordered the Chilean Sea Bass and I was happy that she did :) I love when other people order different entrees that pique my interest. The Chilean Sea Bass was really succulent and buttery. It was really good!

18oz. Bone in Kansas City Strip

For some reason or another I veered away from my favorite cut of steak (ribeye) and ordered the 18oz. Kansas City Strip steak. Perhaps it was our waitress' doing. (Okay "Mrs. Gohan" close your eyes.....) Our waitress was extremely pretty and she said that it was her favorite steak, so how can I question her recommendation? Besides I figure I might as well be a little more adventurous and try different cuts. Although the steak was cooked perfectly and tasted great, I don't think it was as good as their Chef's Cut Ribeye.

Mouth watering bite size steak!

Here's a look at "Mrs. Gohan" holding up a piece of the Kansas City Strip for the camera :) The steak actually tasted better the next day, when I ate my left overs with some gohan (rice) But to me, everything tastes better with gohan :)

Wow.... Look at our dessert!

Our waitress had asked if we were celebrating anything and we informed her that we were actually celebrating four birthdays. We were waiting for her to come back to look at the dessert menu to see what else we would order, but when she came back and brought these lavish desserts, we were all shocked. She really did it up! Starting on the top left: Key Lime Pie, Butter Cake, Chocolate Cake. On the bottom left: Cheesecake and assorted fruits with whip cream. They were all so delicious! But my favorite has got to be the Butter Cake. It's so good! You can take a better look at my previous entry for a better view of it.

Mastro's Steakhouse
246 N. Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA. 90210
310-888-8782

One of the best bargains (Aloha Mixed Plate, Maui)

2009-01-26T14:10:00.000-08:00

This place brings back some good and bad memories. The first time we went to Aloha Mixed Plate was many years ago. And I would have to say that was one of the best vacations ever. Most of my family and relatives were in Maui for my cousins wedding and we had a blast. We actually ate here one night and the sad part was my nephew who was only three years old back then fell and hit his head on the floor. But other than that I have nothing but good memories of this place.

It so happened to work out that this was our last meal on our babymoon. To my surprise, although Aloha Mixed Plate is right in the thick of tourist area, their prices are probably the most reasonable in Maui. And the food portions are also a great deal. If I had only remembered that it was such a good bargain I might have eaten here more often. The food was great, inexpensive, and the views were also great. I'm really going to miss Maui! I wonder if we can have another babymoon in the future :)

Furikake Garlic Fries

These Furikake Garlic Fries were delicious! They are so tasty and make the perfect side dish. I literally could eat these every day. The seasoning of the furikake (Japanese seasoning for rice) and garlic is perfect marriage.

Breaded Teriyaki Beef

I am surprised that this dish is not replicated more often. How can you go wrong with two very popular dishes in one. Deep frying a piece of teriyaki beef coated in panko (Japanese bread crumb) sounds like a home run every time! Aloha Mixed Plate is the only place that I know of that serves this and they do a very good job. Not to mention that cost is very reasonable and you leave very full!

Aloha Mixed Plate
1285 Front Street
Lahaina, Maui, HI. 96761
808-661-3322

What a surprise! (Zippy's, Maui)

2009-01-12T09:21:00.000-08:00

Before me and the Mrs. embarked on our babymoon trip to Maui, I researched and made a list of all the different places I wanted to eat at. And luckily for me, we pretty much got to try every place on my list and one in particular that wasn't on my list. What a surprise! On the way to Tasaka Guri Guri, we drove past Zippy's. We couldn't believe our eyes. "Mrs. Gohan" actually made a loud screech while I was driving. "oh my god" she screamed, scaring the crap out of me. I was like, "what? did I almost hit something?" She said, "no, there's a Zippy's" We were both pretty happy and shocked. We never knew that Zippy's was now in Maui. Luckily for us, it was finished a couple of months before our trip. So naturally we had to veer from my original master plan of dining to eat some Zippy's.
I have to say, this Zippy's was absolutely beautiful! I know it's kind of weird getting all geeked out about a Zippy's, but I couldn't help it. The place looked very clean and new and it was PACKED! I couldn't believe how many people were lined up to order. The line never stopped. The door might as well have been a turnstile. I guess all the locals in Maui were pretty happy about Zippy's opening up too! I would highly recommend this place to grab a quick bite or to even take it on the airplane for a meal. Sure beats airplane food :)

Chili Rice

"Mrs. Gohan" went to her good old standard....Chili Rice. Everytime we go to Zippy's, she frequently orders the chili rice. I know that you can buy Zippy's chili at places like Marukai Market, but it's just not the same. It tastes so much better at an actual Zippy's.

Chili Moco

For some reason, I was being really indecisive this day and I didn't know what to order. When I finally made up my mind, we got up to the register to order and then I saw this sign with a new menu item. The sign said chili moco. What could be better? I absolutely love loco moco (hamburger patty over rice with gravy) and I love chili rice. This sounded like it was too good to be true. And let me tell you, this was freaking great! I would almost have to say that I like this better than a standard loco moco. Wow! To this day I still wish we had a Zippy's here on the mainland so that I could eat one of these.

Apple Naples

Inside every Zippy's is a Napoleon's Bakery. And when you go there you got to try an Apple Naple. They are the best! They are light, flaky, and delicious. I remember one time I was coming home from Oahu by myself and Mrs. Gohan made me take a box home. And when I was on the airplane there was no room for me to keep these, so I had to carry them on my lap the whole flight home. It was misery, except when I got home and ate one :)

Zippy's
15 Hookele Street
Kahului, Maui, HI. 96732
808-856-7599

It's definitely goodie goodie! (Tasaka Guri Guri, Maui)

2009-01-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

Tasaka Guri Guri

After we ate at Da Kitchen we went to the Makena Beach for a nice relaxing day and we decided that on the way back to Lahaina we could swing by the famous Tasaka Guri Guri. Boy....was it worth it! I've heard about this place but never tried it. And now that I've tried it, I'd definitely come back. But next time I am going to order a bigger portion :) For those who have never heard of Guri Guri it's similar to a sherbet. And from what I read on someone's blog (Ono Kine Grindz), the term guri guri dates back to when Japanese immigrants used to work on the plantation fields. And somewhere in the translation the term goodie goodie became guri guri. All I know is that this little treat is definitely good.....or shall I say goodie!

2 Scoops (mixed up)

Me and the Mrs. were very curious to see what all the fuss was about. And to our satisfaction we left very happy and a bit sad. Happy that it was sooo good, but sooo sad that we weren't going to be able to eat this for a long time. We ordered 2 scoops of the guri guri. We ordered the mixed guri guri of strawberry and pineapple. The only complaint we had was that we both felt we should have ordered more! I felt that the strawberry was actually much better. It truly seems like a cross between a sherbet and ice cream with a nice airiness to it. It truly is refreshing and it tastes great! I just can't wait to come back to Maui and make a stop a Tasaka Guri Guri!

Tasaka Guri Guri

70 East Ka'ahumanu Ave
Kahului, Maui, HI. 96732

808-871-4513

A few days late (Da Kitchen Express, Maui)

2008-12-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

This wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but I guess it kind of satisfied me. I've been to this particular Da Kitchen in Kihei before, so I really wanted to try their other location in Kahalui by the airport. But if you read my earlier post (Jonny's Burger Joint), you know that we didn't make it in time and they were closed when we first arrived. After being disappointed the first night, I had to get my fix on some "local" type food. All we were eating up to this point was fine dining. By no means am I complaining, it's just that once in awhile you crave some hearty local food that sticks to your ribs :) Da Kitchen serves decent food, but it was not how I remembered it :( The last time I was in Maui I actually ate here twice in the same trip and was pretty happy. I've heard that this particular location wasn't as good as the Kahalui location. Hopefully next time I'll arrive earlier and make sure that I try the other location.

Loco Moco

I was really craving a loco moco eversince I stepped off that plane and what I got was slightly disappointing. This behemoth of a Loco Moco was not what I remembered. I remember Da Kitchen's loco moco being much better! I felt that this one was almost like a meatloaf on top of rice instead of a hamburger patty. The meat was too dense in my opinion. Maybe my preference has just changed....hmmm. I don't know. But I think I have this tendency to compare loco mocos to the one in Las Vegas of all places. The loco moco served at Aloha Specialties is da kine!

Won Fat Guy's Chow Fun

Hey...who they calling fat? Seriously this was a lot of food! I have to say this much... Da Kitchen serves up enormous portions! Mrs. Gohan for some reason ordered the Chow Fun. I thought for sure she was going to go for the saimen, but I guess I was wrong. As far as the Chow fun goes, personally I don't care for sweet entrees. I love sweets in general, but just not for main dishes and this dish in my opinion was a little too sweet.

Da Kitchen Express
2439 S. Kihei Rd.
Kihei, Maui, HI 96753
808-875-7782

Happy 2nd Anniversary! (Spago, Maui)

2008-12-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

While we were planning our babymoon, we figured the perfect time to go to Maui would be late September early October. That way "Mrs. Gohan" wouldn't be too far along in her pregnancy and uncomfortable to travel and that way our babymoon could also coincide with our wedding anniversary. Before we took off to Maui I had made reservations at these different restaurants and I didn't know which one to choose for our Anniversary dinner. Since we both have never been to Spago's in Beverly Hills, we decided that Spago's in Wailea would be a perfect time to dine at Spago. Our reasoning was that we didn't know how good the other restaurants on the Island were going to be and we figured that the quality of Spago's had to be top notch.

Initially pulling up to the Four Seasons in Wailea it brought up a lot of good memories. We hadn't been down in the Wailea area for a long time so it was nice to see the area again. But I have to say, the Four Seasons doesn't make it easy for non guests to visit. The parking for non guests was quite a walk! The one great thing is that all the fine dining establishments in Maui stated that it was perfectly appropriate for me to wear short pants. And Spago was no different. You got to love that! Eating at a fine dining restaurant in shorts!

Once inside, the first thing that struck us was the amazing view! It definitely was a million dollar view. And we were lucky enough to get a really nice table so that we could view the sunset. The unfortunate thing was that day was the only cloudy day of our entire trip. But that did not take away from the beautiful sunset. It just made it more dramatic. I would have to say there is no other place that I'd would have rather been that night. Spending our Anniversary together at such a beautiful place! What more could I have asked for?

Million Dollar View!

This was the view from our table. It was absolutely gorgeous! And the atmosphere was great! What a way to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. Perfect location, perfect trip, perfect person to share it with!

Big Swell IPA

That evening I was in the mood for some beer and our waiter suggested this local beer. It was an IPA called Big Swell from Maui Brewing Company. I really enjoyed the smooth and bold flavors. It had a nice hoppy taste!

