Tortilla Grill

A quick meetup for lunch with Owen a few weeks ago, and we wanted to eat somewhere not RIGHT next to his workplace (he's quickly exhausting all the options around him), so I drove down to Abbot Kinney, which was close enough to his workplace but not close enough for him to walk to. We settled on Tortilla Grill, as we hadn't been there in awhile and I didn't feel like pizza that day.

I had been here a few times during college, but not recently. I was a bit apprehensive, because I remembered their meat to be way dry and overcooked, but I was willing to give them another chance. After ordering at the front, awkardly, in front of a large glass case filled with salsas, flan and other random things that needed to be refridgerated. We sat in the small eating area - and when our food was ready, this is what we got...

I ordered a carnitas torta, which came with some chips. They don't have a salsa bar, you have to ask them for small prepacked salsas that are stored in that case, which was a bit bothersome, as I had to flag someone down so I could get my pico de gallo on. Other than that - this was one of the best carinitas tortas I've ever had in my life, hands down. The carnitas meat was amazingly moist, with crunchy porky skin bits in it. Oh MAN. That was good. The veggies were nice and fresh, it was hard for me to even pause this long to take this picture. I really enjoyed this, and want another one soon!

Owen got a grilled chicken plate, which came with a few tortillas. I was really suspect of the white meat grilled chicken, but when I tried a piece, it was super moist and flavorful! I was pleasantly surprised! They also gave a generous amount. The pinto beans, rice, and sour cream were good accompaniments, this whole plate was a win, and Owen scraped it clean (well, most of the sour cream still remained, he doesn't really like it.)

I was completely satisfied with the meal, and I'll be back soon, I hope, to get another torta!

Tortilla Grill
1357 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 581-9953

California Roll Factory

When looking through my archives, I realized I hadn't done a review of California Roll Factory - how in the world could I not have reviewed this place properly?! This place was an old haunt for Amber and I back when we were in college, as it was across the street from the Art Store (back then, now it's renamed Dick Blick and down the street from its' original location).

Since then, I've been back periodically, a craving that I never really shaken, even though I've eaten at much better sushi places since my old college days when I was really pinching pennies (although, I'm STILL pinching pennies!). I think mainly it's because their California rolls are an exact copy of the kind of California rolls I fell in love with back in San Jose, at Miyake. (by the way, that place was great in high school, not so much now. Just saying.) The crab mixture is spot on, not too much mayo, generous on the crab, sweet tasting. I mean, of course it's not REAL crab or anything, but it's a nostalgic taste that I can't hate.

This is not a place for people who are sushi aficionados. This is a place for people who want huge, filling, unconventional rolls. I had taken Owen here a lot when he was warming up to the idea of sushi (can you believe he used to HATE sushi? He hated raw fish...I'm glad he has since changed his mind, hah), because they have a lot of varieties of rolls that include cooked stuff instead of just raw. The walls are lined with little pieces of paper, with funny names and descriptions of rolls ("420 Roll"? Nice.), the waitstaff usually consists of one person who is also manning the cash register. This is not a place for ambiance and romance. The business here is to get rolls into you as fast as possible.

Daphne and I were sharing a few rolls, and honestly I don't remember exactly what the name of these rolls were. I'm horrible! But from what I remember: The roll to the upper right was a tempura roll, with a baked salmon filling on the inside, with eel sauce on top. The lower left roll was a roll with a spicy salmon mixture. Both were huge rolls, with substantial fillings. I liked the tempura one just a tiny bit more, I think mainly because I liked how they did the tempura seaweed, and the salmon mixture had a few tendons laced among it. Both of these were plenty for us to chow down on, but we also ordered...

...a sashimi tempura roll. This is one of my favorite things here, especially when they do it right. It's a salmon and tuna sashimi, with some asparagus, rolled into some seaweed, rolled into tempura batter and quickly fried. The dipping sauce for this is a spicy mayo with roe and green onion.


