Heart Breaker: Daikokuya April 22, 2008

I suppose I should not repeat the kinds of vocabularies that came of my month, but you can probably imagine the tantrum I threw after I saw this sign posted on the door of my favorite ramen joint, Daikokuya.  A flood of tears inevitably followed.  

Until I can compose myself, I’m going to indulge in Keizo’s blog, Go Ramen!, and pretend that I was there slurping the ramen noodle swimming in flavorful pork broth. 

Daikokuya

327 E. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Friendliest Place to Dine: Daphne’s Greek Cafe March 18, 2008

I don’t ususally eat fast food. I’m not a health nut by any means (you probably figured that one out by now), but I just think they are evil (with exceptions of sub shops).  The only time I would eat at a place like McDonald’s is if it is the absolute last place I can grab something to eat before I die of starvation. After I watched Morgan Spurlock nearly kill himself by only consuming items purchased at the Golden Arches for a month in his documentary, I began asking myself if I wanted to keep putting that kind of junk in my body. And the answer was a big, fat, greasy, supersized ”hell no.”  Sure, I eat food that are not good for me all the time (more than I care to admit), but I don’t have any desire to pollute myself with artificial, chemical-laden food like the ones served at fast food joints. (But I must say, those cocaine-laced French Fries still taste pretty darn good.)

What I’ve noticed in the last few years is the emergence of places that I call “semi-fast food” – restaurants that serve delicious, relatively-healthful food quick, and I’m so thankful of these places.  One of my favorite “semi-fast food” establishments is California Chicken Café that offers a generous portion of rotisserie chicken, salads and other comforting sides for people on the go (although the place specializes in chicken, it is very vegetarian-conscious). Another one of my favorites is Daphne’s Greek Café that features a colorful array of affordable Greek food.

I love everything about Greek food – spanakopita, falafel, dolmas, hummus, feta cheese, pita, everything. I also love the fact that Greek food in general is very friendly to people with particular dietary needs — whether it be no meat, low carbohydrate or low fat  – and we can all still have good, satisfying eats.

For lunch, two vegetarians ordered Vegetarian Plates …
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And one Adkin guy ordered a steak salad (the spicy feta cheese here is amazing!) and we were all very, very happy (so happy that we had to force ourselves to return to work). 
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Daphne’s Greek Café
1781 N. Victory Place, Burbank, CA 91502
★★★★☆

Who Knew?!? Delicious Vegan Lunch at Real Food Daily February 9, 2008

I never thought I would put words like “vegan” and “love” in a same sentence — being the hard-core carnivore that I am. But I’ll say it.  I love vegan food!  And I’ll say it again and again.  I also love Ann Gentry’s Real Food Daily restaurant in West Hollywood for opening my cow-obsessed eyes to the infinite possibilities of fresh, organic, natural ingredients that make vegan dishes one of a kind.
My sister took me to this vegan joint she frequents, located a few blocks from the Beverly Center on restaurant-packed La Cienega.  It was a Super Bowl Sunday and although neither of us are girly girls, we just don’t have much appreciation for football, so it was a perfect day for us to get out for a “healthy” day out — while the entire nation sat home and indulged in beer and junk food.

I love all kinds of vegetable and incorporate plenty of them in my daily meals but there was something very foreign and frightening about “vegan” food that completely omitted everything that once had a mother or a head. I was definitely intimidated to try non-dairy cheese and a tofu molded in a shape of a turkey (and mysteriously tasted like one).  I wondered — how tasty can these creations be?

But may I just say … WOW. Everything I had was a touchdown – one of the best food I’ve had in months. My sister and I started out with a tall glass of spinach/celery/carrots/apple/ginger juice. At first, I wasn’t sure about the combination of putting vegetable in a drink. Yes, I’ve seen Jack LaLanne rave about how delicious these juices are (at 2:00 in a morning), but the idea of putting stinky celery and spinach in a juice sort of grossed me out. Well, I guess the good old Jack knew what he was talking about because the juice was smooth, refreshing and delicious. Sweet apples and spicy ginger mellowed out the strong scent and the aftertaste of celery.  It was a pleasant surprise. 