Kobe Beef Angel Hair Bolognese

Wow...Wow...Wow!!! This dish was just phenomenal! This dish lived up to every expectation. The rich bolognese sauce was oh sooo delicious! The flavor of the kobe beef provided the perfect richness and tenderness that matched the terrific pasta. Although they call it angel hair, the pasta was definitely a lot thicker than your typical angel hair. The texture of the pasta was indescribable and the flavor was the best. A waitress informed us that they infuse red wine into the pasta to give it that backdrop. What ever their secret is, they hit a home run on this dish!

Salmon

"Mrs. Gohan's" food aversion was still bothering her and thought of having beef still did not appeal to her. And because the night before she had eaten the Monchong, the only dish that appealed to her was the salmon. Although the salmon was very tender and moist, personally I felt that it was pretty standard and nothing outstanding.

Molokai Yams

The Molokai Yams were a part of my main entree. I found the color very beautiful but I'm not a big fan of sweet potatoes. I felt that it had a similar taste to sweet potatoes and that turned me off. I only took a couple of bites :(

Caramelized Pork Chop w/Maui Pineapple & Papaya

I settled on the Caramelized Pork Chop with Maui Pineapple and Papayas. The pork chop was definitely very succulent and it went very nicely with the pineapples and papaya. I've tried pork chops with apple sauce before, but I've never had this combination before.

Fuji Apple & Maui Pineapple Crumb Cake w/ Brown Butter Macadamia Ice Cream

This dessert with long ass name was worth every word in its name :) You can just taste every morsel of both the Maui Pineapple & Fuji Apple with every bite. And I can't forget the brown butter macadamia nut ice cream was oh sooo delicious!

Kona Coffee Cheesecake

On this trip my wife was really craving coffee. I guess being back on the Islands reminded her of that one trip we took to Kona, where we went coffee tasting. Ever since she has been pregnant she cut out ALL types of caffeine. So on this night she deviated from her plan and splurged and ordered the Kona Coffee Cheesecake. I told here that having this tiny amount was just fine and that she did not have to worry. It was very yummy! Most importantly my wife was happy :) Happy 2nd Anniversary!

Spago
The Four Seasons Resort Maui
3900 Wailea Alanui Alanui
Wailea, Maui, HI 96753
808-879-2999

Tasty local food (Honokowai Okazuya, Maui)

2008-12-15T09:01:00.000-08:00

I was in need of finding some tasty local food and Honokowai Okazuya definitely fulfilled my needs but also left my wallet a little lighter. I thought by eating at a local place that it would be a lot cheaper than eating at a "touristy" restaurant. Man, was I wrong. Although this place was definitely a local joint it sure didn't seem that way as far as their prices went. I just couldn't get over how expensive food was in Maui. Our lunch was just under $30. Unbelievable! But the cost aside, the food was definitely ono(Hawaiian for good/delicious). From what I've gathered, the original owner who opened up this okazu-ya (Japanese term for a restaurant that serves foods that accompany rice) got his start at the widely acclaimed restaurant in Maui....Mama's Fish House. There is no question the quality of the food was top notch, especially for an okazu-ya. Tasty local food for sure!

Teri Beef (12oz.)

I would have to say this was probably one of the most tender Beef Teriyaki plates I have ever eaten and probably the most expensive beef teriyaki plates I have ever had served in a Styrofoam take out plate. One way I gauge how much I like a particular restaurant or dish is, I ask myself one simple question, "would I order that again, or will I eat here again?". The answer for this particular restaurant would be, yes I would order this dish again, but only if I was in Maui. Because there is no way I'd pay that much for a take out anywhere else.

Chicken Katsu

This too was way overpriced! But again we have to take it for what it is....it's Maui and everything seemed to be pretty expensive here in Maui. The chicken katsu (deep fried chicken with panko) was really good though! The chicken was nice and crispy on the outside and the chicken itself was nice and moist. There was a nice balance between the amount of batter used. It was very nice!

Honokowai Okazuya
3600 Lower Honoapiilani Road
Lahaina, Maui, HI. 96761
808-665-0512

I'm glad we didn't cancel! (Lahaina Grill, Maui)

2008-12-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

This was actually one of the dinners we were contemplating on cancelling our reservations. Man, were we glad that we didn't do that! I probably expected the least from Lahaina Grill out of all the restaurants we dined at in Maui. I don't know if that had to do with how good we thought it was. I have to be honest, when we first walked in I was still a little skeptical. There was hardly anyone in the entire restaurant. Granted we were there mid week and during the low season of tourism, but still. There was only one other table seated when we arrived. But soon after we got seated all my fears were quelled. I learned later that the person who was waiting on us was Lahaina Grill's sommelier. His name was Richard Olson III. The service that he provided was absolutely impeccable! And his recommendations were spot on! After we returned home we were thinking about all the places we dined at and we both felt that Lahaina Grill actually was our favorite. I'm just glad we didn't cancel our reservation!

Sweet Kula Corn Soup

The area of Kula in Maui is renowned for it's fruits and vegetables, so when I saw that Lahaina Grill was serving a Sweet Kula Corn Soup, I jumped on that. The soup was delicious but not what I was expecting. It had more of a spiciness to the soup rather than being sweet from the corn. The corn was actually the back drop to the soup and really wasn't at the forefront. Nonetheless, this soup was excellent!!!

Chef Arnie's Homemade Meatballs

The pasta was cooked perfectly and the meatballs were great, but this had to have been the most expensive penne pasta dish ever! Every meal in Maui was outrageously over priced! That has to be my only complaint of Maui. Lahaina Grill was no exception. As far as the food good this might have been one of the only places which warranted the prices. Other restaurants seemed to rely on their spectacular view, but Lahaina Grill has no view and solely relies on their food and service.

Center Cut Veal Chop

This dish was on the recommendation of Richard Olson III. The center cut veal chop was very tender and the herb truffle risotto was to die for. I polished my plate clean. I left Lahaina Grill full and happy!

Sunken Chocolate Cake

There's nothing that makes me happier than having a great meal from start to finish. There are too many times when I dine at a restaurant and I leave unsatisfied because of the dessert. Lahaina Grill actually did not disappoint us at all. The flourless chocolate cake came out warm and was not overly rich nor was it too sweet. And when you add Kona Coffee ice cream.....Wow!

Lahaina Grill
127 Lahainaluna Road
Lahaina, Maui, HI. 96761
808-667-5117

Happy Turkey Day! (Los Angeles Athletic Club, Los Angeles)

2008-12-01T09:57:00.000-08:00

This week I'm diverting from my "babymoon" dining posts from Maui. I'll get back to those next week, but for the mean time I'll share with everyone how me and my family shared our Thanksgiving Day. For the past several years now, my family and I have been spending our Turkey Day lunch at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
It works out very nicely. Everyone gets to spend a little time together before everyone heads out to see other sides of the family. Although, I do miss how our Thanksgivings used to be. I miss having Thanksgiving at my mom's. I used to love waking up in the morning and smelling all the food cooking. I even used to enjoy helping my mom with getting ready. But the LA Athletic Club is a very nice place to share an afternoon and I still get to spend some time with my family. And besides no one has to clean up :) This year, I even sneaked in some of my own gohan (rice) in a zip lock bag :) "Mrs. Gohan" says I'm ghetto for doing that, but hey, I got to have my rice! And believe me, it made lunch that much better. And besides, my nephew and brother both appreciated it :) Like always, the food was plentiful and very delicious. And after stuffing ourselves, me and my nephew went upstairs to play a little basketball and played a game of H.O.R.S.E. Luckily, I could still beat him :) Maybe in the next year or so I won't be so lucky. This year like every other year, there was plenty to be thankful for and this year was no different. I am truly thankful for everything in my life especially my family!

All the goodies!

To tell you the truth, I skipped this whole section and went straight for the Roast Beef & Turkey, but everyone was saying how delicious everything was :)

Roast Beef

The Roast Beef was cooked perfectly and it was seasoned very nicely. Luckily, I got to get both an end cut and also on my second serving I got a center cut. It went perfectly with my gohan :)

Turkey

The Turkey was very tender and moist as Turkey can get. The gravy was also very delicious as well. And this too went well with my gohan :)

Los Angeles Athletic Club
431 W. 7th Street
Los Angeles, CA. 90014
213-625-2211

Worth the wait! (Gazebo Restaurant, Maui)

2008-11-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

I did my study and I was prepared for the wait so I wasn't shocked when I saw this line. I was prepared but I still despise waiting in line. It has got to be one of my biggest pet peeves. But when you have beautiful views and you're in paradise, the waiting doesn't seem that bad. Although, I thought the location of Gazebo Restaurant was pretty peculiar. Always mentioned as one of the top breakfast locations in Maui, Gazebo is located by the pool of the Outrigger Napili Shores. While the location is a little peculiar and a little difficult to find, the food and views are spectacular. In fact the whole time that we were in Maui we ate somewhere different every time with the exception of Gazebo Restaurant. We ate here twice for breakfast. That's how much we loved it! They have the best pancakes. I already miss this place!

What a view!

With views of the blue Pacific Ocean, Molokai and Lanai Islands, and the Napili Bay who wouldn't mind waiting in line! With a view like this even my biggest pet peeve of waiting in lines did not affect me. What a view!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pancake

"Mrs. Gohan" decided to order the White Chocolate Mac Pancakes and it was delicious. We were both worried that it might be overly sweet but that was not the case. I asked the waitress whether the topping was some kind of whipped butter or whip cream, but she informed me that it was actually Dream Whip with some added secrets. Regardless, it was delicious!

Fried Rice (half order)

I read somewhere that Gazebo serves up a really good fried rice. So naturally I had to order it and taste for myself. My dilemma was that I wanted to order pancakes as well. The solution....was to order a half order of the fried rice and the short stack of pancakes. Well, the half order ended up being larger than most full orders. Gazebo's version of the fried rice was okay. It just was not my kind of fried rice. It had too many things going on. It seemed to have all the different breakfast meats in there along with bell peppers, onions, and green onions. While I love breakfast meats, I don't know if I like them all together like this. It was a bit much.

Banana Macadamia Nut Pancake

Well here's the picture of my other half of my breakfast. I couldn't help but have that Jack Johnson song in my head "Banana Pancake" while I was eating this. This was absolutely one of the best pancakes I have ever tasted in my life! They were light and fluffy and almost melted in your mouth. These were so good that we came back again another day to eat these :)

Gazebo Restaurant
5315 Lower Honoapiilani Road
Lahaina, Maui, HI. 96761
808-669-5621

Maui's best restaurant? (Mama's Fish House, Maui)

2008-11-17T09:16:00.000-08:00

The last time we were in Maui we never got the chance to dine at Mama's Fish House, so this time around I made sure we had plans to go. Upon arriving here, I was struck by the beauty of the location. It was simply gorgeous and breathtaking. The views and atmosphere alone makes this restaurant one of the best on the island for sure! Prior to our trip I've heard nothing but good things about this restaurant that perhaps my expectations were set too high. The views and atmosphere are undeniably spectacular, but the food, while it was definitely good I wouldn't go as far as to say this is hand's down the best restaurant in Maui. Our dinner happened to be a momentous occasion. This marked the first time that I ordered a seafood dish for my main entree EVER! Those who know me, know that I'm a meat eater. But I figured when you're eating at a place with the name fish house in it you can't order meat. Beware, you pay for not only the food but the views as well. This place is expensive!