Here's a close up of one of the pieces of the roll. The frying process makes the outside slightly cooked, sometimes they cook it too much so a lot of the fish is cooked, but they did it right today. It's really filling, there's a lot of good fish in there, and it's just a delicious treat. Worth every bite.

Again, this is place is not for hardcore sushi fans. If you want that, go elsewhere. This is a place for filling rolls!

California Roll Factory
11629 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 996-2366
www.calrollfactory.com

Buddha's Belly Part 2

So remember when I went to Buddha's Belly the first time? Maybe I was a bit harsh. No, I am pretty sure I was just hungry. I went with Daphne to the Santa Monica location of Buddha's Belly to celebrate getting back into town after the holidays, because it is one of her favorite places. I was willing to give it another shot. And to not order a salad.

The space in the Santa Monica location is much nicer than the one on Beverly, I think. More space, cooler materials, and a chill atmosphere that I dug. Good start...

Daph and I ordered some drinks...she got an herbal tonic, which was served "sparkling, on ice". I don't remember exactly which tonic it was that she got (I suspect the "depth recharger" or the "power plant") but she liked it a lot either way. I liked that it was a sparkling drink! I got my usual arnold palmer, which was spot on, and nice to drink out of those bamboo fashioned glasses again.

I decided I wanted to give an appetizer a try, and after some hesitation, I went with the Chilled Vietnamese Rolls - shrimp, chicken breast, rice vermicelli, mint, cilantro, fried onion rolled in tender rice paper, sweet chili & sake reduction dipping sauces. The fusion part of this roll is the chicken breast, which I don't think is traditionally in vietnamese spring rolls. They were decent, everything was fresh, and I liked the dipping sauces. Yum.

Daphne ordered the same dish Evan had the last time I was at Buddha's Belly - the Spicy Peanut Noodles -shrimp, chicken breast, flat rice noodles, celery, mushrooms, edamame, spicy peanut sauce. Again, they smelled and tasted great, I had a bite and swore to myself next time that I'd order this dish. She barely managed to finish the whole thing, which was a feat because the serving was generous (the shrimp especially looked appetizing.)

I decided on the Ahi Tuna Burger with Sweet Potato Fries - medium-rare ground sushi-grade ahi tuna patty, sweet hawaiian bun, lettuce, tomato, avocado, spicy mayo, sesame seeds, with a side of sweet potato fries. This was a much better choice than my salad last time. I liked the ahi tuna, although it wasn't really medium rare, or medium anything. It was pretty much cooked all the way through, what's the point of having ahi if it's going to be fully cooked? It was still decently spiced, and good as the patty between the quality bun. The sweet potato fries were delicious, I am a great fan of sweet potato fries - they're better for you, right? Heh.

Dipping sauces for the burger and fries - spicy mayo and ketchup. The spicy mayo really wasn't very spicy, but it was good to dip the sweet potatoes in there anyways. Good texture.

Buddha's Belly has redeemed itself, but maybe it's because of the different location. I can see myself coming back to this location, service was friendly and quick, and afterwards, I can walk around the stores at 3rd Street promenade.

205 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: (310)458-2500
http://www.bbfood.com

My mom's "french toast"

I had forgotten to post this, but I have a little bit of a story to share with the few readers I have of this blog. I don't know if I've discussed my dislike of french toast with this blog, but if I haven't, now you know - I hate french toast. And not really because french toast is gross, or off putting. Most french toast looks and tastes amazing. I mainly hate french toast because my mom would make "french toast". Let me delve deeper.

My mom did a lot for us growing up, although I didn't appreciate it at the time, as most kids don't. She stressed the importance of having breakfast before going to school, which was one of the last things we wanted to do, as we wanted to sleep more. One of the things she would make for us, when the Wonder Bread was starting to go bad, was "French Toast". I truly dreaded those days. It was more like a slightly coated, soggy abomination to bread, and topped with...a kraft cheese slice. How is this french toast, I don't know, but that's what she called it. I would try to choke that down, but honestly, it was disgusting. Really disgusting.

