Crackin Kitchen

New to Pasadena, straight from Hawaii, comes Crackin' Kitchen. This is the first Hawaiian cajun I've come across. They do seafood platters to different varieties of mussel pots. The viet cajun seafood boils we are used to is now fused with Hawaiian flavors for a different twist. Come check them out in Old Town Pasadena when you're in the area.

House sodas. This is peach and watermelon.

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Seafood platter. Oysters, shrimp cocktail, tuna poke, smoked salmon with taro chips, and snow crabs.

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Clam Chowder fries. Mashed potatoes topped with french fries with ladles of clam chowder, cheddar cheese and fried egg. My ultimate carb obsession.

Seafood tortilla pizza - Ahi, shrimp, tomato, avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, red onion, and special sauce served on a crispy tortilla

Thai Mussel Pot - Coconut milk, lemon grass, coriander, kaffir, fish sauce, chili, ginger, garlic

ULTIMATE COMBO - Shrimp, clams, mussels, corn, potatoes, andouille sausage and snow crab. Served with all three signature sauces. 

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115 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91105

Plenty of seating with a full bar. Love that the space feels really open. I would recommend coming with a larger group to try out different items. They have a HUGE selection of different flavored mussel pots.

enjoy!

Big Catch - Universe

Uni is something that you hate or love. I've never met someone that's an in between. Even if you were, it's a lie and the most likely truth is that you hate it.

When I heard that Big Catch Seafood House is offering a special Uni-verse 8 dish course it's a no brainer that my heart just melted. Not even thinking that this would be the best place to take a date for valentines day, but a date that I can take myself. 

The uni is from Maruhide. Most of you know it as the Maruhide Uni Club. These red sea urchins are caught along the Channel Island off the Santa Barbara in California, also called Aka-Uni in Japanese. It has a sweet, creamy texture with a beautiful deep orange/red color. For a limited time, Big Catch is collaborating with Maruhide to create unique course such as this. It brings the Uni Club closer to you so you don't have to trek out to long beach. 

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This is the full grand slam of the meal. The glass of champagne is additional and pairs really nicely. If you're not a fan of champaign they also have a full bar for your liking.

The 8 course consists of:

• Uni Onsen Tamago - Hot Spring egg / Salmon roe/ dried seaweed/ pickled wasabi/ dashi soy
• Uni Blue Fin Tororo - Blue fin tuna/ Mountain Yam/ pickled cucumber/ ohba leaf/ uni soy
• Uni Oyster with Ikura - Kumiai oyster/ Salmon roe/ scallion/ ponzu
• Uni Toro - Fatty tuna (belly)/ flying fish roe/ ohba leaf/ kombu soy
• Seared Uni Scallop - Seared Scallop/ Mango/ Sea Salt/ Olive Oil/ Ohba Leaf
• Uni Garlic Flan - Garlic Flan/ Salmon Roe/ Micro Rainbow/ Chives
• Uni Toast - Dried Seaweed/ Chives/ triple creme cheese/ toast
• Mini Uni Pasta - Uni Sauce/ Flying fish roe/ dried seaweed/ chives

You can get everything I mentioned for a promotional $88. Will eventually hit up to $108 so I would recommend giving it a taste. This course is limited to 5 orders per day. If you plan on making a reservation ahead of time, make sure to mention you would want to order this.

Below is a closer look at this amazing feast:

Let me know your thoughts after you've given this a try.

Big Catch Seafood

2 S Garfield Ave Ste 100 Alhambra, CA 91801

(626) 282-8590

Boiling Seafood Wok

My brother introduced me to Boiling Seafood Wok. Funny that I've never seen this here. I've been to this tiny plaza to buy donuts. Then again, there are tons of hole in the restaurants just like this all over 626. At this point, I recommend you just checking it out without reviewing on Yelp. Most of the reviews are biased anyways. And honestly, it's the places you least expect to be great that comes out on top. My only recommendation is to always bring cash.

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Complimentary soup during lunch

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This is the boiling Chilean sea bass pot. This was supposed to be spicy, but I found it far from it. If anything, there's a strong dose of white pepper. This was simple, but comforting. You will find bean sprouts, cabbage, tomatoes, pickled cabbage, and leaf celery (aka chinese celery). You can add noodles to this, but I love soaking this into my rice. The pot comes with a butane stove. You can also order this in a larger size as well with the addition of adding more seafood if you want to pay extra.

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Chinese green mustard. I wasn't a fan of this growing up because of the slight bitterness this had. I've definitely grown to love this vegetable. In fact, I started to love greens that contained more fiber. This isn't something I would order if I see pea tips or ong choy on the menu, but since we ordered a few fatty dishes that day it felt suited for the occasion. 

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Steamed chicken is a staple of Chinese cuisine. I don't know what about it makes it for me, but I always like to order steamed chicken. This is served bone-in with a soy-ginger-onion oil. Growing up, this appeared on the table a lot with the usual bowls of rice.