What a View!

What a view! Mama's Fish House literally seems like it was constructed from a gutted out beach house (A really nice beach house!) with open windows. Can you believe this? I took this picture from our table! Wow!

Mai Tai

When in Hawaii, you got to order a Mai Tai. But I wasn't too happy on paying the $15 for the Mai Tai. I have to say this though....it was pretty darn good! Well, it better be for that price.

White Asparagus Soup

The amuse bouche happened to be the White Asparagus Soup. To be honest, I don't really remember much of the flavor structures in the soup other than it tasted pretty good :) I'm not a real big fan of asparagus though.

Shrimp Won Tons

I was expecting something totally different when we ordered this appetizer. Since it was called Shrimp Won Ton I was expecting a won ton stuffed with shrimp. So when these came out I was surprised and intrigued. The shrimp was wrapped with the won ton skin and then fried and served with a macadamia nut dipping sauce. These were pretty good, but I don't know if I would order this again.

Opah

Here it is....my first seafood entree ever! The one thing that I like about Mama's Fish House is that they catch the fish daily and they even tell you what boat it was caught on. I love that! I decided on the Opah. And my Opah was caught on the boat “Manaloa”. It was prepared upcountry style with caramelized Maui onion, avocado and jasmine rice. It basically was cooked with shoyu (soy sauce). My favorite thing about this dish was the onions. They were delicious. I would have to say that for my first seafood entree I might order seafood more often as my main dish :)

Monchong

"Mrs. Gohan" ordered this dish and we had no idea what kind of fish it was. We never heard of Monchong, but now we know. The fish was absolutely delicious. It was moist and light. As soon as I got home I looked it up on the internet and I'm glad we ordered it before we knew what it looked like. The fish is ugly!

Mama's Chocolate Kuau Pie

I just love chocolate desserts and this one didn't disappoint. It was a chocolate mousse cake with a caramel cookie crust. This dessert went really well with my $10 cup of French Pressed Kona Coffee!

Liliko'i Creme Brule

The flavor of the lilikoi (Hawaiian passion fruit) really shined through in this dessert. The flavor was really refreshing and really went well with the overall experience of dining at Mama's Fish House. I would definitely would order this again.

Mama's Fish House
799 Poho Place
Paia, Maui, HI. 96799
808-579-8488

Heavenly! (Ocean Pool & Bar Grill, Maui)

2008-11-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

With the morning sun, came our first true sight of where we were staying. It's been 7 years since the last time we visited Maui, so we were pretty excited to say the least. And what we awoke to was truly heavenly. If you ever stayed at a Westin, you'll know that the Westin has a line of products called Heavenly. So literally we woke up in heaven :) We were truly happy to be back in Hawaii to do absolutely nothing but relax and enjoy good food. An emphasis on doing nothing. If we were going to Hawaii for the sake of eating, we would have chosen Oahu and not Maui.

Our first day we decided to stay at the resort to relax and eat. So we opted to eat at one of the only restaurants here.... Ocean Pool & Bar Grill. I was hoping to order one of my favorite local dishes (loco moco) but we didn't make it on time for breakfast so I had to find a replacement. After perusing the menu for a few minutes we saw that they had Maui Onion Rings... we had to order them. You can't go to Maui and not have Maui Onions and what better way to eat them....battered and fried! Yummy! It's kind of like going to Kona without drinking Kona Coffee or going to Philadelphia and not eating a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich, you just can't do that! For my main dish I ordered the special of the day... Chicken Katsu (panko covered fried chicken). The one thing I have to say that I absolutely love about Hawaii, is that I could get gohan (rice) anywhere I want! Hawaii is truly a food heaven for me. I would have to say that the food was decent, but I just wish they had more variety in dining options at the Westin Villas.

Maui Onion Rings

When in Maui, you got to eat Maui Onions! These onion rings were absolutely delicious. They were so succulent and naturally sweet. In my opinion there is no better onions than Maui Onions. I wish I could eat these everyday!

Chicken Katsu

The chicken katsu was okay. I would have to say that these were pretty decent for a pool side bar grill. There was nothing that special about this other than I got to eat rice. The one thing that this meal reminded me of though, was how expensive Maui can be. The prices in Maui are astronomical!

Ocean Pool & Bar Grill
Westin Ocean Resort Villas
6 Ka'i Ala Drive
Lahaina, Maui, HI. 96761
808-667-3200

Not sure what we got ourselves into (Jonny's Burger Joint, Maui)

2008-11-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Just off the plane and nowhere to go. After arriving in Maui for our "babymoon", we were very hungry and tired. We decided that we'll try to grab something to eat at the Da Kitchen, but to our disappointment they were closed. So we decided to go check into our hotel and maybe grab something to eat there, but again to our disappointment, not much was open. I asked the guest service guy for some advice and he informed me that most places around there closed at 9pm and he said that there was a McDonalds open. We were just about to go to McDonalds, but I decided to ask the bell guy for recommendations. He told me about Jonny's Burger Joint just down the street. He said that was about the only place still open and that they have good wings. So on his recommendation we drove down the street and found this hidden place.

When we walked in we both were a little weary. This place was straight out of a movie. What we walked into was a bar that happened to serve food. There was no one there to greet us and there was plenty of inebriated locals playing pool. This place didn't seem too friendly initially. Although we weren't too sure as to where to sit we finally decided to find a seat and proceeded to order food at the counter. We decided to follow the recommendations of the guy from the hotel and ordered the buffalo wings. The one thing that struck me was how good the food tasted. I had to ask myself..."does the food really taste good or is it because I'm really hungry and tired?". I even asked "Mrs. Gohan" the same question and we both concluded that the food was really good and that it wasn't our imagination. After having eaten here, I would definitely say I would eat here again. Especially now that I know what to expect.

Buffalo Wings

These were actually one of the best buffalo wings I've had. They were really tasty, crispy, and juicy. A lot of times wings can tend to be a little dry and tough when they are this crispy. These wings were cooked perfectly and flavoring was also spot on.

French Fries

These too were actually one of the better french fries I've had in a long time. They came out piping hot and were cooked perfectly. Crispy on the outside and nice and light and fluffy on the inside. They were perfect!

Jonny's Burger Joint
2291 Kaanapali Pkwy.
Lahaina, Maui, HI. 96761
808-661-4500

Our last night in New York (AJ Maxwell's Steakhouse, New York)

2008-10-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

At last...Our last night in New York. I have to say that for the most part we were very lucky in all aspects of this trip, but I'm still glad that this was the last night. Yet another restaurant that was participating in New York's Restaurant Week. This whole trip was about eating at new places and this particular night was no exception. Located next to Rockefeller Center, AJ Maxwell's was a new steakhouse for all of us. This time we decided to forgo our usual stop at Sparks Steakhouse and we stuck with our plan of trying new restaurants. To be honest....the deal was unbeatable. $35 for soup or salad, New York Strip, and dessert. If it wasn't for this deal I would have much rather have gone to Sparks or Peter Luger's in a heart beat. While AJ Maxwell's is very good steak house, by no means are they in the same league as other top steak houses in New York.

Cantaloupe Soup

I started off the evening with the cantaloupe soup. The reason I choose this was two fold. First, the idea of chilled cantaloupe soup sounded refreshing and interesting. Secondly, my other choice would have been salad. And if you know me...I'm anti salad :) I am glad that I did get this soup though. It was very refreshing!

French Fries

Not much to say here... Just ordinary french fries

New York Strip

What's better than having a New York Strip steak in New York? Lucky me...Although we all ordered the same cut of meat, for some reason my steak actually tasted better than everyone else's steak. The steak was actually pretty good especially for the price :)

Bread Pudding

Boy.... was this a disappointment! The bread pudding was horrifically dry and in my opinion should not be ordered.

Lemon Sorbet

The lemon sorbet was actually one of the highlights of the evening. Despite the blurry picture this dessert was refreshing and crisp.

New York Cheesecake

I just find it kind of cool eating something in the city in which it gets it's name. There's something to be said about eating either a New York Strip steak or a New York Cheesecake in New York. I'd imagine it's the same when you're eating a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich in Philadelphia :) With that being said, the cheese cake was pretty good despite the overall lack luster dinner.

AJ Maxwell's Steakhouse
57 W. 48th Street
New York, NY. 10020
212-262-6200

What a steal! (Mia Dona, New York)

2008-10-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

This was our third night in New York and luckily we were able to dine at Donatella Arpaia's newer restaurants Mia Dona. And luckily we were in New York for Restaurant Week, so dining here was practically a steal. If you ever have a chance to eat during Restaurant Week don't pass it up! 3 course dinners for only $35 (at top restaurants) ....What a steal. Living in the Los Angeles area we weren't too familiar with this restaurant other than that it was owned by Donatella. I've become familiar with Donatella because of numerous stints as a judge on Iron Chef America.

Earlier in the day, I wasn't feeling too good. My stomach was not cooperating with me and I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to go to dinner. I toughed it out and managed to make it to Mia Dona. When we first arrived it had a nice welcoming feel to the restaurant. It definitely did not have that stuffy feeling of other "celebrity owned" restaurants. When I first made the reservations at Mia Dona, I was able to have my pick of time...no problems. Which got me to worry a little. I was thinking why was it so easy to get any time I wanted especially being Restaurant Week? Could the food be that bad? Soon after being seated I was amazed that I was even able to secure a reservation at all. The place was packed! Even Donatella was there greeting and mingling with some of her patrons. All my reservations were gone especially after the food came out!

Local Corn Risotto

After perusing the menu we all agreed that we would order the local corn risotto and share. It just sounded sooo good. I guess we should of figured that we were in Manhattan and not in Nebraska. This dish was a disappointment. It lacked the proper seasoning and was not executed very well :(

Minestrone

The minestrone was part of the three course meal and boy was it good! The soup was delicious and hearty. Every spoonful was full of wonderful flavor and was one of the best I've ever had!

Grilled Chicken Paillard

I know it's hard to see under all the greens, but the chicken was truly one of the best dishes of the night. The chicken was nicely grilled and served with peaches. Chicken often tends to be a sort of after thought at fine dining establishments, but at Mia Dona, the chicken could have been one of the main stars.

Grilled Hangar Steak

Everyone that knows me, knows that I love eating red meat, but surprisingly I did not order this one. My sister of all people (the one person that doesn't eat red meat that often) ordered this dish. Although the hangar steak was very good, it was not one of the top dishes that night.