Fast forward to today. Owen loves french toast, but I'm very adverse to it, I usually have MAYBE a bite, and just don't feel like having any more. It's not logical, I know, as what my mom made was completely different than an order of french toast at a diner...but...I still don't like it.

I went home for the holidays this past Christmas, and one morning I woke up...to the sound of mom saying, "GET UP! Hurry up and eat because I made FRENCH TOAST!" My insides did a somersault, I was filled with dread. My dad saw my hesitation, and he said, "Just think of it as "Chinese Toast". I think that helped. And I think my mom has gotten better at making it, or the bread wasn't as stale as it was in the past...here's a shot of it...

I admit, it's not so bad. No Kraft singles in sight this time too. I still don't like it. Don't ask me why. I'm never going to like french toast. Sorry mom.

Cafe Flore

One of my ex-coworkers Victor and I decided to meet up for a lunch, to catch up and chat. He suggested we go to Cafe Flore, as he had heard great things about it and read some good reviews. I eagerly jumped at the chance to try something new, outside of the usual haunts I hit up.

I don't know why Cafe Flore touts its' vast amount of parking spaces on its' own writeup on restaurant.com, as there is only metered parking in front. There is parking in the back streets but gets crowded when school lets out (which is when I was there.) Anyhow, as I sat down, I was greeted by the waiter, and initially sat outside to wait for Victor. I ordered an arnold palmer to enjoy while I waited...

They used a different kind of iced tea, very flowery tasting. I think the ratio of iced tea to lemonade was a bit strong, (too much lemonade, which made it a bit more sweet that I like) but it was still refreshing.

To start, I ordered a french onion soup. I figured, well, this is a French restaurant, they should do french onion soup right, right? Well...I mean..not exactly. It's more like french onion soup, deconstructed. The onion soup itself had a deep rich flavor, dark brown, with lovely cooked down onions. But just a onion soup does not a french onion soup make. They gave this to me on the side...

...a plate of mini toasts, with cheese on them. What? Am I suppose to dunk these toasts in myself? This isn't...really...the way french onion soup is supposed to be. The toasts were also pretty cold by the time they got to the table. Thumbs up on the soup, thumbs down on these toasts.

Victor had done his homework and had ordered their famous duck and apple ravioli. I guess they run out of this dish sometimes, but luckily, they had it today. The taste I had was spectacular. I haven't been to France yet, but the decadence of this dish was is what I think French cooking should be! The cream sauce was perfect tasting, the duck meat was awesome, everything was awesome. Yum.

I felt like going for some smoked salmon, so I ordered a Open-faced salmon sandwich - Smoked salmon, tomatoes with a sour cream, chive, and dill sauce, all on toasted French Olive bread, with fries on the side. The fries were heavily covered in dried dill, which was not necessary but it didn't bother me too much. There was a generous amount of smoked salmon, although it was a bit more fishy tasting than usual smoked salmon I get from other places. The olive bread was quite nice, the toasting of the bread gave it a nice texture on the outside, and it was soft in the middle, studded with flavorful olives. It was good, but in comparison to the ravioli, this paled in comparison, deliciousness wise. Note to self, order the ravioli next time!

We couldn't skip out on dessert, so we each got one, to try out. Victor got the really pretty looking one - some sort of creamy pudding in a pretty glass cup presentation, complete with little glass lid! Lying atop the pudding, was a chocolate wafer with a fleur de lis printed on it. All in all, the taste of the dessert was nothing to scream home about but the presentation was very nice.

I chose the bread pudding, which came with a sliced up strawberry, which was surprisingly sweet. I admit that the bread pudding wasn't exactly much to my liking - too much honey, and not enough baked crunch and not soft and delicious in the middle. I should have opted for the raspberry tart, which also looked good. Ah, well.

I might come back here, but only if I'm in the area - but there's a lot of other places I need to try in the area first. Maybe just for the duck ravioli! Thanks for meeting up Victor!

