So it was my birthday a few weeks back and I wanted to celebrate with a week-long festival of eating. If you know me, you know that I don’t like to dine in large groups with a few exceptions of course (Korean bbq, potlucks, etc). So I celebrated my birthday with separate groups of friends…
Category: SoCal
Syrup Desserts
The problem I often encounter when I dine with friends, is that people are so full by the end of the meal that nobody wants to get dessert. Or out of guilt, they don’t want to get dessert. Syrup Desserts has been on my radar since its early opening. But its location in Downtown and…
Honda Ya Izakaya
Honda-Ya is located in the Little Tokyo Mall in Downtown Japan. It’s a sad mall, with only a few saving graces such as Beard Papa’s and restaurants like Honda-Ya. I like Japanese people. I like Japanese cars. I like Japanese food. I don’t like how Japanese sit on the floor to eat. I was reminded…
Son of a Gun
Can you believe people are too busy to eat? For me, the world stops just so I can eat. Some how though, I have a hard time getting people to gather for a good meal. Always some ridiculous business about work, feeling sick, feeling tired, journal club, I mean the laundry list of excuses is…
Chowder Cook Off
Since Smooth Obturator moved to beach, he’s been trying to embrace the true “California fun in the sun” lifestyle and culture. He goes running on the beach, bike riding up to Santa Monica and down to Redondo Beach, and occasionally surfing if he feels like looking like a fool. It’s been nice to have a…
Osteria Mamma
There are just too many Osterias in town. From Mozza, La Buca, Angelini, and Mamma, it’s quite difficult to keep them all straight. The common theme for all these restaurants stems from the meaning of “osteria” which “in Italian literally means a place where the owner ‘hosts’ people, or an Italian-style eating establishment, similar to…
Seoul Garden
There are few times in my foodie life when other people show me the good places to eat in town. Usually, it’s the other way around since I make it my mission to know about and dine at all the best spots in LA. So it was really nice to discover something delicious in Seoul…
Lukshon
LA seems to be infected with “yellow fever” for Asian food, or some interpretation of it. With WP24, A-Frame, Red Medicine, Aburiya Torinako, Spice Table, and now Lukshon, the LA scene is blowing up with all that is deliciously eastern in flavors and foods. The restaurant is wonderfully sleek and modern. The menu is not meant for…
Fraiche
There’s been a lot of buzz about Fraiche and its new chef Ben Bailey. Despite the 3 star ratings on Yelp, I had it on my list of to-try places even before Ben Bailey arrived because I really enjoyed their offering at Taste of Beverly Hills. Plus, Wontuan gave it his seal of approval. So with their…
A&J
Even though Irvine is packed with Chinese people, the Chinese food is still inferior to that in the San Gabriel Valley. The SGV is more like bleeding Chinese people, so that probably explains the difference. This was my first time at A&J which is a Taiwanese restaurant, I think. They serve dumplings, noodles, small cold dishes,…
Daikokuya
Daikokuya makes up one of the Big 3 ramen joints in LA. I already posted about Shinsengumi, which probably ties for 2nd place with Daikokuya in my opinion. While I love their curly ramen noodles, I get more excited about the pork bowl than the ramen. Also, the wait time is simply atrocious. I thought I’d…
Waterloo & City
Dine LA used to be an event that inspired excitement. What delicious new foods would I discover? What great deals would I get? After many a Dine LA has come and gone, I have just become very tired of the prix fixe snooze fests. I’d rather just pay the extra money to have the more interesting dishes…
Overworked. Underfed. 