Baked Tubetti

I am just wondering.....How many different types of pasta do the Italians have? I wonder if anyone has ever counted. Just a thought. Seems like every Italian restaurant I go to I discover another type of pasta. The tubetti was perfectly cooked and it had a nice texture to it as well. The smoked mozzarella and tomato sauce complimented this pasta nicely!

Housemade Cavatelli

Anything that states housemade has got to be good right? Well, this was no exception. This dish was definitely a keeper. The cavatelli pasta was served with Tuscan kale and white beans. The one thing about this dish that I did not care for was the white beans. I am not a big fan of beans.

Gnudi

This was the surprise of the night for me personally. First of all, this was yet another pasta that I have never had the pleasure of experiencing until dining at Mia Dona. The gnudi were shaped into these little cubes and had a soft yet firm texture to them. It was served with a truffle butter sauce, mushrooms, and crispy prosciutto. Every bite was just exquisite!

Giaduja Semifreddo

The semifreddo is an Italian dessert that typically refers to some sort of half frozen mousse or even can refer to a type of ice cream sandwich. The semifreddo was served with a homemade nutella (hazelnut spread) and amaretti (Italian macaroons).

Tiramisu

The tiramisu itself was slightly above average, but the real star of this dessert had to be the espresso gelato. There was not enough for everyone. We could have just ordered that and we would have all been happy.

Maple Panna Cotta

This by far was the surprise dessert of the night. The only down side to this dessert was that they forgot to put the order in for this dessert so it took a while for them to bring it to our table, but it was worth the wait. The silkiness of the panna cotta was fabulous and the maple sauce perfectly complimented the dessert. The maple walnut ice cream was also fabulous. This dessert is not to be missed!

Mia Dona
206 East 58th Street
New York, NY. 10022
212-750-8170

Little Havana in NYC? (Calle Ocho, Manhattan)

2008-10-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

A colleague of ours invited us out to dinner while we were in New York on a business trip. When he first informed us that he was thinking of this restaurant called Calle Ocho, because they had all you can drink Sangria, I was thinking "Oh No". But I shouldn't have doubted him. Funny as he is, he wouldn't play a joke when it came it to eating. Calle Ocho was truly a pleasant surprise! Another reason I was thinking "Oh No", was because it wasn't a big name restaurant in Manhattan, but let me tell you...it had the big name taste. My only exposure to Cuban food was very limited so I went with an open mind and empty stomach and I was not disappointed. The one thing that struck me was the size and the atmosphere of the restaurant. When you first walk in it seems almost like a bar. It was dark and it appeared smaller than it actually was. As you walk towards the main room you are immediately drawn to the size and lively atmosphere of the restaurant. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised with the atmosphere portion due to the all you can drink Sangria station. I never knew that there was so many variations of Sangria.

Sangria Station

Calle Ocho offered 10, that's right TEN different types of Sangria and it was all you can drink! Boy, this could have been trouble especially because they were all sooo good and you couldn't really taste any alcohol. I never knew that Sangria also could be made with white wine. I think I ended up drinking 6 different Sangrias. From what I can recall they were all great!

Picada

The Picada was a sampler of the chef's choice of appetizers. From the top left and going clockwise was the Datiles (Bacon wrapped almond stuffed dates), Chicharron (Crispy calamari drizzled with honey), Empanadas, and Camarones (Puerto Rico rum glazed shrimp). All four were excellent, but I would have to say that the empanadas were my favorite. The biggest surprise was the Chicharron. I was expecting pork rinds and what came out was calamari.

Filete

The Filete was a Uruguayan beef tenderloin served with a four cheese empanada. I am pretty positive that this was the first time I had ever eaten Uruguayan beef and I would have to say that I couldn't tell the difference. The beef was really tender, but the disappointment was the empanada. It lacked flavor and should have been replaced with the empanada from the appetizer.

Corvina

The Corvina was a Chilean Sea Bass served with a sea urchin butter sauce. The Chilean Sea Bass was buttery and delicate. I don't eat too much seafood, but I do love Chilean Sea Bass.

Red Snapper

This interesting dish was one of the specials of the night. It was a Malanga leaf wrapped red snapper. I never heard of this particular style of preparation, but luckily someone ordered this dish so that I was able to give it a taste. The only way I could describe the flavor of the Malanga was that it was crunchy and almost potato like with a nutty/earthy flavor. I guess the use of Malanga is quite prevalent in Cuba and other parts of the world. I need to get out more!

Paella

Because I am not the biggest fan of certain types of seafood, I usually shy away from ordering Paellas, even though it has rice as one the main ingredients. Again I was fortunate enough that I was able to sample a little from someone else :) I really love eating with a lot of people, especially when they are willing to share some goodness. The Paella was definitely full of flavor and delicious!

Vegeteriano

For those who know me well, know that I am a total carnivore and rarely eat vegetables. So to my surprise, this vegetarian paella was by far the best entree of the night in my opinion. What a surprise! Not only that it tasted so well, but I've never heard of a Vegetable Paella. The best way to describe the taste of this dish is that of "okoge" A Japanese term for the crispy burnt crust portion of a rice dish. Trust me it tastes a lot better than the way I am describing it.

Caramelo

The Caramelo was a traditional flan that was executed very well. It was silky, creamy, and yummy!

Bizcocho

The Bizcocho was an interesting dessert. The espresso coffee that was presented on the dish was actually used to pour all over the pastelito (Cuban type of pastry). The pastry soaked up the coffee and was quit interesting and a bit messy. The macadamia nut ice cream was a nice finishing touch.

Domino

Dark chocolate cake with dulce de leche ice cream presented cleverly as dominos. When I ordered this dessert I never imagined that it would be presented in this manner. A nice playful way incorporating a favorite Cuban pastime with the name of one of the Calle Ocho's popular desserts. I loved it!

Calle Ocho
446 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY. 10024
212-873-5025

Chicken Tail Anyone? (Yakitori Totto, New York)

2008-10-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

This was the start of another trade show in New York. One of the only reasons I enjoy coming to New York is for the food. The quality and diversity of food in New York in unparalleled anywhere in the US. This was only the second time dining at Yakitori Totto and I have yet to be disappointed, a bit frustrated...perhaps. Due to the limited seating and popularity of Yakitori Totto, you're most likely going to have to wait a little while to get seated. I'm not the most patient person, especially when it comes to waiting in line, but I some how manage to endure the arduous wait ^_^ The food here is definitely worth the wait.

My love affair with yakitori all started when I lived in Japan for a short time Years ago. Ever since that time, I've been aimlessly wandering for some good yakitori and luckily we found this place a couple of years ago. The first time we dined here, we met up with my cousin and her husband who live in the Washington D.C area but fly up to spend their weekends in New York (I know...rich people, makes me sick ^_^ ) , but luckily she is fluent in Japanese and was able to read the small wooden planks that adorn any yakitori joint. She saw a sign that stated that there were a few items that were special and very limited. Naturally.... we snatched the remaining items up. My apologies if you were one the diners that evening and you were not able to order some of the items. The one that stood out the most was the Bonchiri (chicken tail). Yeah, you read it right and I wrote it right.... Chicken Tail. It was simply amazing. Keeps me wanting to come back!

Zucchini Tempura

We actually saw the table next us eating this dish and so we just had to order it. WOWWW!!!!! The zucchini tempura actually did not have your typical batter, instead it had these little fried mochi balls (rice cake) which was served as the outer crust. The zucchini was absolutely delicious and unlike any other tempura I've ever had. And I can't forget the Okinawan sea salt which accompanied the tempura. That too was mind blowing good. We actually saved the remaining salt to eat with other dishes that came out later. That's how good the salt was. In this dish, I might have found my new favorite dish at Yakitori Totto.

Enoki Wrapped Bacon

I thought this was a very clever way to utilize enoki mushrooms. The whole bunch of enoki mushrooms are gathered up and then wrapped in bacon. I don't particularly care for enoki, but when you add bacon to it...that's another story.

Fried Tofu

I would have to say this dish was a little of let down. Seemingly everything that is fried usually tastes really good. I've had deep fried tofu plenty of times and it usually is pretty good. Not to say that Yakitori Totto's version tasted bad, it is definitely serviceable, but it just lacked that special something.

Gyoza

Typically I don't order gyoza at restaurants because there is no comparison to my mom's gyoza. It's like comparing apples to oranges. I'll have to post my mom's gyoza soon! But the gyoza here was actually one of the better gyoza that I have ever had at a restaurant. Most restaurants have a tendency to skimp on the meat and typically resemble a vegetarian gyoza. Yakitori Totto had a perfect balance between the portion of meat and vegetables and was flavored very nicely.

Jidori Karaage

I couldn't help but chuckle when I heard a description of Jidori chicken (Japanese free range chicken) as being the Kobe Beef of chicken. It's like Kurobuta (black pork) is commonly referred to as the Kobe Beef of pork. What is the fascination of having to come up with fancy analogies for food. I have to admit though...I do prefer all of the so called "Kobe" versions of meats. So to say that I was excited to eat the Jidori Karaage, was an understatement. One of my favorite foods happen to be karaage so when I saw this on the menu I was thoroughly excited. Unfortunately I was let down. It lacked the flavoring of your typical karaage. The chicken itself was juicy and succulent but lacked seasoning. :(

Yaki Nasu Miso Denkaku

The Yaki Nasu Miso Denkaku is a grilled eggplant served with a miso paste. The flavoring of this particular dish was quite nice. I personally found that there was too much miso paste. I found it a bit overpowering and the flavor of the nasubi (eggplant) was lost.

Totto Tokusei Morioka Stlye Reimen

This was another "special" item that is served at Yakitori Totto. The waitress informed us that they only serve 5 servings of this dish a night. That alone made this very enticing and intriguing. Luckily we went there when they opened and we were able to secure one of these dishes. Reimen is similar to the more famous ramen, but it is cold noodles. The Morioka style reimen is served with kimchee (Korean seasoned vegetables), boiled egg, apples, chicken, and cucumber. I don't care for kimchee, but I had to at least sample this dish because it was so limited.

Bonchiri

This is another one of the limited items at Yakitori Totto. The bonchiri (chicken tails) is one the main reasons I love this place! This item seems like it should be on some episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. I never knew that chickens have tails let alone that they are edible. Leave it to us Japanese....we eat every damn part of the chicken and everything in the sea. I know it sounds gross, but the chicken tail is really tasty. They are very fatty and juicy. When you bite into them you get a nice pop. An explosion of flavor and juiciness. The flavor is almost like eating chicken skin. This is an absolute must!

Kawa

Speaking of chicken skin. Whenever I dine at a yakitori establishment I always order kawa (chicken skin). I can't help myself, I love fatty foods that are really bad for me. My motto is that if it taste good than its got to be bad for you. Unfortunately the kawa here was not executed very good. The skin could have been a little more crispy and the seasoning could have been more flavorful.

