How did you get such remarkably good lighting in Bestia?..
Me neither. I know Kyochon’s not to everyone’s liking, but their spice level is perfect for me.
Broken Spanish was actually really packed that night.
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That dish is amazing.
Yeah, it’s always had people in there when we walked past (Which is often on the way to the train)
–Dommy!
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Hey, sorry I juat saw your post, thanks for stopping by! How was everything?
Myung ln Dumplings in the Garden Grove H Mart food court. Saw this the other day when I went to grab live abalone and noticed them rolling out the wrappers by hand so I was intrigued. It looks better than it is. Pretty average dumplings filled with pork, shrimp, and chives. The shrimp are the super small cheap seafood salad kind. Not sure how the LA one is but in OC stick with 101 Noodle Express for your pork and shrimp dumplings.
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Aussie Pie Kitchen (very much a coincidence, @PorkyBelly). I got the #4 (Veggie Madras Curry). It was quite curious-tasting b/c it was VERY sweet (like raisins?). Not at all unpleasant, but rather unexpected. The four sides are croissant and mushroom (I think) stuffing, mushy mint peas, garnet yams, mashed potatoes (half size of each). Yum.
Yemenite food from the Brentwood Farmer’s Market. The dough (presumably homemade) is filled w/ a spinach/feta mixture + Za’atar. Not like spanakopita b/c dough is almost like a pancake (egg-y) and the filling is pureed/liquidy. Pretty tasty, and the “tomato pulp” side was bright and a bit tart.
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J Zhou
Love those damn shrimp rolls.
Palms Ramen
Extreme close up on chashu
Egg was a bit overlooked but overall nice broth and I am a fan of the straight noodles.
Tel Aviv Grill
Bonus Christmas shot - chi Spacca inspired kurobuta rib roast with fennel pollen
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My partner just re-heated a chocolate croissant he bought from Jean Luc Labat (Frog’s Organic Bakery) at the Farmer’s Market today. It’s fantastic. Delicate, flaky, buttery. Yum.
OC represent!
@OCSteve have you been to Kitakata or Ikkousha? I think they are leagues beyond Yamadaya these days.
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Sunday Supper at Kingchops Irvine.
Really, the fried chicken and braised bamboo are the things to get here.
The bamboo is pungent but oh so tasty. Laced with bits of fatty pork.
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Kitikata is my current favorite, but we wanted to try something new. My fiance isn’t a huge fan of overly rich tonkotsu, and she liked it a lot. Her favorite so far is Shin-Sen-Gumi in Fountain Valley. I will make sure to get into Ikkousha and check it out.
KL has a great selection of aged Rioja at very reasonable prices. I recommend going much older than 04. They have a 1994 for the same price and Rioja from the 70’s. Buy online and have it shipped to Hollywood will call for free. A lot of the good stuff are in the main warehouse.
Also keep a lookout for Lopez de Heridia Tondonia Rioja blanco. They just released the 1998 last year. It’s an oxidative style and great QPR. I usually buy 6 or more per release. Actually better with meats than with fish.
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I adore the 1998 Tondonia blanco. I’m a huge fan of R. Lopez de Heredia. KLWines probably has the greatest selection of Spanish wines in the U.S.
I just get my wines delivered from KLWines. It’s only $10 for local deliveries in LA over $500. Why do will call?
I’m in OC and in the area enough.
For us, the Christmas long weekend began on Christmas Eve. Just some representative offerings of all the places we went to:
Maru (West L.A.): Seared diver scallops, English sweet pea ravioli in a Tahitian vanilla sauce… Perfectly cooked , but the gestalt proved to be a bit too sweet for my liking.
Din Tai Fung (Glendale): Pork chop fried rice (no more bone on the chop!), truffle XLB. You know what you’re in for when you hit DTF.
Bulgarini Gelato: Because his suppliers (finally) hooked him up with satisfactory starting material from this year’s harvest in Sicily, Leo has the otherwordly pistachio gelato in his store again. Got a kilo to go (brought my own dry ice and cold packs)…
Omar’s Xinjiang Restaurant (Artesia): Korean-style zhajianmien (no pork, of course), which was a hit with my guests…
Ceppo Japanese-Infused Cuisine (Huntington Beach): Pasta with calamari & mentaiko… I’ve rediscovered Chef Tomi Harase. So simple, so wonderful. Chef Tomi is still performing his wizardry in the kitchen!!! This was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had in Southern California. I must come back for more of this level of cooking.
Kawamata Seafood: #6 poke bowl, with ahi tuna, salmon, with extra scallops & ogo seaweed… Love Capistrano Beach!
Sushi Ota: Always a hit with my taste buds. The San Diego uni is a more gentle version of its cousin from Santa Barbara, but perhaps even more enjoyable IMHO.
Cucina Caprese (La Jolla Farmer’s Market): Excellent Neapolitan-style pizzas from a wood-burning oven. Highly recommended.
Ahgoo Kitchen (El Monte): Incredible scallion pancakes! Really great food, flavorful and satisfying. Ahgoo himself spent some time chatting with us about his Chinese cooking philosophy - Respect.
Blackball: Subtle sweetness with interesting combos and textures is the vogue here. Blackball is THE new heavyweight in Chinese desserts in the SGV - worthy of many repeat returns. Loved the #1 and #4.
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Damn! Like a fucking CHAMP!
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That pasta dish has my name written all over it. Definitely putting it on my to do list.