I ordered a Portobello Sandwich and although this was no different from a vegetarian sandwich you would order at regular restaurants as far as ingredients (Portobello mushroom, tomato, leafy greens and red onion), it was fresher, more flavorful and satisfying than anything I’ve tasted. The pesto spread made the sandwich out of this world.

My sister ordered a bowl of Fettuccini Alfredo with (non) meatballs. Believe it or not, the vegan version of the meatball was more dense and juicy than any of the ones I’ve had at Italian joints, and I absolutely could not believe they contained no meat products! She also ordered a side of kale, which was very simple but delicious nonetheless.

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We ate so much but we didn’t feel gross at all. Because everything was made out of fresh, organic ingredients, we felt great for the rest of the day. I highly recommend this place to anyone who’s curious about vegan cooking, or anyone who just wants to experience an unbelievably delicious food that makes your body jump in joy.  

Real Food Daily
414 N. La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048
★★★★★

P.S. We headed to Korean Spa after lunch and got our entire body scrubbed. We soaked in hot baths and sweated all the toxins out in steam rooms. Talk about a healthy day, I tell you … well, so we thought … until we went to Korean BBQ for dinner that night and put all the gunk back into our body!

Holiday Lunch: Michael’s Restaurant December 15, 2007

A great thing about dining with a bunch of people – as in holiday lunch with colleagues – is that you get to check out a wide array of dishes the restaurant offers. The not-so-wonderful part is that the dish you order never looks as good as your friends’, and you end up regretting your choice the entire time. It’s a terrible feeling!
I’m usually content with what I order expect this day at Michael’s Restaurant in Santa Monica, where everything I selected seemed wrong and everyone else’s seemed right.
For a starter, I ordered a Dungeness and Blue Crab Salad because I was in the mood for wonderful pieces of crab on top of green salad. But what I got was a mixture of crab meat, diced apples and Japanese cucumbers in rich mayonnaise-based dressing. The dish was beautiful and flavorful but it unfortunately didn’t satisfy my need for greens (yes, I should have read the menu carefully). The image of the grilled shrimp salad that I passed over was flashing through my mind the entire time I was eating my dish. Boo.

Dungeness and Blue Crab Salad: Organic Market Apples, Japanese Cucumber, Petit Greens, Cider Gastrique

Other starters that made it to our tables were:

Seasonal Oysters, on the Half Shell, Banyuls Mignonette
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Sashimi of Yellowtail, Pickled Vegetables, Baby Cilantro, Black Bean Oil
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Cauliflower Soup, Lemon Brown Butter, Crispy

For lunch, I ordered the Alaskan Hook and Line King Salmon with asparagus and mushroom risotto. The dish was delightful – with perfectly cooked Arborio rice and tender piece of fish – but I didn’t feel that it was seasoned well. Everything was more on the bland side, and I had to add some salt and pepper to season the dish, which I usually don’t prefer to do. The hanger steak that others ordered looked so good, that I was wishing that I ordered it instead!

Alaskan Hook & Line King Salmon, Asparagus & Wild Mushroom Risotto, Black Truffle Jus
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Seared Hanger Steak, Red Bliss Potatoes, Wilted Spinach, Bordelaise Sauce
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Seared Tuna Salad, Romaine Hearts, Fingerling Potatoes, Hard-Cooked Egg, Blue Lake Beans
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Alaskan Halibut, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Soybeans, Sweet and Gold Potato Puree, Mushroom Vinaigrette

The dessert, however, was perhaps the best part of lunch. I ordered the Apple Pie Souffle Tart, which had the combination of flaky, chewy, tart and sweet, all in one. But again, the Chocolate Fondant Cake looked more delightful than anything else.