Cafe Flore
214 S Robertson Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 659-6877
http://www.cafeflore.us

Uncle Darrows

In the spirit of saving money, I've been using those restaurant.com coupons here and there, as I did a few posts ago. I didn't feel like cooking one night, so we decided to use a coupon I had for Uncle Darrows, a small place right off of Lincoln Blvd, and fairly close to Owen's workplace.

We walked in, and it was basically a ghost town - the only person there was the cashier/cook. I guess this place isn't too hopping on a weeknight. We were pretty straightforward with our orders, as they didn't have some things we wanted (didn't have oysters, or gumbo that night, no wonder, as there wasn't anyone there).

Owen wanted a po'boy, and the cashier/cook suggested the "Zeke Po'Boy", which contained catfish and shrimp, with potato salad as a binder/condiment substitute. The bread was just right, as most po'boy bread should be - light, not crusty bread. The fillings were good in the sandwich, I'll discuss more about fillings in a sec...because I basically got...

...the same thing, reconstructed. It was a catfish and shrimp plate, that comes with two sides, and I chose potato salad and red beans and rice. It came with one piece of bread, cut up, instead of a whole roll. The red beans and rice were excellent, a decent facsimile of the kind we had in New Orleans. Potato salad was a bit sweet. Here's close up of the catfish and shrimp...

The breading on the catfish and shrimp was all cornmeal. This was a very generous portion of both, but the taste got a ittle tiresome after awhile, as the fried cornmeal got heavy to eat. The catfish and shrimp were much better in the sandwich, eaten all together in one bite, with the potato salad. The desconstructed version I ate forced me to eat each part separately, so it wasn't as tasty as big bites of this between bread. I doused the fish with a ton of hot sauce, but I wish I had some tartar sauce - is that sacrilidge?

Uncle Darrows is a pretty quick little place to get some New Orleans style food, but it really doesn't hold a candle to the real thing. It'll do to fulfill your fix though.

Uncle Darrows
2560 Lincoln Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 306-4862
www.uncledarrows.com

Hop Woo

I took a bookmaking class at Nucleus Gallery, so I happened to be out in Alhambra. Stupidly, I didn't really eat lunch before class, and ended up out of class at 6:30pm, starving and ready to keel over. Bryan was cool enough to hang around until after my class ended, and we walked down the street to go to Hop Woo, which had some sort of red egg and ginger ceremony going on. They assured us there was seating in the back, and we were lead to a tiny table underneath a flatscreen playing a basketball game. I wasn't going to complain too much though, I was starving!

Our first order was honey walnut shrimp. The shrimp they used were jumbo sized, so they had a lot of meat to them, and they were PERFECTLY fried. Not too much mayo either. The candied walnuts were great too. A well done version of this dish, I hope to have it again soon.

Dry flat beef noodles, a favorite of my brothers' (me too!). This was also a very good version, good "wok hay", noodles were noodley tasty, nice and coated with the XO-soy sauce, and the beef was nice and tender. Good amount of sprouts, too. Delicious.

Because I was craving something super comforting, I ordered a hot pot - beef and turnip stew. The rich gravy kept me going back for more. The turnips were soft to bite into, and slightly sweet tasting. The tendons of the beef were the best part of this hotpot - cooked down, they had soaked up all of the flavors of the sauce. The texture of the tendons were like savory jello...that doesn't SOUND good but it sure tastes good.

I was pleasantly content with the place, even though they had a huge banquet going on, they were fairly prompt and the food was great. If I'm back in Alhambra again I want to come back!

Hop Woo
1 W. Main St. (Garfield Ave.)
Alhambra, CA 91801
626-289-7938

Kings Head Pub and Restaurant (Part 2)

Whenever I think "Fish and chips", I first think about some of the fish and chips I had in England. And then I think of the fish and chips from King's Head in Santa Monica. Daphne and I headed there one night, before going to my friend Annette's show (Random Ninjas rule, by the way!) I was ready to try something new tonight though...and that new thing was this:

...a scotch egg! I had only read about these, and was determined to try one that night. I was not disappointed, it was a really filling appetizer. The boiled egg was perfectly boiled, not a hint of grey around the yolk, and super creamy. The sausage that was wrapped around it was nicely seasoned, not spicy at all, and almost melted in my mouth upon trying a piece. The breading was not greasy, and the gravy went perfectly with this. What an amazing food invention, the British think of everything!

