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Dinner

Daikokuya - Monterey Park

August 31, 2016

Everyone went crazy when Daikokuya opened in Monterey Park. The whole 'Yay we don't have to drive to little tokyo!' or 'Yay we don't have to wait that long!' perception will be crushed in a matter of seconds that moment you start writing your name on the wait list. Along with the line of other groups ahead of you. As you slowly count up and realize you are not number 1, but number 15. And then you start reflecting on your life. Have you ever been number 15? It's worse than a midlife crisis. Or, you're all happy pulling up to see tons of parking spaces. But then you see the crowd of people huddled outside like it's below 0 when it's hot as a mother F'er.

Honestly, I have no idea where that rant came from. This is what happens when you have hot noodle soup during a hot summer day. You start seeing and saying sh*t.

Luckily, my friends and I got here in time where we didn't have to wait over an hour. Maybe it was 30 minutes, but it's fine since I ran into really good friends of mine.

I wouldn't say famous, but this is a very delicious bowl of salad that comes with an order of Ramen. It's their own house dressing which you can also purchase a bottle to take home. A must have.

I ordered their Tsukemen which is all the fixings; Seared Chashu, green onions, sprouts, soft boiled eggs and ramen that has been cooked and cooled under running water. Served with a bowl of pork broth.

Salmon sashimi with housemade carpaccio sauce, passer leaf, salsa and parmesan cheese. A lot of flavor, but quite tasty.

Honestly, chicken Karaage is the ultimate beer food. I take that back, it's the ultimate food to have with any alcohol. I love this stuff. With a lot of lemon. And when I am really hamming, over a bowl of rice. Sitting on the floor, with stretchy pants..

This is their signature Tonkotsu Ramen (Ton-KO-t-su, not katsu please). The tonkotsu (pork base soup) is infused with their house blended soy sauce. Served with boiled chijre style egg noodles, kurobuta pork belly chashu, marinated boiled egg, bamboo shoots, bean sprout, green onions and a dash of sesame seeds.

Their famous shredded pork bowl. Ok I'm not sure if it's famous, but it's extremely popular. Tender kurobuta pork belly that's grilled and served over rice with green onions, pickled ginger and a sweet sauce. If you are hungry, and want something extremely umami like, this is it. It's hard not to get this and even harder not to take a bite when someone offers.

111 N Atlantic Blvd, Ste 241, Monterey Park, CA 91754

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10e Restaurant - DTLA

August 24, 2016

10e is located on 7th and Flower conveniently right off the exit from the metro red line. The restaurant carries a diverse menu of authentic Armenian cuisine with modern Mediterranean influences. The space is spacious with tall ceilings with beautiful molding. It's not everyday that I eat a meal dedicated to this cuisine, so I am excited to share the items I tried.

Here were some cocktails that were available when we arrived. I liked the Spicy Crush. Very refreshing even after a long night of drinks with friends. They also carry a pretty tasty ginger beer so I would also recommend their Detox Retox.

Hummus with pomegranate seeds and roasted eggplants.

Some of the other items you see are Jalapeno topped Hummus which is made with chick peas, tahini, and lemon, aleppo peppers, and extra virgin olive oil. Beef Fried Kibbeh- Ground beef meat balls stuffed with pine nuts, served with a touch of garlic yogurt. Cauliflower topped Hummus - Creamy house made hummus (chick peas, tahini, and lemon), aleppo peppers, extra virgin olive oil and Fire Roasted Cauliflower. Muhamara. Roasted red pepper and walnuts with pomegranate molassesdip.

This deep fried Falafels was my favorite. Chick Pea, Fava bean, and Tahini served with house made pickles. I could eat more than one even though I shouldn't.

Taramosalata Tartar. Smoked Salmon, Caviar, Avocado, Beetroot Sauce served with flatbread.

Beet Salad with Filet Mignon. Golden & Red Beets, Arugula ,Fennel, Radicchio, Walnuts, White Balsamic Lemon Vinaigrette. I actually really liked the salad, The filet mignon was also flavorful and tender.

Beef Lula Kabob with Cherry Reduction sauce. Made with organic grass fed beef. This was served aside with buttery rice with vermicelli topped with slivered almonds. Will order this again.

Desert Medley. House made chocolate bar with caramel sauce and creme fresh with a side of baklava bites. The baklava was definitely a popular item.

811 W 7th St Los Angeles, CA 90017

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Katsuya - Glendale

August 23, 2016

John's mom took us here for a quick birthday lunch. We were at the Americana to take her shopping and she decided to might as well take me to a belated birthday meal. I've only been to Katsuya for Happy Hour which was pretty fun. All Happy Hours should be fun. If it's not fun, the truth is probably you aren't a fun person. Just saying...

