Nope. Not yet. Have a fast pass too.
And now that I’m a Langer’s junkie, I may never get there.
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They call that a bang bang.
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Sorry about that. The only thing I order at Dulan is the Smothered Pork Chop. Absolutely delicious. Their stuffing is also top notch… Most everything else is meh at best… Don’t ever get the mashed potatoes.
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Rice perhaps a bit too moist?
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In Little Tokyo, Jun-san has re-opened Kinjiro for take-out after a hiatus. The menu is limited for now. As a higher-end izakaya operator, he’s never offered curry before, but Jun-san fully realizes that these times call for restaurants to please customers who want a quick take-away meal.
The far end of the parking lot at Honda Plaza has been converted to a distanced outdoor seating area called the Honda Ikoi (a place of peace, rest and relaxation), open to all patrons of the shopping center…
Foodwise, Kinjiro’s Angus beef curry is delicious. The beef is stewed so nicely. The chicken curry udon overflows with flavor, chock full of mushrooms, thigh meat and oysters. Portions are nice - there is so much of that yummy chicken curry left over, I’m thinking of making a porridge with it at home soon. Fabulous!
Gotta go back for Jun-san’s more traditional izakaya take-out offerings…
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Catching up on the month…
FINALLY made it out to Bulgarini. Not pictured is what I had there (peach and strawberry for me, chocolate flavors for @SpockSpork) . 
Two of the containers were for friends/family.
BEFORE:
KINDA/SORTA AFTER (excuse the mess):
All the flavors were very good (I do wonder if the peach might’ve been stronger, had I hit it earlier in the season), but the plum was INSANE. Haven’t had a ton of gelato/ice cream this year, but probably my favorite taste this year.
I really like the re-formulated Sawtelle Tempura House:
Refresh by Ekkamai, I want to love you. No nonsense neighbor joint w/ good QPR. I was very happy when I saw 3 employees b/c I assumed the banh mis would be prepped way faster than usual. No, it was only a little faster. And two of the employees looked… CONFUSED while they were making the sandwiches. And one of them literally stuck a VERY LONG sprig of cilantro into the sandwich AFTER she had put it in the bag:
I can now confirm that the soapy taste associated w/ cilantro is prob from the stem. So I can only respect the place, rather than love it.
Tuscon Son gets a strong “A” for social-distanced outdoor dining. The latest arrangement has most of the tables like 10+ feet away. I still don’t know if I feel comfortable dining around other people anywhere, but this place def had me thinking I could (possibly) return for that.
The food isn’t exactly cheap, but the portions are hearty (and the taste is very pleasing). The Sloppy Giuseppe had so much (leftover) bolognese that I threw on some tortilla chips after finishing the sandwich itself and felt like I had an entire course of nachos. The other sandwich is the pollo verde.
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Reheated at 350F for 10min in an attempt to resuscitate In-N-Out’s typically limp fries. Taste like a fluffier version of Pringles, not bad, not bad at all.
Added an entire roasted hatch chili to the burger
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Any’s Tamales, Hawthorne.
This past weekend was the beginning of a new home business based in Hawthorne called Any’s Tamales. Any is Ana Roman Morales and like her, her tamales are of Guatemalan descent. Orders can be placed through her Instagram account, and for now everything is pickup only in Hawthorne.
Two varieties are on offer as of now, chicken and a vegetarian version that uses the same ingredients minus the meat. In Guatemala, you will notice a red flag outside of a business or home to signify on Saturdays when the fresh tamales are ready to be purchased. Here at Any’s they hung a red balloon, which was close enough to bring back good memories.
You may be familiar with chuchitos from Guatemalan restaurants or markets around Los Angeles, a type of tamal wrapped in corn husks like their Mexican cousins and a bit drier. These tamales that Any makes are tamales colorados, wrapped and steamed inside of banana leaves, chicken thigh, pumpkin seeds, and a complex red sauce that leads to the name.
The resulting product is full of moisture from all of its ingredients and sauces, and like chuchitos, deeply satisfying. Receiving a package is a pleasant experience, shown above with the care they give to their presentation.
Guatemalan tamales are a bit larger than those Mexican cousins, and one can go quite a ways to filling up a “normal” person. Two should satisfy anyone. Do to the fact that they are weekend or special occasion tradition, it is clear that Any’s will be a welcome addition to customers seeking to bring many tamales back to their homes in Los Angeles with the familiar tastes of back home in Guatemala.
Check out the photos below first of chicken and then vegetarian. Keep up with Any’s Tamales through their Instagram to see when the next batch will be.
Chicken.
Vegetarian.
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Thanks so much for posting!! Those look great and I am eager to try!! I have several friends who will be excited about this as well! 
