Akira-san is a National Treasure.
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Pasjoli
Etouffe - was delicious and on point - rich and flavorful but not over seasoned
PRD
Char siu, white cut chicken, and ma po tofu
@JLee still does magic with that chicken- even the breast meat was moist and delicious 
The ma po tofu was a deep red, with a great texture, and those Szechuan peppers showed through!
Dtown Pizzeria
This is a Detroit pizza pop up at Phorage Weho (found out about this from Farley Elliot Eater post) - slightly salty but the crust was crispy, cheesy decadence. I would def do it again. They did the pop up last weekend, and looks like they’re repeating this weekend. We loved this Oaxacan pie they did with chorizo and cilantro (2nd pic below) but that won’t be repeated. The first Pic below is of their Goomba, or pepperoni pie.
Republique
They ran out of salted caramel slices so we had to buy a whole one. Had to “convince” some friends to let us split it up and drop it off to them 
(Harries Berries strawberry and Pudwill blackberry not included with purchase)
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Very noble of your “friends”…let me know if you run out of said “friends”…we might be your new ones…
Great pictures!
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Agree.
Love his food A LOT!
Sui Mei, when you can get e’em, are killer.
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Looks nice. The bouillabaisse was quite good as well.
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An impromptu birthday celebration with a beautiful Rose from Cantina Giardino I picked up at Bar Bandini and treats from Frances Patisserie!!
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Happy birthday!
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Thank you! Lol!
It actually wasn’t my birthday but I will pass your wishes along!!!
Haha I thought about editing the post to clarify but loved how it looked, just one glass of wine and some cake.
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Sounds like a good birthday to me. These times are not ideal for celebrations, but it’s still nice to see people celebrating at home.
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The Junmai Daiginjo by Hatsumomiji brewery in Yamaguchi prefecture (the label name is Harada) is an unfiltered high fruit aroma and dry finish sake that is fairly easy to drink and food friendly, but the fruit element is too overwhelming for me. Their Junmai and Junmai Ginjo nama are far more impressive. Izakaya Hakata Zero is one of a few places that carries the Junmai.
Exploring more Chablis. Samuel Billaud 2017, light and pleasant to drink. The Premier Cru levels really can ruin you if you start with those…
One of my favorite local joints up here is Yu Raku, they specialize in chuka ryori or chuka wafu, Japanese style Chinese. Blue collar comfort food delight, although not cheap. Yaki gyoza and chicken hoi ko ro, which is the enuniciation for twice cooked pork… modified for Japanese tastes, and chicken instead of pork. Chef Yuiziumi san is legendary amongst his die hard fans for executing true to form and his stir fry skills are godly (although the food is hearty and on the greasy side, but sometimes you need that in your life)
!
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Metro Cafe (Culver City) offers a generous prime rib-eye with veggies and potato gratin takeout ($28) each Sunday night as a special. It is a luscious and perfectly cooked piece of beef. I paired it with Chef Sasa’s classic Serbian ham & bean soup, and it was all just lovely. Dessert came in the form of fresh beignets with Meyer lemon custard dip. (Fruit: Pakistani mulberries from my backyard…)
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Always drink that there - as you know!
I was actually thinking about Metro Cafe recently. Were the beignets also from Metro?
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Indeed!
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Love their pasulj! Think about it often. It’s not on the menu but ask if they can make the Serbian-style cabbage salad if interested next time. It may be more difficult to find these days, but so worth it.
A short description from my article:
“Along with the thinly cut strips of crunchy fresh cabbage and a small piece of garlic here and there, the salad is seasoned very simply with some salt, pepper, and red wine vinaigrette. A slightly sour taste must come from the squeezing of a lemon. If they have this available, you should not pass up the chance to enjoy it.”