Daphne got the special of the night, corned beef and cabbage,(in this picture, the cabbage is hidden underneath the mound of corned beef and gravy) which also came with a side of veggies. This place does gravy extremely well, I wanted to mention. This dish also came with...

...randomly, some raisin bread. I tried some of the corned beef, very nice and tender. Corned beef is one of my favorite meats, but after having the scotch egg, I was already pretty full.

And this is the king size order of the fish and chips at King's Head. Daphne and I split this, as all the fried stuff was starting to get to me (and my arteries). This was excellent as always, the fish itself was tender and flaky, and not mushy. The batter was crispy, light, and flavorful. Love these fish and chips!

I also love the atmosphere here as well, and the waitresses are actually British and it adds to the whole English feeling in there. I'll be back!

King's Head
132 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 451-1402
www.yeoldekingshead.com

Chicago for Ribs

I've been trying to tone down some of the spending recently, as times are tough, and one of my methods to save some cash is to buy gift certificates from restaurant.com to restaurants around my area. They were having a killer deal on gift certificates during the holiday season (80% off their regular prices...I think I paid maybe 2 dollars for each 25 dollar gift certificate), so I bought a bunch of them, in the hopes I will use them to get some deals. It might not be the most frugal thing I've done but at the same time, I gotta have some vices in my life right?

Well anyways, I used a gift certificate the other day to go to Chicago for Ribs, which I had only been to a long time ago (during college, this place was down the street from us.) It's a chain, which I usually stay away from, but desperate financial times call for desperate measures!! Bryan and I went here for a lunch, while he had jury duty. Seated in a booth, I had to get my usual drink...

...an arnold palmer. The glass screamed out the logo for Chicago for Ribs, I guess it's justifiable, since we're eating there. A decent arnold palmer.

Bryan got the cheeseburger, well done (his usual lunch order at a place like this.) It came with waffle fries, coleslaw, and a wedge of pickle. He managed to finish this (it was like a mission, the determination was in his eyes!), no small feat because this burger was I think a full half of a pound before cooking. I particularly like the waffle fries here, but then again, I just generally like waffle fries. I'm sure the burger was decent, again, Bryan didn't leave a bit of burger at all.

Here's some cornbread that came with my meal. I didn't really eat it, as I'm not really the biggest cornbread fan, so I took it home and it got stuck in the back of the fridge, and by the time I unearthed it, it was a pale, mummified and hard as a rock. Sorry poor cornbread, for your untimely waste.

I got the chicken fingers plate, with waffle fries and baked potato. I know, heavy on the carbs, but I only ate half of this meal, as I was feeling a little too full from some soup I had earlier in the day. The waffle fries - again, awesome. The amount of chicken on this plate was way more than I was expecting, so that was nice. A few dipping sauces came along with this - ranch and bbq, and I asked for some honey mustard, which they were really cool about. If I'm going to eat like a kid, I might as well have some fun with it, right? I was getting flashbacks of grade school, dipping my chicken nuggets in all those sauces, which was fun! The baked potato was alright, just a baked potato.

So another chain restaurant under my belt, and really, not so bad. I mean, you probably still won't see me at an Applebees' (will. not. go.) but for a quick lunch with no fuss, I'd go again.

Chicago for Ribs
8311 Lincoln Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(310) 670-7427

www.chicagoforribs.com

Wako Restaurant

I met up with a few friends at Wako, at Ray and Kue's recommendation. I got there a bit early, so I wandered around a bit. The plaza that this place is in is directly transported from Korea - I was blown away at the arcade, where I really felt I was back in Hong Kong, when I visited there with my family long ago - they even had seats at the arcade terminals, so you could be comfortable while you kicked someones' ass at Street Fighter! Anyways, back to Wako...