Apple Pie Soufflé Tart, Salted Caramel Sauce, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
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Hot Chocolate Fondant Cake, Gaviota Strawberries, Green Tea Ice Cream
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Panettone French Toast, Maple Panna Cotta, Poached Seckle Pear, Cranberry Sorbet

Michael’s was, to me, one of those “perfect on paper” restaurants. The menu was sophisticated, food was good and the ambience was pleasant,  but it wasn’t … excellent. There was something missing from making it a divine experience, although I cannot pinpoint exactly what that would be. Maybe it I tried it again and order different dishes, I may be able to figure out that missing piece of the culinary puzzle.
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Michael’s Restaurant
1147 Third Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
★★★☆☆

Best Friends Forever? Captain Kidd’s Seafood November 17, 2007

To this date, I cannot decipher Jennifer Aniston’s soaring popularity. Is she adorable? Absolutely. Talented? I guess. Fashionable? No doubt. But the most beautiful? And the Hollywood ”it” girl? Hmm .. I’m not too sure about that one.
For me, Captain Kidd’s Seafood in Redondo Beach is like America’s favorite girl next door. While everyone and their mothers seem be smitten by this cozy, waterfront joint, I’m baffled by it all. The place and the food, I thought, were pretty ordinary — no different from any others alas Gladstones (more casual version, of course). I admit, that the service here is relatively quick, the food is affordable, and you can pretty much find anything that live under water here. In addition, they’ll cook it to your liking whether you prefer fried, sautéed, grilled or broiled.  But I certainly could not figure out what the hype was all about. 

I ordered the grilled salmon sandwich accompanied by a scoop of cole slaw and hush puppies. You can tell that the fish was fresh and nicely grilled but the slaw was bland and hush puppies … very rubbery.
Maybe I didn’t give Captain Kidd’s a fair chance. Because I was there during the Southern California fire, the experience was out-shadowed by the smuggy sky and the fishy air (yikes). Maybe if I return when the sky is clear and the air is fresh, I may have an entirely difference experience.  And maybe try the crabs that they’re famous for too. 

Grilled Salmon Sandwich

My friend ordered the scallops, which here, eh. 

But I have no desire to watch any of Jennifer Aniston’s work post Friends … does this make me a bad person to dis everyone’s best friend like that?

Captain Kidd’s Seafood
209 N. Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
★★☆☆☆

Place of Your Own: Marmalade Cafe November 4, 2007

I would have to say that my favorite supper is brunch, or perhaps even lun-ner. I like eating meals at odd times (the non-conformist that I am). I like going out for brunch on a weekend, around 11:00 a.m. so I can sleep in and still feel productive during the day. Having “lun-ner” between lunch and dinner, around 4:00 p.m. is wonderful too because you can overeat a bit and still have good several hours to digest them all before going to bed.
Today was my relaxing Saturday where my best friend and I went shopping at noon and stopped by Marmalade Cafe in Calabasas for a very late lunch and cocktail, around 3:00 p.m. Because we avoided the traditionally-busy weekend lunch traffic, we were able to enjoy the meal in peace and quite, without feeling rushed. There’s always a risk of having to share a space with loud baby or bridal shower crowd around this time, but if you can handle the overly hyper yuppies in floral dresses ooooo-ing and aaaaa-ing over a baby bootie, an in-between meal is the perfect place for good food and company.
We shared three appetizers, which coincidently turned out to be all the edibles from the sea.

Calamari Fritto, calamari dusted with our special coating, fried to a crispy golden brown & accompanied with spicy cocktail sauce.
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Steamed Mussels & Clams, fresh mussels & clams steamed in a white wine garlic broth.
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Maryland Crab Cakes, two crab cakes served with a lemon-caper remoulade & a mixed green salad.
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Sourdough — what a delight!
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Marmalade Café is definitely one of those rare chain restaurants that doesn’t suck. I usually frequent the Sherman Oaks location, but we checked out the Calabasas branch in Commons Way, and both locations have yet to disappoint me (by the way, the lemon champagne vinaigrette they make is absolutely to die for).  I absolutely loved the fact that we had this wonderfully cozy place almost all to ourselves this afternoon. 