For $19, you can order their sushi lunch

Sushi top to bottom: tuna, yellowtail, salmon, albacore, shrimp, scallop, and unagi

You get 7 pieces of sushi, a spicy tuna handroll, and a freaking 10 piece California cut roll. Everything was pretty good and definitely worth the $19 lunch deal.

You just have to make sure to eat the handroll first, or the Nori will start to moisten and turns chewy.

We also ordered a Spider Roll to share:

I didn't mention that we all ordered our own sushi lunch special. It was more than enough. We had trouble to finish our spider roll and California rolls. There's normally no wait to be seated which was also a reason for us to check it out. Outdoor seating is preferred though I haven't sat inside before.

Enjoy.

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Tacos Ensenada - East Los Angeles

August 15, 2016

A lot of people won't even know where East LA is. To some people, this area may be extremely foreign. And it's true. East LA is known to have crime from time to time so I'm not surprised people don't pick this as their destination. But there are also a lot of love. A lot of families. And a lot of hungry people wanting good food at an affordable price. East LA is heavily populated with Hispanics, but with that said, there are some great mom and pop joints out here that I consider some of my top go-tos. That's when I stumbled upon Tacos Ensenada. And if it wasn't for taking a trip on the Metro Gold Line, this place would probably still be incognito on my radar.

5161 E Pomona Blvd
East Los Angeles, CA 90022

Here were some amazing eats:

Poppy shrimp, citrus from the lime, sharpness of the onions, sweetness of the tomatoes, herbiness of the cilantro, creaminess of the avocado, and the toasty flavors of the tostada. For around $2, why even bother making this at home.

Fish tostada is my favorite ceviche to have. I love the texture of citrus cooked fish. It really infuses the flavor and tastes that much fresher cold with fresh chopped ingredients. Another must order.

Crunchy fresh fish tacos with shredded cabbage, pico, red sauce and crema. Finger licking good so you better chomp on these quick. Large lumps of seafood around $1.75 a pop, and well worth it.

Better than some street carne asada tacos. Meat was juicy, flavorful, and tons of umami in my mouth. I hope it's not lard... but a part of me loves that it might be.

Unlimited condiments. Be mindful, not wasteful.

Total for 1 bottle of coke, 4 fish tacos, 1 shrimp taco, 1 asada taco, and 2 tostadas... $20.ish dollars. Yeah you bet it was good. And guess what? They also accept credit cards, Double that what now.

5161 E Pomona BlvdEast Los Angeles, CA 90022

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Kings Row Gastropub - Pasadena

June 19, 2016

I hope by now everyone knows that I am not vegan/vegetarian. Or at least anywhere near it. No problem with people who are, I just want to make it known that I love meat. My dad was a butcher. Eating steaks and chops was something we did on a weekly basis. Knowing Kings Row serves a whole pig roast every 3rd Thursday of the month, I literally had my calendar booked for this day. The pig is beer brined and cooked low and slow in a hot box for 12 hours. So you can bet all you taste is pure pig goodness.

20 E Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91105

Well of course the first thing first is always cocktail time.

It's never easy for people to see a whole pig like this. For me, I'm used to it. Not just because of my dad, but Chinese people eat a hell lot of roast pig. We find it beautiful and pretty awesome.

The belly is cut into to release all the juices and fat goodness into a cup. But for what? A jus? Executive Chef Sundeep was super excited during this. Which made us all wonder what we were in stored for.

The photo to the left is another photo of the cup being almost filled before switching it out for another. Before you know it, the juices were split into different cups.

Yup it's this bad boy. Only something you dream of doing because it's that naughty.

How was it? How did it taste? It was silky and delicious. Not as fatty as I thought it would be but oh you definitely know it's gonna cost you a few hours at the gym. But to good health with good fats!

A little treat for being a good spectator.

For $15, you get a good sized portion of the pig and skin with jalapeno mac & cheese and an arugula salad. I don't devour that much mac & cheese because I am lactose intolerant, but I would do it for the mac & cheese that's served on this plate. Extremely comforting with the pork. The crispy skin... The best part and always a favorite is the pork belly. It's cooked oh so tender that it literally creates strands like spaghetti. And if you are good, like me, I got a special part of the pig, the cheek.

They also have other great dishes here if pork isn't for you. Things like cheese burgers and this awesome fish'n chips will make you order more beer. The fresh cod is a nice big chunk of flaky meat you will not complain about portion. Their fries also, is to die for. If you come here, always order their fries or something with it.

So mark your calendars for the third thursday of every month.

They also carry great breakfast/brunch that you need to check out.

20 E Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91105

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Wine & Dine

Daikokuya - Monterey Park

10e Restaurant - DTLA

Katsuya - Glendale

Tacos Ensenada - East Los Angeles

Kings Row Gastropub - Pasadena