The place was pretty well lit, and service was friendly and quick. We were seated and gave our orders - their signature dish - and were instantly given these bowls with sesame seeds at the bottom..

A mortar and pestle set, which we then used to crush all the sesame seeds while we talked. It was kinda fun, just absentmindedly mashing the seeds, and it gave off a nice aroma. Once we were done, our waiter came around and poured a very GENEROUS amount of donkatsu sauce over the crushed seeds. And then he brought this plate out...

A tray of awesomeness! My pork cutlet donkatsu, fried to perfection, conveniently pre-sliced so I don't have to bother with a knife. The little metal mesh that the donkatsu sits on is crucial to the secret of keeping the fried pork crispy, as the bottom of the cutlet doesn't get soggy if it's slightly off the plate. Ingenious! The salad is quite simple, shredded cabbage with a bit of dressing, I wasn't wowed by this dressing but it wasn't horrible. Side dishes include a bowl or white rice, a bowl of miso soup, and some kimchi-ed radish bites. I really like the combination of kimchi to this dish, it added some needed spice and heat.

This was a delicious choice. However, the only cruddy thing is the parking - it's a minimal fee valet situation in the parking lot with validation, but they were extremely slow and quite...angry. Someone got so fed up they angrily grabbed their own keys while the parking attendant owner was telling him off...I dunno, I'd say if you can score street parking it might be suggested but maybe it's just because I was there on a really busy night.

Wako Donkatsu Restaurant
3377 Wilshire Blvd
Ste 112
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 381-9256

Niko Niko Sushi Restaurant

Yes, I've been horrible, I'm STILL catching up on my posts from the holidays. But here's a quick one for everyone. I met up with the future in-laws for a pre Thanksgiving sushi meal at Niko Niko Sushi Restaurant. Parking is a bit tight here, as they share a parking lot with Winchells' Donuts (I think), but we managed to get a spot.

Service was quick, and we ordered a bunch of rolls...get ready for the amazing spread that was presented before us...

Dude. That's a pretty handsome looking variety of rolls. Trying my best to remember what was on this platter...starting from lower left, going clockwise - yellowtail sushi, salmon sushi, albacore sushi, california roll handroll, california rolls, tempura shrimp roll (times 2!), spicy salmon rolls and spicy tuna rolls. Whew! That's a lotta sushi - we didn't even finish it all, and we had Owen's brother with us (he's in high school, so he has that voracious high school appetite still!) Everything was pretty tasty, so I was impressed. I don't think the prices were too horrible either, so I think I will be back.

Niko Niko Sushi Restaurant
10839 National Blvd
Los Angeles, CA

Grace Restaurant - Appetite Stimulus Dinner

The other Appetite Stimulus meal that I had through Open Table had to be somewhere where I wanted to go for a long time, and so I chose Grace Restaurant. I was really jazzed to be able to go to a restaurant I knew would normally cost me an arm and a leg...the appetite stimulus price was still a bit more than I'd like to pay for a usual meal out, but to have the chance to eat here! Whoo! Anyways, enough griping about my food budget (which is pitiful nowadays!)...let's get on with the post!

The restaurant had accidentally canceled my appointment right before I was about to leave the house...I frantically called them back and said, YES I'M GOING TO BE THERE please do not deny me a seat OMG...! They brusquely apologized and reinstated my reservation...whew...! Upon arrival, they even made light of the situation, mentioning that yes, in fact I WAS there, heh.

The place itself had very dim lighting, which is not really my preference in lighting schemes (I like seeing my food, maybe not in blaring fluorescent lights or anything, but maybe a little more lighting would have been nice), and we luckily had a table instead of being seated along the half booth, half chair side of the wall. The other patrons there looked rather cramped and sitting very close to one another. Sometimes I like that, but I didn't feel too chatty that night. I was there for the food, and ready to chow down...