Marmalade Café: 4784 Commons Way, Calabasas, CA 91302
★★★★☆

Paradise Revisited: Tommy Bahama Tropical Cafe October 30, 2007

I went on my first and last blind date a few years ago, as a naive twenty-something. My friend thought it was a good idea to set me up with one of her single, guy friends. He was a nice guy and a fairly good-looking, courteous fella but the only thing we had in common was that we were single. He rambled on and on about himself the entire time and, although I prefer listening than talking most of the time, it got to a point I wanted him to just shut the hell up.
The worst part of it all was that he took me to Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Café in Newport Beach. The restaurant was superb as always – with wonderfully tropical and coconut-y décor, delicious Caribbean-inspired dishes and consistently amazing service. In fact, this place is one of my favorite places to dine. The worst part was that the place happened to be gazillion miles away from home and thus not giving me the chance for a getaway. It was the most excruciating evening of my dating life and I promised myself then that I would never go on a friggin blind date ever again. I know I sound so mean by saying this but if you were there with me that night, you will totally sympathize. Just for the record, he was not a bad guy at all. We just had no chemistry at all.
Last Saturday was the first time I visited Tommy Bahama’s since the incidence, and luckily I was with a darn good company this time. My best friend’s pals were visiting the area from San Francisco so she and her other friends, who lives in San Diego, decided to meet up in the middle for a mini reunion, and I was her plus-one for the afternoon.  I have met them all before and I absolutely adore them. 
With great wine, food and friends, I was able to wash away the bitterness of the yesteryears and begin a new memory with Tommy!

Tortola Tortilla Soup, a savory blend of ground corn tortillas and vegetables with grilled chicken seasoned with island spices and garnished with lime sour cream.
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Saba Steak Salad, marinated and char-grilled tenderloin medallions served over a bed of fresh mixed greens tossed with tamarind vinaigrette. Garnished with grilled potatoes, vine-ripened roma tomatoes, shiitake chips and garlic aioli.
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Tommy’s Great Big Crispy Fish Sandwich, crispy beer battered local island fish topped with honey-roasted onions. Served with french fries and island tartar sauce.
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St. Bart’s Shrimp BLT, grilled lemon shrimp, hickory smoked bacon, leaf lettuce and vine-ripened tomato with garlic aioli on toasted sourdough bread. Served with pennetti pasta salad.
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Tahitian Tuna Salad, blackened Ahi tuna seared rare atop a bed of fresh arugula, spinach and carrots, tossed in a lilikoi vinaigrette, ribboned with sweet soy glaze and wasabi aioli. Served with wasabi paste and soy sauce then garnished with crispy wonton strips and toasted sesame seeds.
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St., Croix Chopped Salad, diced marinated and grilled chicken breast, fresh mixed greens, vine-ripened roma tomatoes, Maytag bleu cheese, Granny Smith apples, macadamia nuts, hickory smoked bacon and sweet corn tossed with our honey-lime vinaigrette. Garnished with garlic croutons.
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Blackbeard’s Butterscotch, dark brown cane sugar, butter, cream, vanilla and scotch whiskey blended and served chilled.
Garnished with chocolate ganache, “from scratch” caramel sauce and fresh whipped cream.
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Wha’Jamaican Chocolate Cake, a flourless chocolate espresso cake served with white chocolate crème anglaise and
garnished with chocolate shavings.
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Pina Colada Cake, a moist vanilla layer cake with Myers Dark Rum and chopped pineapple, covered with
white chocolate mousse and toasted coconut.

