187 posts tagged “food”

Shilla, You're Making Me Fat

16 hours ago
Post a comment

You're making me fat.

He probably hears me say that everyday. It's true though. As there is a Freshman 15, there is also a New Relationship 15 or 20 or 30. Who knows. I just feel like a tank.

You see, I don't eat like this everyday. Don't get me wrong; I love food as this blog documents. However, on a daily basis I eat very simply. I call brown rice and grilled tofu a meal. I'm not used to eating something so elaborate, like the Korean barbecue we got at Shilla in Gardena.

I've been doing Korean bbq since I was a kid. It was a special event for my family, but I've never seen anything like what they did at Shilla. There was no steamed egg starter or noodles finish at the end. We just got sides, a simple broth, meat and rice. Shilla, you crazy bitch!

You're making me fat.

Sunday Brunch at Fraiche

4 days ago
Post a comment

Portabello, Red Pepper, Goat Cheese, Pesto Panino at Fraiche

Typical Sunday morning ritual for us:

Me: What do you want to eat?
Him: I don't know. What do you want to eat?
Me: I always pick. It's time for you to pick.

And on and on. I'm at my wits' end. I decide to shut my eyes and my mouth and let Him drive me to some unknown destination.

Him: We're here. Let's look at the Fraiche menu.
Me: Okay (looking)
Him: Well, what do you think? Do you want to stay or try another place?
Me: Let's eat here.

Hold on a second. What just happened?! He got me to make the final decision. AGAIN!

Boyfriends are sneaky...

Finally! Daikokuya

6 days ago
Post a comment

Gyoza Daikokuya

I've been reading about this place forever and every attempt to eat here has driven me elsewhere or to Mr. Ramen, home for waiting-in-long-line quitters. This time I had Him by my side and He wouldn't let me quit. So, we shivered in the autumn wind, huddling close to the glow behind Daikokuya's famous yellow awning with hopes of eating a warm bowl of ramen.

Standing outside we, well I, had the chance to thoroughly read the menu and decide on our orders. We were getting the ramen, gyoza for me, fried rice and sausages for him. The gyoza made me curious - they were rectangle and not the cresent shape I grew up with. Must. Have. Them.

Sausages Daikokuya

Instead of gyoza a plate of green onions came out with a garnish of gyoza. There was so much green onion, I brushed them aside to save them for my ramen. I thought the gyoza and sauce was pretty weak. I'm used to more ginger in the dumpling filling and the ponzu sauce wasn't as citrusy. They were fried nicely though, so not a total fail.

The sausages (really hot dogs) were very tasty with the mustard on the side. Not cut into octo-dogs, but that's okay. I've never had Japanese fried rice. It just tasted like fried rice. I prefer my mom's version (I guess it's Vietnamese fried rice?) since it has Chinese sausage in it.

fried rice Daikokuya

From where we were seated we got a great view into the tiny gally kitchen. It was cool to watch the cooks dance around each other in a flurry,hustling to get our order out. I noticed one guy at the wok and I knew he was making the fried rice order. Another guy was stirring a large stock pot with the ramen soup base in it. He was obviously preparing our Daikoku ramen.

Making fried rice at Daikokuya

Making ramen at Daikokuya

Finally our ramen arrived. I turned mine into negi (green onion) ramen by adding all that green onion from the gyoza to the soup. Maybe I'm just so used to Santouka's strong soup, but I found Daikoku's soup rather lite in flavor. But it might also be because Daikoku's ramen is soy sauce and pork flavored. At Santouka you can pick from salt, soy, or miso flavors. I really loved that Daikoku's ramen includes an egg. It was soft boiled, so the yolk was slightly runny inside. Perfect.

Daikokuya Ramen

I finally did it! I've eaten at Daikokuya. Would I go back now? Sure, but probably not for the ramen. I'd like to try their donburi, rice bowls.

Dining at FIG

Nov 1, 2009
Post a comment

Bread and balsamic butter at FIG

Menu at FIG

I've wanted to participate in dineLA week for a while and now that I have Him around, I have a good reason to go out for a fancy dinner. After much research, I settled on FIG. I've read great reviews, but the clencher - bacon-wrapped bacon. It's kind of a joke between us, so I took it as a sign.

