Let’s chow!
Huge Bite from the n/soto + JACCC pop-up (at JACCC’s Toshizo Watanabe Culinary Cultural Center in Little Tokyo)… Agemono: Hotate kakiage with summer corn, shishito and curry salt. The whole meal was terrific, a superb value at 9-courses by Chef Yoji Tajima, for $125 per person (food only), and proceeds go to a great cause!
Angry Egret Dinette
Tuna tostada - I think today’s special was inspired by the flavors of Asia and Hawaii. It reminded me of poké and tataki. There’s a lot of flavor and textures here. It might have been a touch too salty for me, but I split with my salt-loving sibling so she loved it.
Calamari Steak tacos - The most tender and meaty calamari I’ve ever had. It ate like swordfish and was a flavor bomb. The salsa macha is so delicious!
Not pictured:
The new mini burritos are fun. They ran out of the sweet potato, and subbed it with squash…and it was delightful. I could have eaten half a dozen of them.
The lobster burrito is excellent and worth the $30 price tag. The lobster is perfectly cooked, the eggs are so creamy and the arbol salsa hits just right.
The Culver open-faced sandwich I didn’t get to eat, but it looked lovely. My sister said the hot sauce was nice, but spicy.
The short-rib banh mi dip was reserved for someone else to take to work. It looked and smelled good.
It’s almost like chef Wes is veering back towards his Guerilla taco roots—which is not a complaint at all.
Thought I’d post a couple August reports right before the end of the month, and holy cow it’s September already …
Midoh - Sawtelle
Really enjoyed the meal. Everything was well-prepared, big portions, comforting stuff, what’s not to like? Decent amount of seating on their outdoor balcony too, so it felt safe out there. Inside the tables were spaced far apart, probably the most space between tables I’ve seen in these pandemic re-opening times.
1st pic - Hamburg Curry, Udon Carbonara. 2nd pic - tonkatsu (both fillet and loin) and fried shrimp.
Hotville Chicken
We ordered some stuff to go - the chicken at both medium and mild and also the fish at plain/non-spicy. This was my first time trying Hotville, and I thought it was great. Even after a 20 minute drive, everything managed to stay crispy and juicy. Special shout-out to the staff - I called in my order, and it was perhaps the best phone experience I’ve ever had with a restaurant. The lady I spoke with was just so warm and relaxed!
Southern Girl Desserts
Just across the parking lot from Hotville. Didn’t take pics, but everything we tried here was yummy! Including the Sweet Potato cupcake @TheCookie recommended on other threads and their pound cake, which has a nice chewy crust to complement the moist inside.
Darn! I should have also ordered the shrimp when I went to the Rowland Heights location.
They were pretty good but not as good as that tonkatsu! The breading is similar, on the thicker, heavier side, which stands up much better to the thick pork than to the lighter shrimp. Btw I agree with your take on the tonkatsu - I think it’s up there with Kagura’s too. Kagura’s like the more delicate, refined cousin to Midoh’s version.
Oh great! Glad you liked Southern Girl Desserts.
I was dissuaded from trying Hotville because Chowseeker had such a bad experience. Clearly I need to try it and decide for myself! 
re: Southern GIrl - have you ever tried anything chocolate-y from them? I like chocolate desserts on the darker side, so I’m curious how their chocolate-based cakes/cupcakes/etc are.
re: Hotville - Yes please do and let us know what you think!
Also, this may be going into “Where are they now” territory a little bit, but there seemed to be times Chowseeker would make a pre-judgment on a place and then pick nits to justify that pre-judgment. On the flip side, if he decided to like a place, it could seemingly do no wrong and he’d defend it even against fair criticism from folks here. That said, his Hotville experience was way before mine and I’ve only been once.
If I had to do a hot chicken power ranking, I’d put Hotville above Dave’s and Main Chick. It may not be Howlin Ray’s, but it’s close enough with less hassle. I can call in an order, know it’ll be ready in 20 minutes, and park for free right in front of the place!
Hi @glazedonut -
I don’t remember the chocolate in particular but everything we’ve had has been rich in flavor.
Nailed it.
Good to know, I’ll have to try more there for sure!
Lol i always rolled my eyes when Chowseeker said ‘salty’ not that it can’t be a problem but it often seemed like something else. On the plus side though Chowseeker gave a lot of information and I always appreciated the reviews and just tried to read between the lines as to whether or not i would like the place
Good strategy. I started focusing on the info and not the exacting and idiosyncratic observations.
PTSD! 
Shut the door!
Respect where it’s due for doing the homework, but a lot of it was TL;DR, so I sometimes just looked at emojis. (Was that a hot take?)
Yes, respect where it’s due. 
But! I LOL when you once jokingly asked if it was ok to scroll down to the emojis.
Not a hot take at all, I’ll scroll through too unless I saw a good picture or heart emojis and it’s variants
I’m like…. Did I post and not know it!! lol!!!
Those three (along with Everytable, Hot and Cool and Crusteees) have kept us sane during this entire time. We have eaten at that back patio at Midoh more than we care to count since they opened. Sawtelle is still a crazy place but we can drive into the parking lot, go up the stairs and then into that patio and just feel like we are a place away.
Hotville is not Howling Rays, but I like it way better than Gus’ and love that they offer fish. It’s been a joy to see Southern Girl do so well during this time. Often there is a line, but it moves quick and the goodies are worth it.
Plus, the folks at all three place are also a sweet as can be… which is extra appreciated during these times!
The fish is the bomb! Perfectly cooked. Yes, this topic renewed our interest and we had Hotville yesterday. 
Will report soon!
Yay!!! I hadn’t ordered in a few months (prior they have consistently been good) so glad to hear your enjoyed it! Will have to order it again!
If you are near the area again… be sure to head down to Hot and Cool cafe. They have amazing grab and go wraps that make great WFH lunches.