Kobe Beef Gyutan

I just recently started to eat beef tongue. I remember as a kid my parents used try to trick me to eat tongue. They always say "oh yes, that's beef" and then I would bite into and instantly know that they had tricked me. But now I am starting to appreciate it. Here's that term again...."Kobe Beef" So when I saw that this was Kobe beef gyutan (tongue), I knew I had to give it a try. I've kind of grown accustomed to eating gyutan (tongue) that is thinly sliced so when this came out and it was thick chunks I was taken aback. But nonetheless it was delicious.

Teba

Teba (chicken wings) is another staple that I always order when I go to yakitori restaurants. To be honest, there was nothing to write home about. The chicken wings were seasoned well and they were nicely cooked. The teba was ordinary, nothing spectacular.

Pirikara Mune Niku

This dish sounded much better than it actually was. The Pirikara Mune Niku which is breast meat topped with a spicy sauce was actually too dry for my taste and the spicy sauce was not all that flavorful. Perhaps if the chicken breast was actually marinated in this sauce it might have tasted better, but this dish was just not doing anything for me.

Miso Dare Mune Niku

This was probably my favorite mune niku dishes (chicken breast) of the night. The flavor of the special miso sauce was really tasty. I know that breast meat usually tends to get a little dry, but this skewer actually was executed very nicely and was cooked just right.

Tori Negi Don

I love the concept of this dish especially because we were eating this dish at a yakitori restaurant. This donburi (rice bowl dish) was served with charbroiled chicken on top of the rice and then a raw egg was cracked on top and then mixed. I love that this dish incorporated the two different stages of the chicken: from egg to chicken. I just wish I took the picture before we mixed it all up :(

Shishito Tsukune

Another dish that I've grown to like recently is tsukune (chicken meatball). This dish is one that I have never seen before. Tsukune married with one of my all time favorite peppers; the shishito pepper. Wow!!! This was fantastic. The balance of flavors between the sweetness of the sauce on the tsukune with the tanginess/spiciness of the shishito was wonderful.

Yawaraka Annin Tofu

This dessert was a creamy tofu apricot pudding. Sounded much more intriguing than it actually was. If you're into desserts that are Very light in flavor, this is the dessert for you.

Mochi Ice Cream

Well we were a little skeptical of this dessert when we saw it on the menu. We were thinking that the Mochi Ice Cream was going to be like the ones you can go out and buy at the supermarket, but when our waitress informed us that they make there own mochi (rice cakes) we were all over it like white on rice. Well...like white on mochi. The mochi was abosolutely delectable and delicate. There was no doubt the mochi was freshly made and the kinako powder (soybean powder) on top of the mochi ice cream was excellent. Hands down the BEST mochi ice cream EVER!!!!!

Yakitori Totto
251 West 55nd Street 2nd Floor
New York, NY. 10019
212-245-4555

Kill 3 birds with 1 stone? (Mastro's Steakhouse, Costa Mesa)

2008-09-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

Kill 3 birds with 1 stone? I know that sounds weird, but that's what we did. We were celebrating both my niece's and my wife's birthdays. You may ask yourself "well, where's the third you're talking about?" Well the third one is that I've been wanting to eat a Mastro's Steakhouse for quite some time now. And finally we got to go :) I've heard nothing but good chatter about Mastro's so it's been really tempting me. Was it worth the wait and did it live up to my expectations? The answer to both of those question is an emphatic YES!

Some of my family members have been to the Mastro's in Beverly Hills, so they decided that they wanted to try the Costa Mesa location. Either way was fine by me, it could of been all the way down in San Diego for all I cared, as long as I got to try it. I have nothing to compared it to, but the Costa Mesa location was quite large and very nice. They even had a live band playing some nice tunes as well. My mother took my nephew and niece over to go watch the band perform and they even go to up and play the maracas with the band! They were all excited and had a lot of fun! Another fun thing that evening took place in the restroom. When I went with nephew to the restroom he told me that there was a man in there who opens the doors for you and other stuff as well. Upon exiting there restroom the attendant handed us paper towels to dry our hands and opened the door for us. Seeing the look on my nephew's face was priceless. He was beside himself. He then whispered to me "uncle, they treat us like we're kings" I thought that was cool that he got that much enjoyment from that experience. I'll remember that forever! But the best thing of the night was being there with my family and celebrating two very special girls in my life.

Crab Cakes

I know that I'm slightly biased, but the one served at Alpenrose is much better than the one served here. I should really stop trying crab cakes at other restaurants. Don't get me wrong...the one at Mastro's is definitely very good.

Colossal Onion Rings

Look...I didn't title these onion rings as colossal on my own. That's what they're really called and for good reason. These onion rings are truly Colossal and good. One order of these can definitely feed the whole table.

Shoestring Potatoes

One thing that should be said about Mastro's is that you really get what you pay for...in portion and in quality. This order of shoestring potatoes were absurdly plentiful and scrumptious.

Toasted Cheese Ravioli

I think by the time the toasted cheese raviolis came we knew we were in way over our heads on this one. Our main course had not even come out and we were all saying that we were getting full. These raviolis were delicious though. I still ate two of them :) Everyone was in agreement that the sauce was what made this appetizer sooo good.

2004 Harlan Estate

As if this night wasn't indulgent enough, my brother who should be named "Mr. Vino" brought this 2004 Harlan Estate wine from his collection. For those who are wine aficionados, you will know that this wine is not only good but very expensive as well. Thanks big bro for sharing!

Chilled Crab Legs

Ever since my wife has been pregnant, she's had this food aversion towards red meat. She used to love eating good steak but now she just can't get herself to eating it. Poor soul! So in lieu of eating beef, she opted to order the appetizer portion of the King Crab Legs. The crab legs were excellent. I am not much of crab eater but they really sweet and delicious. If all crab tasted like this I would eat it more often. Another thing we learned that night was that my nephew really likes crab legs. He kept on asking for more :)

Bone In Filet

Unbeknownst to me, the Bone In Filet is Mastro's signature steak and understandably. Lucky me...several people decided on the filet so I was able to sample :) Granted I rarely order filets but I would have to say that this might have been the best filet I've ever had.

"Chef's Cut" Bone In Ribeye with Creamed Corn & Gorgonzola Mac n' Cheese

I was debating whether or not to get the "Chef's Cut" or the regular portion of the Bone In Ribeye. As you can see here, I decided on the bigger cut. I couldn't manage the whole 33oz, but I did take some home and ate it with shoyu (soy sauce) and gohan (rice) the next day :) That was the best! Two of the sides that we ordered for the whole table was the Creamed Corn and the Gorgonzola Mac n' Cheese. I like to call Mastro's Creamed Corn the "Kick Ass Creamed Corn". That was really good! The Gorgonzola Mac n' Cheese sounded better than it actually was :( The steak on the other hand, was just phenomenal! After some thought and deliberation, I would have to say this was most definitely the second best steak house just slightly behind Wolfgang Puck's CUT. I now could see why there is so much chatter about how good the food is at Mastro's Steakhouse.

Creme Brule

The creme brule was really good and plentiful!

Carrot Cake

This carrot cake was the complimentary dessert for celebrating the birthdays. I am not the least the carrot cake fan, but it was okay. And I guess for me to say it was okay, it must have been pretty good.

Warm Butter Cake

This is definitely the best dessert at Mastro's! The warm butter cake is soooo good that you know that it can't be good for anyone's diet. The cake tastes buttery sweet and the ice cream balances the whole thing out. Oh so good!

Mastro's Steakhouse
633 Anton Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA. 92626
714-546-7405

A night of excess alcohol (Maggiano's Little Italy, Los Angeles)

2008-09-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by saying, I haven't taken that many shots in awhile. On this particular night we were celebrating one of my best friend's birthday and did we ever celebrate. Although I would have preferred that it stayed a celebration of my friends birthday, but it so happened this was the first time that we all got together after everyone hearing that me and "Mrs. Gohan" were expecting our first child (Baby Gohan). So as you can imagine that night was full of celebrations. Even the bartender hooked us up some healthy shots and even gave me a "special" shot. He actually poured me a shot of a more expensive cognac and charged us for less :) Every time I get together with my friends I always leave thinking we should do this more often.....DAMN "adult" life and all of our responsibilities. Perhaps it's all for the better, maybe we'll party too much and we'd all be bums. Lucky for me though, after diner "Mrs. Gohan" and I went home, but my friends continued the party back at home and I guess things got a little hectic. LMAO. Yo G.... remind me that you're not invited to any "house warming" parties anymore. LOL

Maggiano's first of all was really hard for me to find. I haven't been here in years and I got a little lost walking around The Grove. After finally arriving there I was a bit surprised that it wasn't as crowded as I had remembered it. Perhaps the economy pinch is affecting everyone. But the food was decent. Like always it seems like when you get together with some friends, the food somehow takes a back seat to interaction with friends. All I remember is that we ordered way too much food.

Bruschetta

We started off the night by ordering some appetizers and decided on this brushetta. The brushetta was very nice. The bread was nice and crunchy and the tomatoes relish was very refreshing and a good start to the night.

Calamari Fritte

I usually don't eat calamari but I tend to eat stuff I usually don't order when I go in large groups. I guess that's one of the benefits of eating in a large group. I don't have to get stuck with a whole order of something I usually don't order. The calamari fritte was very nicely prepared. They were very tasty!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Couldn't they have come up with a better name? Many of the other menu items have nice fancy Italian names for the items. I guess I'll forgive them this time, but they should really come up with a "fancy" name. These stuffed mushrooms which are cooked in white wine and chicken broth are really delicious. They were juicy and really tasty!

Lobster Ravioli

I just love the creaminess and richness of lobster raviolis and Maggiano's is no exception. My biggest gripe with lobster raviolis or lobster bisques is that it tends to be too rich for a whole meal, that's why I like when other people order it or when the whole table orders it to share.

Angel Hair, Coach Joey Z's Pomodoro Sauce

Unfortunately I don't remember too much about this dish other than that it was decent. And who the hell is Coach Joey Z?

Prime New York Strip

I'd have to say that this was the best entree of the night. The New York Strip was very tender and juicy. The steak was perfectly seasoned and I especially liked that they finish the steak off with garlic butter. There are some things in my book that make anything taste better and garlic and butter happen to be on that list.

Braised Beef Cannelloni

I think they need to something with the presentation of this dish. This dish was okay. I love braised beef, but I thought that it was a little too salty and extremely rich and heavy. It just sounded too good to pass up, but I guess was only slightly right.