Beets at FIG

Bacon-wrapped Bacon at FIG

I was treating since I picked the restaurant. When we got the menu I asked him to look for the reason why we were there. When He found it, He let out a very loud, inappropriate for the dining room, laugh!

Coq au Vin at FIG

Potatoes at FIG

From the dineLA pre-fixe menu, we ordered a beet salad and tomoto bisque for appetizers. We added on the bacon-wrapped bacon since it was a regular menu.

Meatloaf with Pancetta at FIG

The bacon-wrapped bacon was spectacular. It was thick cuts of slab bacon which was wrapped in thin slices of bacon and cooked until crisp. The result was a crispy, salty outside

Fig Bar at FIG

with a ham-like soft, meaty and fatty inside.

For entrees, I got the Coq au Vin which I always wanted to try, while He ordered the pancetta (more bacon) wrapped meatloaf.

Sorbet Trio at FIG

Pepper grinder and sea salt at FIG

Dessert was a sorbet trio (pear, mango and blueberry) for me and He got FIG's signature fig bar. I really liked the sorbets; a light finish to a heavy meal. The fig bar was delicious - a warm, cakey outside with a gooey fig center.

FIG was fantastic. The service was really nice and attentive. We're definitely going back.

It's a Small World Cafe Afterall

Oct 25, 2009
1 comment

I've decided that L.A. is a breakfast/brunch city. It feels like there are 2 or 3 breakfast-centric places in every neighborhood. It's probably all a figment of the alcohol-induced dream I had the night before. With so many choices I can never decide on where to have a nice weekend breakfast.

So, on our first morning together, of course I couldn't decide where to go. Literati? Lazy Daisy? Amandine? John O'Groats? Bread & Porridge? Thyme Cafe? Too many choices.

Since I couldn't make up my mind, He took me to World Cafe had which every standard brunch faire. I got french toast because they didn't have waffles and I'm not a fan of pancakes unless I'm making them. He got fries since it was established early on that potatoes in any form are my favorite food. He also got eggs benedict (no photo) because He's got a thing for anything smothered in hollandaise.

Birthday Dessert at Musha

Oct 24, 2009
Post a comment

We ended K's birthday dinner with some dessert. Two sorbets and ice cream.

Passion fruit and blood orange sorbets

Dulce de leche ice cream

Birthday Dinner at Musha

Oct 22, 2009
1 comment

Not my birthday, but K's birthday. Us ladies went to Musha, a Japanese izakaya restaurant. The only thing I've heard about this place is that they serve a cheese risotto in a wedge of Parmesan cheese. The bigger the order, the larger the cheese wedge/wheel.

Our izakaya guide, M, helped us order: tofu, seared tuna and chicken cracker salads; a spicy tuna dip; Musha fried chicken; takotama; tofu kareage; scallop shumai..

And then...this...

Cheese risotto at Musha, served in a cheese wedge

In action...

And the result?

Cheese risotto at Musha

Fred62 - Where Hipsters Go To Di(n)e!

Oct 20, 2009
Post a comment

Hippie sandwich

Thai Cobb Salad

Houston's

Oct 14, 2009
Post a comment

Spinach artichoke dip at Houston's

Prime rib at Houston's

When you start dating someone new, you go out to eat a lot.

Loaded baked potato

NY strip steak at Houston's

Me: Have you ever been to [place]?
Him: Nope, have you been to [another place]? They have really good [food].
Me: My favorite restaurant is... (big pause of shame)...Claim Jumper. I love their spinach-artichoke dip. I pretty much scrap out the bread bowl of all the dip, then break the bread bowl apart and start eating it...

And now I've said too much.

Him: Have you been to Houston's? They have a great spinach-artichoke dip.
Me: What's a Houston's?

So, armed with new (blackmail) information, He took me to Houston's for dinner. Of course, we ordered the Dip. He had the prime rib, His "death row" meal. I ordered the NY strip when not five minutes before professing that I hardly ever eat beef. But what He didn't know yet was my penchant for ordering an enter entree solely for the side dish or garnish.

I don't really want to eat sea bass with mole negro, but it comes with fried plantains.

True story...anyway, the steak came with a loaded baked potato and I really wanted that potato (my death row meal would be all potatoes).

I finished the potato like it was spinach-artichoke dip. I took the steak home in a doggy bag.