A very nice glass vase full of water (still) was set at our table, so we could easily refill our water glasses when we so chose. Props to the nice choice of glassware - I love the shape of this carafe. I also got an iced tea, as they did not have lemonade to make arnold palmer. Owen got the wine pairing, but I neglected to take pictures of that, as it was...wine in wine glasses. But I'll discuss what he had, from what I remember...

The appetizers started coming. I can't resist any kind of salmon, especially if it's a raw or smoked kind. And when I saw this on the menu, I absolutely had to order it - House Cured Salmon, which consisted of roasted beets, heirloom tomatoes, horseradish crème fraiche, and of course, the house cured salmon. The creme fraiche added a nice contrast to the flavors of the salmon and tomatoes. I usually don't care for beets but these were done very well, and didn't mind them. I also noted the nice use of microgreens on top- very pretty!

Owen got the Fall Squash Soup, with a topping of duck confit and pistachios. The wine that came with this soup was a glass of 2005 Silvaner “Trocken,” Wittmann, Rheinhessen, Germany. Owen really loved the this course, everything worked really well together. The texture of the soup was beautiful, the duck was the salty that the slightly sweet soup needed. I even think I liked this more than my salmon dish - and I love salmon, so that's saying something. The wine was very well matched to this soup (says Owen).

Owen's choice was Oven Roasted Leg of Colorado Lamb, with Byaldi confit, and olive infused lamb jus. I knew he'd order this one, whenever he sees lamb on a menu he'll usually go for it. The lamb was super moist and cooked perfectly. The taste that I had was excellent. The au jus that came with it was the perfect accompaniment, as were the very thinly mandolin-sliced veggies. The wine, however, Owen did not like as much as the first one that came with the soup:
2003 Madiran “Vielles Vignes,” Château Peyros Southwestern France.

The beef dish (I forget the exact name of the dish!), an additional 10 dollars add on to the appetite stimulus meal but worth it. Cheese and onions were melted over the top of really succulent beef (very small amount though, a few more bites would have been perfect!) The green beans were good too. I wiped this plate clean.

A blown out photo of Owen's cappuccino, which was a pretty sight - love the way the foam curls like a cartoon version of fresh snow. I'm sure it was good, but I don't really like foam too much. My loss, I know.

Dessert! Owen's choice was obvious to me, right when I saw it on the menu: Boca Negra Cake Affogato - dark chocolate cake, vanilla malt ice cream, espresso, brandied orange slice. Chocolate PLUS espresso? That's melding two things Owen loves dearly. However, he could not finish this, as it was way too rich. The one tiny bite I had overwhelmed me with flavors - I personally like more subtle flavors, so this wasn't for me. The wine that went with this was a
2005 Banyuls Rimage, Les Clos de Paulilles, Languedoc, France. Owen did not finish his glass. He was way too full at this point.


I went with the Apple Upside Down Bread Pudding - buttermilk ice cream, apple cider syrup, cranberries, brown sugar walnuts. The carmelization on the top of the pudding stuck to my teeth immediately, so I was concentrating on trying to dislodge the stuck caramel from my poor molars after the first bite. Also - maybe it was a bit TOO tart for me...I don't think I'd order this again if I had the choice, maybe a simple sorbet or ice cream would have done the trick.

I would love to revisit this restaurant, perhaps for one of those burger nights on Sunday I saw advertised on their website...anyone interested in joining me for a Grace burger night?

Grace Restaurant
www.gracerestaurant.com
7360 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-4400

Panera Bread

For a quick lunch fix before making a major grocery shopping run at Trader Joe's (I heart Trader Joe's so much, but going grocery shopping while you're hungry is probably the worst thing you can do - and especially in a place that has some of the best frozen food I've ever had), I usually stop into Panera Bread, located right next door. There's usually a ton of people here during the day, typing away on their laptops - I guess free wi-fi is just that awesome (well, it IS pretty awesome, heh.)