Tommy Bahama Tropical Cafe:  854 Avocado Avenue, Newport Beach, CA 92660

★★★★★ 

Match Made in Culinary Heaven: Ca Del Sole October 17, 2007

Aside from the excruciating heat wave from May to September and a constant mocking of having the 818 area code, living in the San Fernando Valley, is, like omg, totally awesome. Come on, people, stop with the judgmental finger pointing and take a look around. Where else in the world can you find 15 Starbucks within a mile radius, witness historical landmarks torn down daily to be replaced by those new, shiny Westfield shopping malls, and enjoy little Lauren-wannabes talk in mysterious codes (yep, gagging someone with a spoon is a perfectly acceptable English phrase in this part of town)? 

Well, whatever your opinion of the place may be, nobody can deny the fact that the Valley is, fur shuuuure, blessed with the abundance of dining options. For instance, Ventura Boulevard, the 20-mile blood vessel of the Valley that extends from Woodland Hills to Universal City, is the ultimate restaurant row, and any foodie’s dream. If you remain patient and carefully comb through the evil Jerry’s Deli and the homogenized Cheescake Factories of the world, you will surely find an original, one-of-a-kind gem you can call your own, even in this suburbia. 

Ca del Sole is the needle I picked up in the Valley’s culinary haystack, thanks to my epicurean friend, in the cute, quite, upscale neighborhood of Toluca Lake. Inspired by the Northern Italian cuisine, the place exudes the beauty and the charm of a Venetian trattoria.
A bunch of us from work headed over to the restaurant for lunch to celebrate the end of a week-long training. We grabbed the table outside to accommodate the big party so I didn’t really get to see the elegant interior, but the patio area was so charming that I know I didn’t miss too much. It’s difficult to believe that this hidden place is only a mere blocks from the busy Universal Studios.
The lunch with my newfound friends and colleagues was truly enjoyable, and the wonderful variety of food we ordered was as colorful as the conversation.

The lunch special included a choice of antipasti or insalata, a choice of secondi (pork chop or pumpkin ravioli), and ice cream with fresh berries for dessert. I ordered the special with carpaccio and ravioli and everything was absolutely delicious. I was especially impressed with the pumpkin ravioli with crispy sage. The creamy sauce whispered to me that the autumn is just right around the corner and the aromatic pumpkin puree reminded me why this is my favorite season in a year.

Carpaccio, thin slices of raw organic beef filet served with shaved Parmesan, capers and extra virgin olive oil
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Mezzelune, half-moon shaped pasta stuffed with pumpkin; sautéed with a light sauce ofbutter, sage, and parmesan cheese
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Pork Chop
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Insalata Caprino, goat cheese from “Redwood Hill Farm” with Belgian endive, baby arugula,
oven-dried grapes, caramelized walnuts and 12 year old balsamic vinegar

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Tonno, a seared Ahi tuna filet served on Swiss chards with roasted onion, oven-dried tomatoes, black olives, capers and herbs
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Salmone, an Atlantic salmon filet baked in a paper pouch with herbs, asparagus and acorn squash

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Ice cream with fresh berries

Don’t you think finding an amazing restaurant is very much like finding the person of your dreams? While you can’t help but wonder where the hell this person (or a restaurant) has been all your life, you simply cannot imagine living the rest of your life without him/her (or, it).

I think Ca Del Sole and I are going to be very happy together.

Ca del Sole: 4100 Cahuenga Blvd., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
★★★★★

Picture Perfect: Bollywood Cafe October 15, 2007

I think I owe an apology, ① for completely misunderstanding the Indian cuisine and talking smack about it and, ② for depriving myself of this delicacy for all these years.
I had shy-ed away from Indian cuisines for as long as I can remember because I was never a real fan of curry. Sure, I like the slow-cooked flavor of the Japanese wafu curries and the coconut-y Thai kinds, but I thought the Indian curries were just a little too overpowering for my palette.  Although my feelings toward the potent spices remain the same, the recent trip to Bollywood Café in Studio City made me realize that Indian cuisine is much more than just curry. Much, much more.
Because I had no idea about Indian food, I let my friends order for the group. There were six of us so we ordered an appetizer, several kinds of Naan (OMG, the cheese Naan was too good for words), and six dishes, and ate family style.
First, what blew my mind was the Sweet Lassi, a refreshing drink made out of yogurt (but tasted more like kefir) with a hint of sweetness. Let me tell you, yogurt is one of my favorite things in the world and it was the best drink I’ve ever had. My friends ordered the mango-flavored Lassi and although it was also delicious, I think I like the original one better.