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Sorrowful Cantonese Yaki chutoro donburi
Ming Kee San Francisco. No egg but this brought me to tears.
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I wonder if Ming Kee will do a take on Sorrowful. Dai Lo make it happen!!!
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A nice thought, but likely and unfortunately not, they are a roasties deli joint, not a HK cafe that also handles roasties.
Scoop, chop, box, and serve is what they do best and have been doing for years.
And I’m not going to push for it, lest Sergio Ming deny me the coveted cuts.
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It was the onions.
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Sushi Kaneyoshi
Nama Chirashi
I had planned to order Nama Chirashi Friday and Futomaki Saturday but plans changed when they posted
Aburi Toro Bara Chirashi
One of my favorite bites out of this box was taking the Uni & Asparagus together followed by a sip of Sake. The background bitterness and clean-crunch texture of the asparagus amplified the never-ending creaminess of the uni.
Their fish came in later than expected and Yoshi-san called me personally to ask if I could pick up thirty minutes later. Such a personal touch and cool crew!!
Saika Yamahai Junmai
Recommended by Yoshi-san as having Banana notes I knew I’d be picking up this Sake. Sturdy and confident mouthfeel while expressing straightforward, subtle notes of banana and grass while not being saccharin.
Antico
Mortadella & Ricotta
If they had a consistent run of sandwiches I’d pick them up more often than I do a pizza. Please do Hot Coppa!!!
Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch
Fat and Flour
Peach Handpie
Probably my favorite treat from Fat & Flour yet. The shell was so soft you barely had to bite yet the whole thing stayed together.
Almond Frangipane with Figs and Lavender Sugar
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looks great and a perfect weekend to eat outside. did the toro chirashi come with nori? and looks like you got some hikarimono in your nama.
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Yes this weekend has been beautiful!
Toro Chirashi did not come with loose nori though there was a thin layer of nori between fish and rice. I had meant to ask and it slipped my mind from the ig pics.
Yes and it was really nice being surrounded by uni and ikura! The SB uni was especially custardy/yolky and played well with the scallop too!
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Tried a new Santa Maria-bbq pop up in Culver City called GoldLand. It was pretty damn good. Chicken and sausage were great; tri tip was good but a little on the overcooked side. Still tender, but would have been better if more rare.
Coleslaw was good. Potato salad was too mayo forward for me. BBQ sauce was good; other two sauces were okay. I would go again.
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Croissants du Tokyo (Gardena)
While perusing the Tokyo Central Market, I found that Croissants du Tokyo are only making their krones (custard/cream-filled cones) Monday - Friday. Weekends are now just for their new cookie-topped cream puffs. The cream puffs come with a crunchy topping likely made with a basic crumble (butter/flour/sugar) mix and placed on top so there’s a crunch when you bite down. They’re filled with the standard vanilla bean, chocolate, or matcha custard filling…or they’ve you can can also choose strawberry or chocolate banana. They are all solid…and at a $1 each…a worthwhile couple of dessert bites if you’re not looking for a full dessert.
Also amazing today was their fresh shokupan which I caught sight of coming fresh out of the oven. It was so hot, they couldn’t slice and bag it. They gave it to me in one of their pastry boxes left open so it wouldn’t steam the bread. It was still warm when I arrived home. The kids went straight for it and made PB&J sandwiches. The bread itself is creamy and buttery and the center crumb is as light and fluffy as a cloud. I loved that the crust still retained its crisp exterior. Nice textural balance.
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Catching up on the week here.
Burmese Please
Tea Leaf Salad: I really can’t say enough about how great this salty, crunch, funky is.
Chicken Curry: buried under a bunch of herbs and toppings, the chicken curry is my favorite to pair with the perfectly sweet coconut rice. It all turns into a mess to eat in a bowl, but the paratha is perfect for cleaning the entire bowl.
Ichijiku Sushi
There’s no omakase option, but it’s a great value to put your own little set together. The ratio between fish and rice leaned towards the former more than I’ve typically had, but I really appreciated that it still created a perfect bite. The highlights were the unagi and yellowtail/habanero cut roll.
Fat and Flour
Peach Hand Pie: Nicole Rucker is the fruit whisperer. Even though she said on her Instagram that she’s resisted hand pies in the past, what she turned out here was incredible.
Strawberry Cream Pie: I’ll use her words–if you didn’t pick this up “ya blew it”.
Mizlala West Adams
Power ranking everything here:
- Crispy Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Chicken Shewarma
- Cauliflower
The hummus and tahini were perfectly creamy, but the pita was really nothing to write home about.
Pearl River Deli
Hainan Chicken from PRD is automatic for me, but this was the first time having the pandan tofu pudding. The custardy smoothness of the tofu with the subtle pandan flavor and ginger syrup was a highlight.
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soooooo f-ing good
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