This is a standard order at the register, and pick up yourself kind of place. And this is what I usually order:

A "You pick two" combo - A half sandwich, Bacon Turkey Bravo, on focaccia, and a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup. You get a choice of a side, and I usually pick the whole wheat grain baguette. This is a filling meal - their sandwiches are usually something I can only eat half of anyways. The bread in the sandwich is fresh, the turkey is pretty tasty. The soup is pretty comforting. The cheese flavor is pretty nice, and has a lot of broccoli florets and shredded carrots running through it, which adds pleasant texture.

All the bread here seems to be baked fresh here daily. I've always had a decent and satisfying meal here. It's probably one of my top fast service food places to go to.

Panera Bread
8647 South Sepulveda Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90045
(310) 641-9200

Akasha Appetite Stimulus lunch

Once I heard about this Appetite Stimulus promotion that Open Table was offering, I was determined to take advantage of it by going to a few restaurants that I've been dying to go to for ages. Akasha was on that list, because I had seen it go from abandoned boarded up retail space for sale to a modern classy looking restaurant. Amber insisted it was some good eats so I was definitely IN, and convinced her to join me for lunch. Good company always makes lunch better!

Once we got there, there was a major line to get seated - the restaurant had enough spaces, but the hostess was lagging. Isn't she supposed to stay there, and someone else leads patrons to their tables so the front is never abandoned? I thought that was a bit odd. We finally got led to our seats, and was presented with the Appetite Stimulus lunch menu.
Three courses, 24 dollars total. Seems like a pretty good deal, considering their regular menu is quite expensive! For instance...

...We each got an arnold palmer, which was quite expensive for its' own good, but still very tasty. I think they used some special iced tea or something, however, I don't think it constitutes such a high price for one glass, no refills. Ah well.


Amber and I both chose the canneleni bean hummus, truffle salt, flatbread and carmelized onions. Embedded in the hummus, was some really flavorful olives, however, the hummus had a huge deficiency in salt. It REALLY needed more salt, it was quite bland. The flatbread and carmelized onions were excellent, I really enjoyed those. Amber had quite a time trying to pick off all the onions though (she dislikes onions - yes, she's nuts :)) but I think they were great. I was actually pretty full after eating this (all those beans.)

Amber chose the grilled shrimp salad - local greens, pistachios, yogurt chutney dressing. Amber asked for them to hold off on the pickled onions that would have come with the salad. The shrimp was quite tasty, and what made this dish was the smattering of pistachios in the salad. The dressing was very good, not too heavy even though it was creamy (I attribute this to the yogurt). Amber admitted it was quite filling, and she was surprised she finished all of it.

I chose the grilled steak salad - bibb lettuce, pickled red onions, gorgonzola, tarragon mustard vinagrette. The grilled steak deliciously tasted like a Hong Kong style beef jerky! I know that can be construed as an insult, but believe me, it's not at all. The marinade they used was quite sweet, the taste was a great combo of savory and sweet. The salad itself was studded with gorgonzola bits, which I loved, and everything was quite enjoyable all together. I was quite satisfied with the size of the salad and maybe I should give it another shot as a regular thing I should order at restaurants...well, maybe.

Dessert time! Amber got a slice of apple pie. The bite I sneaked was very tasty, and I almost wished I had gotten the apple pie instead, if solely for the virtue of having some vanilla ice cream, which looked very appealing to me at the time. Instead, I had gotten...

...the pumpkin pie slice, with a dollop of freshly whipped cream. This was pretty good in its' own right though, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. The fresh whipped cream was a nice touch, the spices very spot on, the crust was really good. I saved exactly half of this pie for Owen who majorly appreciated it.

I think I'll be back here to try their burger, and also to maybe try some of their other appetizers. I like the interiors of this place a lot, but I think some of their service issues were a bit odd, as this place has been open for awhile, and their drinks a bit overpriced for what you get. I am still willing to overlook that for the superior quality of their food.

Akasha Restaurant
www.akasharestaurant.com
9543 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 845-1700