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Braised pork belly is something I naturally gravitate towards. It takes a lot of time to perfect this dish. I've had this inconsistently prepared where parts would be dry why certain edges would melt. This was pretty good. I definitely recommend this if you're a pork belly lover like me. This is like the Chinese version of pork kakuni. A dish from heaven for all the rice lovers as well.

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Fried large pork intestines. Ok. I get it. Looks gross, because it does. And it takes the right people to share this with. It's not something I get to order. Normally, I am the only one that wants this, so it's not ideal to order this. Luckily, the company I was amongst enabled me to order this. A good fried pork intestine will be cleaned out from any... impurities.. that may still linger within the linings. Should be boiled ahead in a light seasoned broth to tenderize the meat. Must be fried golden and crispy. From time to time, the intestines may be stuffed with green onions. This helps reduce the gamey flavor, but I grew up eating this so I don't mind it. This and some beer is the perfect late night grub.

Life is short, try new things.

7940 Garvey Ave Ste 108 Rosemead, CA 91770

The Restaurant - The Getty Center

The Restaurant is located in the Restaurant/Cafe building (upstairs from the cafeteria). The Restaurant offers full service in an elegant setting with views of the Santa Monica Mountains. Menus do change seasonally and the restaurant is opened for dinner service during summer.

I've passed by The Restaurant many times, but never thought about dining here. They have a pretty prestigious menu that compliments the art pieces you can find at the museum. Everything we had was fantastic.

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Pepper Tomato Gazpacho - Recommended to open your palate. 

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Mission IPA 

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I think I had 3 slices of bread. Incredible with the soft butter served alongside.

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Beet Hummus - Toasted Cumin, Cilantro Pistou with Pappadam Crisps. ADDICTING.

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BBQ Flat Bread - Grilled Flatbread, smoky barbeque pulled pork, white cheddar, arugula and red onions.

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Rucola con Pecorino arugula, crisp apple, applewood smoked salami shaved pecorino toscano, white balsamic

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SUMMER FRUIT PANZANELLA  marinated mozzarella, wild rocket, torn croutons, pistachio honey balsamic. Seasonal Peaches and cherries were the summer fruits of the day. Delicious.

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Crudo scallop, garlic oil, capers, tomato coulis fresno pepper

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Chefs take on Pozole. PORK LOIN - Hominy, ancho puree, papaya cabbage slaw, cilantro. One of my favorite dishes.

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PRIME FILET OF BEEF - potato pancake, spicy sweet glaze, crispy onion, pickled vegetables.

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Prawns Pomodoro - locally milled wheat pasta, heirloom tomatoes garlic, basil

Dessert

Perfect restaurant to go for a special occasion or just to treat yourself to a nice meal before or after walking the Getty.

Hours

Lunch

Tuesday–Saturday 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Sunday 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Dinner

Friday 5:30–9:00 p.m.

Saturday 5:00–9:00 p.m.

Closed Mondays

West Coast Fish - Costa Mesa

There's been a lot of gourmet food brought down to the fast food hype and I am definitely digging it. After seeing the menu and a few photos from local eaters, I wonder what can be so great with grilled fish, "simple" sides/appetizers. From the items I've tried, the first bite was all it took.

I was blown away by how amazingly delicious everything was. With a mouthful, oh my god was the only thing I kept blurping out. 

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Salmon over brown rice with veggies. (broccolini, pickled shishito and fresno chilis.) Salmon, cooked to perfection. Also, they cure the salmon in house making the skin extra crispy when grilling. Will order this again... will be hard to want something else after having this.

“West Coast Fish desires to simplify what it means to have good seafood. Utilizing organic non-GMO herbs, original sauces and wild fish, our produce is hand-picked fresh from farmer’s markets as well as The CAMP’s community garden.”

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faux crab handroll

You'll be surprised with the level of expertise at West Coast Fish when preparing the food. Some inspirations they've adapted to is  Japanese techniques. Cooking with binchotan charcoals for example, gives a nice smokey aroma that doesn't overpower the food. Why I love yakitori so much. 

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cauliflower

Quite possibly one of the best cauliflower dishes I've had. I can't express enough how good this was. Oh, I know, Oh My God.

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It's easy to mess up brussel sprouts. But, not here. Deliciously crispy. Extremely addicting and difficult to share. The same with the cauliflower. That's 2 veggie dishes I just raved about. Says a lot.

The shrimp tacos were ON POINT. Giant and Extremely plump (please, no that's what she said jokes. Even though I just pointed that out...) No skimping here. And what's AMAZING was how well that tortilla held up. As a food blogger, you can imagine the extra minutes I take to capture a photo. But, with that said, it was one tortilla (standard street tacos has 2) that held up the beast. So fresh. Each bite was just decadence.

I WILL BE BACK.

2981 BRISTOL ST. #B5 COSTA MESA, CA 92626