Maggiano's Little Italy
189 The Grove Drive Z80
Los Angeles, CA. 90036
323-965-9665

The elite of dim sum restaurants? (Elite Restaurat, Monterey Park)

2008-09-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Elite Restaurant in Monterey Park is often touted as one of the premier dim sum restaurants around. Those are very high accolades considering there seems to be thousands of these restaurants strewn across the San Gabriel Valley. Almost everyday around lunch time you can see a mob of people waiting patiently to get inside, which is a true sign of an "elite" restaurant. Elite even added seats outside for people to wait.
One afternoon in the middle of the week we decided to have lunch here. Even for a weekday we had to wait 15-20 minutes. I had previously eaten dinner at this establishment when it was called New Concept, but this was my first experience eating at Elite Restaurant. The thought of dim sum conjures up images of people pushing these pushcarts throughout the restaurant offering a variety of different dishes, but at Elite it is not like that. You have to order off of the menu and the dishes come made to order from the kitchen. What a Delight! I was told by one of my best friends, that's how it is served in Hong Kong. He explained to me that pushcarts are totally an American phenomenon. The food is always served piping hot made to order. If you ask me, I prefer it this way. I like my food to come out hot! But be forewarned....they do not speak much English here.

Beef Chow Fun

This dish happened to be one of my favorites. I really love Chow Fun noodles. I actually prefer them over Chow Mein or almost any noodle period. Elite's version was very tasty!

Beef Short Rib with Chili & Black Bean Sauce

Now this dish absolutely delicious! The short ribs are soooo tasty and good, but there's hardly anything to eat on these short ribs. This dish is like 90% cartilage/bone and 10% meat. You basically have to suck the ribs just to taste, forget about chewing.

Crystal Shrimp Har Gow

These have to be my absolute favorite dish at dim sum restaurants. I love shrimp har gow! The Elite version comes with huge shrimps wrapped in the skin and it is absolutely scrumptious.

Dry Scallop Roll Fun

To be honest.... as I am writing this blog, I really don't remember much about this dish. :( Sorry about that. I am pretty sure it was good though, because pretty much everything that comes out of their kitchen is pretty good.

Fried Shrimp Dumplings

These golden fried dumplings were damn good! Crispy golden packages with a great shrimp filling. I could have just eaten those all day and would have been satisfied.

Pork Shui-Mai

Shui-Mai is another one of my favorite dim sum dishes. But unfortunately, this dish did not meet my expectations. Perhaps I set my expectations too high or perhaps Elite has raised the bar so high on other dishes that this dish lacked that special something. Who knows... It's probably just me.

Shrimp with Asparagus Rice Noodle

The consistency of the rice noodle was a little too slippery and gooey for my taste, on top of that I really don't care for asparagus. Nice combination, huh? I am sure most people would love this dish, but it just wasn't my cup of tea!

Jin Dui (Sesame Balls)

Believe it or not. This was the first time I've ever tried these. They came out nice and warm and delicious. The slightly sweet treat was perfect!

Macau Roasted Pork

I've saved the best for last. The Macau Roasted Pork has got to be one the best dishes here. The pork has a nice crisp crust on the outside and the rest is so juicy and succulent. The crust is crispy with a hint of sugar. This dish has a nice contrasting element to the dish. The crispiness of the crust and the succulence of the meat is a match made in heaven!

Elite Restaurant
700 South Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA. 91754
626-282-9998

The Best Carnitas & Rice (La Luz Del Dia, Los Angeles)

2008-09-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

My in-laws are responsible for my addiction to this place. La Luz Del Dia in Olvera Street is simply the best! I love this place. They have the best carnitas and Spanish rice that I have ever tasted. I guess when my father in-law used to work in Downtown he used to go here for lunch all the time and thanks to him, I'm now hooked :)
We used to only go when we were in the area or we would go and eat there before we would go to Lakers games, but now we even go all the way out there just to eat the carnitas and rice. Despite having to drive 10 to 15 minutes and spending another 5 to 10 minutes driving around looking for parking (I usually give up and pay $5 for parking for only 30 minutes that we spend eating) it is well worth the pain.
The succulent carnitas are hand shredded and cooked to perfection. They are tender and perfectly seasoned. Delicious! For awhile they went to this automatic meat shredder that produced a texture that was unappetizing and seemed too commercialized. I am glad that they did away with that God awful machine and reverted back to the good old way of hand shredding. Another outstanding item which might even surpass their carnitas is their rice. Their rice is sooooo tasty! The rice is perfectly cooked and is light, fluffy, and moist. I don't know what it is, but La Luz Del Dia's rice is so much better than any other place I've been to. Their tortillas are also very good! They can be seeing made by hand right there in front of you, so you know they are fresh and good. Not quite as good as I've had in Mexico, but nonetheless, they are fresh and good. I would recommend this place to anyone in a heartbeat!

Carnitas Plate with rice

Hand Made Tortillas

As if all the carnitas and rice wasn't enough, we head down Olvera Street to get our filling of some good old taquitos. I know a lot of people like eating taquitos at the place on the corner, but it's so damn expensive for taquitos. Besides when you order taquitos there, they only give you one per order. What's up with that? Granted their taquitos are good but, I'd rather get my fix at this small joint. Its called El Rancho Grande. In my opinion their taquitos are pretty comparable and you get the normal serving of two taquitos per order. I love drizzling some of their hot sauce on the taquitos to give it that extra kick. The taquitos almost serve as a "dessert" if you will to the meal at La Luz Del Dia. It caps off my meal perfectly. I could go home full and satisfied :)

Taquitos

La Luz Del Dia
1 Olvera Street
Los Angeles, CA. 90189
213-628-7495

Juicy! (Din Tai Fung, Arcadia)

2008-09-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

One word..... Juicy! Din Tai Fung in Arcadia is famous for their juicy dumplings. I remember hearing about this place years ago, but I never had the urge to wait in line to eat dumplings. Those who know me, know that I am not the most patient person in the world, especially when it comes to waiting in lines, but one day I gave it a try... and to be honest I didn't care for it all that much. I didn't get it. I couldn't understand what all that fuss was about. But a few weeks passed and for some odd reason, I had a craving for Din Tai Fung. Ever since then I get these cravings and now I understand why there are so many people eating here. Perhaps the mystique of the place preceded the restaurant at first. My expectations were more than likely too high and there was a slight let down during my first visit. Now that they opened their new location (which I think is the most stupid place to have it) I tend to go more frequently because the wait is not what it used to be. I just don't understand why they would open another location right behind the original. Why didn't they just connect the two and just expand in size? But hey what do I know?

Juicy Pork Dumpling

What's the reason for all the fuss? Juicy dumplings. These dumplings are just Devine. The dumplings are not your ordinary dumpling with some kind of filling. These dumplings have soup inside each dumpling, so when you bite into them, you get a burst of this flavorful soup with the dumpling. Yummmy!!! Din Tai Fung has other menu items, but in my opinion all the other items on the menu can be had at other restaurants. Over the years we've tried many different items and we keep on coming back to the tried and true.... juicy pork dumplings.

Pork Chop Fried Rice

Now when ever we go, we don't even bother to try other stuff. We just order the juicy pork dumplings and we also get the Pork Chop Fried Rice. The fried rice is nice and light in flavor and the pork chop is juicy and extremely flavorful. I just can't help myself. I keep on finding myself wanting to eat here.

Din Tai Fung
1108 S. Balwin Avenue
Arcadia, CA. 91007
626-574-7068

Yummm! (Donut Man, Glendora)

2008-08-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

When I first learned of Donut Man, I knew I had to try it. But I kept on having this reoccurring conversation in my head. 'damn, it's so far away, but it looks sooooo good! , but damn it's far away'. After having this debate with myself over and over, I finally gave in and drove all the way out to Glendora to try the Almighty Donut Man. Donut Man is located on Route 66. Whenever I hear Route 66, for some reason or another it conjures up thoughts of an old dusty road in the middle of the desert. But on this road and in this desert, lies a pure oasis. Donut Man is simply Devine as far as donuts are concerned.

As soon as I woke up that one morning I knew there was something special about that day. I was finally going to make the trek out to Donut Man. Mr's Gohan couldn't help but laugh at me. I have to admit I was pretty excited. On the drive there I couldn't help but to revert back and act like a little boy on special road trip. I kept on thinking to myself 'are we there yet, are we there yet?'

Finally we arrived and I have to admit, I was beside myself. It was kind of weird. I can't recall the last time I was this excited about going somewhere to eat, especially for donuts. As we approached the window to order, we were eyeing all the different donuts and getting our order ready. But we knew what we were here for....fresh strawberry donuts. The fresh and light glazed donut made to perfection were sliced in half with a dollop of fresh strawberries in the middle. Trust me it doesn't get any better than this! We also ended up ordering a Bear Claw, some sort of donut with cream cheese, and a butter milk donut. They were all scrumptious! But the consensus was that the cream cheese with raspberry swirl was the best besides the strawberries. Unfortunately, the swirl portion was stuck to the paper when we got back home :(

Fresh Strawberry Donuts

Cream Cheese Donut

Butter Milk Donut

Bear Claw

Donut Man definitely is one of the best donut shops ever! Whenever strawberries are in season, I will definitely make the pilgrimage out to Glendora to get me some scrumptious donuts. Donut Man also serves a fresh peach donut when they are in season as well. I'll have to give that a try someday.

Donut Man
915 E. Route 66
Glendora, CA. 91740
626-335-9111

Family Style Eating (Buca di Beppo, Pasadena)

2008-08-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't been to Buca di Beppo in YEARS, but the one thing I remembered was that the portions were enormous. The dishes here are definitely meant to be shared family style. On this occasion we were celebrating one of my best friend's birthday. It was a blast! With everyone's busy "adult" lives, getting together with good friends is not as easy as it once was. Oh, how I miss the good old days when we were up to no good hanging out everyday. Life has sure changed but the one constant is that we'll all be friends for life!
It is a definite must to eat family style at Buca other wise you'll only get to have one or two dishes to eat. On this occasion we were able to sample a myriad of dishes that all sounded delectable, and not to mention all the beer that we drank. Usually I'm no too fond of chain restaurants, but I have to say dinner was pretty good. Sometimes dining experiences are heavily influenced by other factors other than the food. Perhaps this may have been the case, but I would have to say I left fully satiated and happy!

Buca Trio Platter

This appetizer platter consisted of Fried Calamari, Pesto Bucacini (which are fried risotto balls filled with sun-dried tomatoes & mozzarella), and the Prosciutto Stuffed Mushrooms which were baked. Initially I thought that I was going to enjoy the Pesto Bucacini, but the Prosciutto Stuffed Mushrooms were the star of this platter.... bravo!

Baked Ravioli

The baked ravioli sounded much better than it actually tasted. This dish was a chain restaurant product through and through. The marinara sauce tasted very generic and the ravioli themselves were okay. All in all this dish was decent, but I would not order them again.

Meatballs

These were absolutely enormous. Each meatball weighed half a pound! I am just glad that we went with a bunch of people, because there is no way I would've ordered a half pound meatball on my own. The meatballs were actually one of my favorite dishes of the night.