We ordered an Assorted Appetizer (above), which included Chicken and Lamb Tikka, Seekh Kabab, Samosa and Onion Pakora. I didn’t know what the heck they were but they were all absolutely divine.

For main course, we ordered Lamb Coconut Curry, Shrimp Coconut Curry, Chicken Tikka Masala (all pictured on top) and Chicken Tandoori (above). Chicken Tikka Masala was, hands down, the best dish on the table. The creamy tomato sauce was rich, flavorful and comforting, and although I was getting full with all the food, I could not stop dipping the cheese Naan in the heavenly sauce.
I had never imagined a cuisine that I disliked for so many years can climb up to be one of my favorites so quickly but Bollywood Café certainly proved it is possible. If you’re ever in the Studio City area, I recommend you visit this place – even if you think you don’t like Indian cuisine. This place will definitely blow you away and change your mind.

Bollywood Café: 11101 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604
★★★★★

To Die For? Takeshi Ramen October 14, 2007

Although I grew up in a Japanese culinary culture where ramen is a staple in almost every household, it never became something that I ate regularly. Don’t get me wrong, I like ramen very much, especially the Hakata-style. Nothing rivals the richness of the milky flavor of tonkotsu broth with thick noodle.  I could never pinpoint the exact reason why I refused to welcome it into my regular culinary repertoire (I would eat it, say, once every five to six months) but the only thing that comes to mind is my mother telling me that I would die from eating ramen growing up because of its high sodium content in the broth.  As a result, I’ve always associated ramen with slow, painful death. Threats and guilt always works in the Japanese family.  Very healthy, I know. 
However, once in a blue moon, against my mother’s warning, my body yearns for the salty bowl of ramen, especially when it gets colder outside as it has been lately. So when my epicurean friend suggested going to a nearby ramen restaurant that he frequents for lunch, I jumped at the opportunity to indulge in the ultimate Japanese comfort good.
Takeshi Ramen is a little ramen shop located on Brand Avenue, in the heart of Downtown Glendale. The regular clienteles consist of business people from the surrounding office buildings and the place gets a little busy during the peak lunch hour. This explains why it took us a while to get seated, not to mention the fact that there was only one poor guy serving the place that easily sat 50 people (I’d say about 15 tables).
But the wait gave us the chance to look through the menu that consisted of everything you can think of in Japanese lunch menu, from standard ramens (shoyu (soy sause), miso, shio (salt) and tonkotsu (pork bone)), curry rice, ginger beef and hiyashi chuka (cold ramen) and assortments of desserts.

We ordered a plate of fried oysters and gyoza for appetizers to share and we each ordered tonkotsu ramen as our main dish. Oysters and gyozas were just okay and I’ve had better, but I was just happy that I was having something other than my regular salad bar lunch from the office cafeteria or a packed lunch I bring from home to save a little bit of money.

Well, I’m not a ramen expert (I even think Umakacchan, the instant ramen, is friggin darn good) but it was not bad. The noodle was cooked with a little bit of firmness left, the broth milky, rich and satisfying, and the chashu pork was tender and flavorful. I added a swirl of rice vinegar and chili oil to mild out the flavor and it kicked up the flavor to the next level.
Although ramen is still not something to die for, so to speak, I would definitely incorporate Takeshi Ramen into my regular lunch rotations.
I think mom will be happy with that.

Takeshi Ramen:  126 North Brand, Glendale, CA 91203

★★★☆☆