Special Penne

When we asked our waitress for any recommendations, she had recommended this special of the night which was not on the menu. This penne dish was my absolute favorite of the night. The penne was served with chicken and some herbs with red chili peppers. This dish was simply delicious. I just wish that it was on the regular menu. Yummmm!

Chicken Saltimbocca

This dish consisted of chicken breast, prosciutto, artichoke hearts, capers, with a lemon butter sauce. Mrs. Gohan liked this dish strictly on the fact that it had artichoke hearts although the chicken itself was a little dry and uneventful.

Porcheta Rustica

The Porchetta Rustica was a pork loin served with a red wine and balsamic vinegar sauce with blueberries (yes I said blueberries), capers, and hazelnuts. Similar to the the Chicken Saltimbocca, the pork dish was a little too dry. The flavoring of the dish however was quite nice. I never had a pork dish with blueberries. I always think of apple sauce but not blueberries. In fact, the blueberries complimented the pork very nicely!

Tiramisu

For some reason or another I find myself eating a lot of tiramisu lately. It's not that I like it that much, but for some reason I am eating quite a bit of it. I did not care too much for Bucca di Beppo's version. The flavoring of rum was way too overpowering!

Chocolate Vesuvio

This dessert was definitely a heavy dessert. The chocolate cake must have weighed a couple of pounds, or maybe that's how many pounds I was putting on eating all this food :)

Buca di Beppo
80 W. Green Street
Pasadena, CA. 91105
626-792-7272

So Much To Choose From (Sake House Ichiza, Las Vegas)

2008-08-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

This was our last meal after a long week in Las Vegas. I can't say that I was craving Asian food, because we ate at Lotus of Siam a couple of nights before, but I think we were all craving Japanese food. The last time we ate at Sake House Ichiza, it was during lunch time and if you have ever been here before you know that there lunch menu is very limited. Now with the knowledge, we returned for dinner and there was so much to choose from! Besides the items on the menu, there were a lot of items written up on pieces of paper and taped all along the walls. Sake House Ichiza is truly an Izakaya (Japanese style tapas) type restaurant. After a long tiresome week and with our hashis (Japanese for chopsticks) in hand, we were ready to eat!

Korokke

Korokke is the Japanese version of a Croquette. True to form, the Japanese always seem to borrow another country's idea and make it their own. Growing up as a kid, I didn't particularly care for Korokke, but this Korokke was very good. The outside was nice and crispy and the inside was not too heavy.

Chicken Tatsuta-Age

To be honest with you, I don't know the difference between Chicken Kara-Age or Tatsuta-Age. They are basically the same thing. It is a Japanese style fried chicken. When I was living in Japan I used to eat chicken karaage almost everyday. It has to be one of my favorite dishes. So, whenever I see it on the menu, I always order it, but I have to admit, this was one of my least favorite dishes at Ichiza.

Bacon Wrapped Mochi

I would have to say the Bacon Wrapped Mochi (Japanese rice ball) intrigued me the most. Conceptually this item sounded too good to pass up, but it somehow did not live up to my expectations. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I wished it was a little better. Don't get me wrong you can never go wrong with bacon and rice. I just wish that the bacon flavor was a little more predominant and I was also hoping this dish would have been a little more crunchy on the outside. Nonetheless, the bacon wrapped mochi was pretty good.

Cubed Steak

We couldn't resist ordering this dish. I know personally, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to eat meat and rice. The meat wasn't anything special, but whenever you can have meat with gohan (rice) you're good to go!

Ginkgo Nuts

When I was in elementary school, we used to have a ginkgo tree right outside our classroom. The one thing I remember is that every time the fruit would fall to the ground and someone would step on it, it would emit an odor that you'll never forget. How someone ever wanted to eat these is something that leaves me to wonder. Now that I am a grown adult I don't mind eating the ginkgo nuts every now and then.

Gyoza

Now these aren't my mom's gyoza(Japanese Dumplings), but for a restaurant they were pretty good. Typically, I don't even bother ordering gyoza, because I know that I'll end up comparing them to my mom's home made gyoza, but these were pretty good.

Kushi-Katsu

Kushi-Katsu are basically the same thing as Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlet), but they are bite sized cubes on a skewer with onions. I just love kushi-katsu! It's like eating tonkatsu and onion rings on a stick.

Mochi Tempura

This is one dish that sounded better than it actually was. I guess we couldn't pass up on a dish that had the word mochi (Japanese rice cake) and tempura. Sounds like a match made in heaven. However, the execution of this dish was nowhere near heaven. It was not crunchy and it lacked flavor.

Shishito

For some reason or another, I ALWAYS seem to get the super hot shishito peppers. For those who have never tried these peppers, for the most part they are not the least bit hot, but beware of the few that are extremely hot! This dish was plain and straight forward nothing to get excited about.

Sasami

Sasami is the Japanese terminology referring to chicken breast tenderloin fillets. These were perfectly deep fried with a panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and topped with yamaimo (grated Japanese yam). The chicken itself was juicy and delicious! The only problem for me was the yamaimo. I really don't care for the gooey texture of yamaimo.

Teba

The teba (chicken wings) was another straight forward dish. The teba was cooked nicely in a yakitori style fashion except having the nice charcoal/wood taste of top echelon yakitori restaurants.

Tofu Steak

There are some items on menus that may seem to be the most plain or boring and turn out to be one of the best tasting dishes of the night. The Tofu Steak was definitely one of those dishes. The tofu was cooked with some type of miso based seasoning that was absolutely delicious!

Yaki-Onigiri

Yaki-Onigiri (grilled rice balls) are one of my all-time favorite dishes ever! The crunchy outside and the soft and warm inside of the yaki onigiri is simply too good to pass up. The best yaki onigiris are the ones that are cooked with care. Too many places make a generic version that is cooked too fast and not seasoned enough with shoyu (soy sauce). The one here at Ichiza was a 6 on a scale of 10.

Soy Milk Mousse

The thing that hooked us on this dessert after reading the menu was that this dessert was served with black molasses and kinako (soybean flour). In Japan, these items are usually associated with mochi and is widely eaten. I would have to say that personally I was disappointed with this dessert because it was too bland. :(

Japanese Pudding

Japanese pudding is a staple on almost every menu at Japanese restaurants. I remember as kid, my mom used to make pudding all the time because it was my sister's favorite dessert. Ichiza's version was pretty decent but not the greatest.

Honey Toast

If you've read my write about Tokyo Table's version of the Honey Toast, you'll know how much I love this dessert. I thought that it couldn't get much better than Tokyo Table's version but I think I've found a new king of Honey Toast. Ichiza's Honey Toast is absolutely phenominal!

Sake House Ichiza
4335 Spring Mountain Road
Suite# 205
Las Vegas, NV. 89107
702-367-3151

Lunch time @ trade show (Nathan's & Grand Luxe, Las Vegas)

2008-08-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

Working all week long at a trade show is definitely tiresome. Food options are very limited and at times very blah. With the limited time that we had for lunch, we were limited to going to pick up lunch at the food court. And when you're at a convention for 6 days there is only so many places you could go. One bright spot was picking up lunch at the Grand Lux Cafe at the Venetian. The one dish that has become a sort of a tradition is their Sunday Night Pasta. The Sunday Night Pasta sauce is a meat sauce that has braised short ribs along with onions, mushrooms, and garlic. This dish is hearty and delicious. The portions are huge and can be easily shared. Another dish that we ordered was the Pasta Carbonara. The Carbonara was surprisingly very good. Many restaurants that serve a Carbonara tend to be overly rich and heavy, which was not the case at Grand Lux Cafe. And the applewood smoked bacon flavor was perfect. One of my new favorites is the Short Rib Grilled Cheese Sandwich. This sandwich was really good. In my opinion this grilled cheese sandwich rivals the one at Table 8 restaurant in Hollywood. And if you don't know, Table 8's sandwich was featured on Oprah Winfrey's television show. That's how good I thought the one at Grand Lux Cafe tasted. Maybe something in the casino's air had something to with it. Another place that we ordered from is Nathan's Famous. I've eaten at at Nathan's in New York before and to be honest... it's good but not worthy of the hype. The best hot dog that I've had is still at Gray's Papaya. All in all, the lunches at the trade show were okay.

Sunday Night Pasta

Pasta Carbonara

Short Rib Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Nathan's Hot Dog

Grand Lux Cafe
3355 Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV. 89109
702-414-3888

Nathan's Famous
3555 Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV. 89109
702-693-6212

Another Pleasant Surprise (Todd's Unique Dining, Henderson)

2008-07-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

Yet another pleasant surprise in the Las Vegas area. Conventional thinking would say that the best restaurants are on the strip. I am now convinced that this is not the case. Todd's Unique Dining provided me with more supporting evidence that the best dining is found off the strip. Just like Lotus of Siam and Rosemary's, Todd's is located in the middle of nowhere in a non-descript strip mall. We were in Las Vegas for a trade show and we were dining with one our clients. And let me tell you he is quite the comedian. He gave the perfect description of how far Todd's seemed. While driving out there he asked "where are you guys taking me? I think we're almost by my neighborhood". Keep in mind he's from Michigan. It truly seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere, but definitely worth the drive. Chef Todd did not disappoint.

Appetizer Sampler

We started off with an appetizer sampler. The food seemed to have a little Asian influence as evident in the sampler. The sampler consisted of pan fried Pork Dumpling with a soy dipping sauce, Scallops, Dungeness Crab Cake, and Malaysian BBQ Shrimp. All the sauces had a spicy Asian flare to them. My favorites were the scallop and the dumpling.

Kobe Skirt Steak on Fire

This dish was recommended by the waiter. He said that this was his personal and then, the entire staff's favorite dish. So you know I had to order it! It was a Kobe Skirt Steak served with a type of chili. The chili was comprised of Chinese fermented black beans and Togarashi (Japanese spice). This dish was definitely on fire. The meat was fork tender and the explosion of flavors were at the forefront.

Copper River Salmon

Luckily for me, it happened to be that the Copper River Salmon was in season. From what I was told, the Copper River Salmon is only in available for a week or two. So to my delight, I was able to sample some of the most highly prized salmon and it did not disappoint. The salmon was rich, moist, and delectable!

Braised Boneless Short Rib

From what I can recall, the Braised Boneless Short Rib was definitely delicious, but obviously not overwhelmingly memorable. I can't recall the flavor composition of the dish. I do, however, remember that it was very tender and moist. Perhaps, I can't remember because the flavors were a lot more subtle compared to the Kobe Skirt Steak on Fire.

Killer Chocolate Cake

With a name like 'Killer Chocolate Cake' it'd better be the bomb! Unfortunately, it was not even close to being the best. In my humble opinion, the Killer Chocolate Cake did not live up to its name, although I did like the presentation.

Chocolate Crunch Mousse Cake

No.... You are not seeing doubles. And No... I didn't post the same dessert. The Chocolate Crunch Mousse Cake looks similar but it is definitely different. This should have been the dessert named Killer Chocolate Cake. This dessert was far superior compared to the fore mentioned dessert.

Banana Foster

I would have to say, the only disappointing thing about this dessert was that this dessert was not prepared table side. Otherwise, the Banana Foster was excellent!

Loquat Cobbler

Now, this was the dessert that intrigued me the most. As a kid I remember climbing my Uncle & Aunt's loquat tree and grabbing the biggest loquats and devouring them. It has always been one of my favorite fruits, but I have never come across a dessert that incorporated these delicious fruits before. This cobbler was absolutely delicious!

Todd's Unique Dinning seemed like a quiet local place, but when we arrived the noise level went up several notches. At one point, even Chef Todd himself came out to see what all the noise and laughter was all about. Our stomachs were definitely sore from laughter that night, not to mention our full and satisfied stomachs. Chef Todd takes pride in his cooking and it shows! Yet another excellent restaurant that's off the strip. Oh yeah.... I forgot to mention. If you eat here, don't forget to order the Lyonnaise Potatoes. You definitely will not be disappointed. I guarantee!

Todd's Unique Dinning
4350 East Sunset Road
Henderson, Nevada. 89014
702-259-TODD(8633)

Gourmet dinning in a strip mall (Rosemary's, Las Vegas)

2008-07-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Another top-notch gourmet restaurant off the strip. Rosemary's totally solidifies my notion that the best dining experiences are not necessarily the most well known or on the strip in the mega casinos and hotels. Just like Lotus of Siam, Rosemary's is way off the strip in a non-descript strip mall. I would definitely have to say that my favorite restaurants in Las Vegas are off the strip. Hands down! A couple of years ago, on the Zagat guide, their were only two restaurants that were rated a 28. One was Lotus of Siam and the other was Rosemary's. Can you believe that? I could. The food here is simply delicious and the service is impeccable! Living in the Los Angeles area, I've grown accustomed to eating at fine dining restaurants that look like a fine dining establishment. Rosemary's truly is a hidden gem. Chances are, if you drove past it, you probably would have kept on driving, passing up a wonderful dining experience. On this particular occasion we were dining with business associates and we definitely got down to business... the business of eating that is. Luckily for me, practically everyone ordered something different, so I got to sample a little of everything :) Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph everyone's entree. I guess I got too excited.

Amuse BoucheThe night started off with the Amuse Bouche. This was a delightful start. An asparagus souffle that was a nice warm treat that started the night off right.

Cream Corn Soup

As far as cream corn soup goes, this one was okay... nothing to write home about. It was your standard cream corn soup, but nonetheless it was delicious.

Hugo's Texas BBQ Shrimp

I've tried this particular appetizer quite a few times now and it has yet to disappoint. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and the BBQ sauce was finger licking good!

Panko Crusted Crab Boulettes
Hands down the best appetizer of the night. I would have to say that these are the second best crab cakes I've ever had. The best one being at my sister's friend's restaurant up in Mammoth Lakes called Alpenrose. In the near future I'll post a blog on his restaurant. But these crab cakes are not too far behind. It was nice and crispy from the panko (Japanese bread crumbs) crust on the outside and nice and light on the inside.

Pan Fried Milk Fed Veal Sweetbreads
This was the first time I've tried sweetbreads. For some reason or another I had always thought that sweetbreads were the brain of a cow, until recently. So when someone on our table ordered this, I was eager to give it a try. I have to say I was surprised. It was not as fatty as I had envisioned. I thought it would be like eating bone marrow or something similar. It was definitely very good, but I'm not too sure if I'd order it for myself. Maybe to share, but not solely for myself.

Grilled Prime Flat Iron Steak
I believe this might have been the second time I've ordered this dish. I guess my eye and stomach tend to gravitate towards meat dishes on the menu. But I have to say, this entree was perfectly cooked to my liking and the meat was very tender and tasty. I'd order it for a third time!

Complimentary Desserts
Not only is this dessert good because it was free, but it was also pretty good on it's own merits. It consisted of a chocolate truffle, lemon dessert, and peanut butter ball with crispy rice. I have to say, the peanut butter one was my favorites!

Coconut Bread Pudding
I don't typically like desserts with coconut or breading puddings for that matter, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this dessert. It had a texture of typical bread pudding with a hint of coconut.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake
I've had other desserts that incorporated goat cheese, so this time around I wasn't as skeptical as others may have been. The cheesecake was a nice and light dessert that wasn't overly sweet.

Flourless Chocolate Cake
I REALLY can't help myself. Whenever I see a flourless chocolate cake on the menu, I have to order it. As far as chocolate cakes go, this one was slightly above average. I am not too sure if I'd order it again though.

Apple Tart
The apple tart was definitely one of the better apple desserts that I've had in a while. The outside was nice and light, yet crunchy and the apple was deliciously sweet.

Lemon Icebox
This was the surprise dessert of the night for me personally. The last time I had tried this dessert I wasn't really impressed. I am so glad that someone had ordered this dessert. I think this has become my favorite dessert at Rosemary's now!

Definitely, this is one of my top restaurants in Las Vegas! Unfortunately, I did not picture the other entrees that were ordered. One of my favorite dishes here is the Crispy Skin Striped Bass. This dish is absolutely a must. One of the more unique dishes that night was the Baramundi. I have never tried this type of fish before and so I was excited to taste it. The fish was very light and moist. One thing that should not be missed is the specials that Rosemary's offers. For instance, Wednesday nights is ladies night and all meals for the ladies are half off. One way you could look like a big shot without spending the big bucks. Check their website for other specials. Rosemary's is definitely one of the best restaurants in the Las Vegas area for sure.

Rosemary's Restaurant
8125 W. Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV. 89117
702-869-2251

Ono Grinds (Aloha Specialties, Las Vegas)

2008-07-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Eh, howzit brah? Aloha Specialties Restaurant at California Casino in downtown Las Vegas is absolutely Ono (Hawaiian for delicious). Every time we come to Las Vegas we have to come here and eat at least once. It is so good, sometimes we even eat there daily. There was once a time whenever you went to the Cal, you would run into someone from home. But nowadays, the Cal seems like a ghost town. Every time I go there it is empty. Maybe because it's become very run down and dingy. The only reason we go to the Cal now is to go eat upstairs at Aloha Specialties. There was a time when I used to try different things here, but I have narrowed my selection to just the Loco Moco and Spam Musubi. For those that don't know what a loco moco is.... it is a hamburger patty on top of a bed of Japanese rice with an egg on top with gravy poured all over. Typically, whenever I go to a Hawaiian style restaurant, I order Loco Moco. And here on the mainland, I have yet to have eaten a better Loco Moco. Aloha's loco moco is simply the best. I tried to narrow down what makes it this good, but the fact is that everything makes it this good. The hamburger meat, the gravy, and I think what is the most important factor, perhaps maybe its the journey that it takes to come here is what makes it special.

Loco Moco

Spam Musubi

Aloha Specialties Restaurant
12 E. Ogden Avenue
Las Vegas, NV. 89101
702-382-0338

Worth the trip ! (Lotus of Siam, Las Vegas)

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

First of all, I have to apologize for this posting. The short version of the story goes like this.... I forgot my camera. argh!!!! I couldn't believe it. How stupid could I be? The biggest reason I decided to bring my camera on this trip was for the sole purpose of taking pictures of one of my favorite restaurants Lotus of Siam. And I forgot. I contemplated whether or not to go back to the hotel and retrieve it, but i thought to myself 'oh well, I'll just have to come back again and take pictures'. So that's it for my apologies. I had to commandeer my sister's phone and use the camera from her phone to photograph the food. Believe me when I say that the pictures do not do the food justice!
Let me start off by saying that Lotus of Siam is one of my all-time favorites! The food here is absolutely delicious. The one thing that I've discovered over the past few years is that some of the best restaurants in Las Vegas are off the strip. Lotus of Siam truly lives up to this idea. The first time we ever went to Lotus we were Really reluctant. We actually drove past it a couple of times and when we got there we were very skeptical. Lotus is located off the strip in a dive of a strip mall right next to a dingy looking massage parlor. But boy was the food worth the trip!
One of everyone's favorites is the Bacon Wrapped Shrimp. The shrimp is wrapped with bacon and is deep fried with a crispy won ton skin. These make for the perfect appetizer treats! Another to die for dish is their Crab Fried Rice. This has got to be one of the best fried rices around. I don't see crab fried rice offered very often so its hard for me to compare to other restaurants. Yet another very delicious dish is the Scallops with Garlic Sauce. I typically don't like scallops because they can tend to be a bit chewy, but the scallops here are like butter and the sauce... forget about it! It's so good that after all the scallops are gone, I get the left over sauce and pour it over my rice. Over the past few years we've come to know the menu fairly well and now have our standards. Keep in mind that you could ask the waiter to tailor the heat level of the food to your liking as some dishes could completely burn your taste buds. One of the most unique items on the menu that I have yet to see anywhere else is their Crispy Rice. The deep fried rice is both citrussy and a bit spicy. The texture and taste of this dish is out of this world. The Spicy Beef Salad is another dish that is very delicious, but this is one of those dishes that you may want to ask for medium heat, unless you like heat. Yummm!!! I know that this is sounding monotonous, but yet again... Another delicious dish is the Steamed Sea Bass. The sea bass is so delicate and moist and is also an absolute must! For all the people that know me well and know my eating peculiarities, I don't often eat much seafood, but all my favorite dishes at Lotus of Siam are seafood. Weird... or maybe not. Just depends on how it is prepared. Good food is good food! There were three new items that we tried on this particular visit to Lotus. One was the Crispy Pork. This dish happened to be my least favorite of the night. The flavors were just not that impressive as the other dishes. The second dish that was new to us was the Fried Wonton that had ground chicken inside. The wontons were just okay, nothing special. Right when I started to think that we should have just stuck to our regulars the last dish came out. It was the Sliced Beef with Tamarind Sauce. The beef was perfectly cooked and had a nice flavor of BBQ and the tamarind sauce complimented the meat nicely. This dish will definitely become one of my regulars. To cap off the night we ordered the Fried Bananas that were wrapped in a wonton skin and fried. This dessert was actually pretty good. We were all thinking that it would have been better if it was served ala mode! Lotus of Siam is definitely worth the trip!

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Crispy Rice

Crab Fried Rice

Spicy Beef Salad

Scallops with Garlic Sauce

Steamed Sea Bass

Crispy Pork

Fried Dumplings

Sliced Beef with Tamarind Sauce

Fried Bananas

Lotus of Siam
953 E. Sahara Blvd
Las Vegas, NV. 89104
702-735-3033