Viewing entries in
Restaurants

Dirt Dog - Los Angeles

June 29, 2017

One of the things my dad always made when I was growing up was boiled hot dogs. He would literally boil a whole pack of weiners and leave it in the fridge so we would have something to snack on. It wasn't until I was in the 7th grade when I was at Drill Team practice by the park where dirty dogs were sold. Dirty dogs are just hot dogs wrapped with bacon. Sometimes with grilled peppers. But I like mine straight up with a slab of mayonnaise.

2528 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007

Dirt Dog does dirty dogs right. All dogs are wrapped with bacon. I've tried a few and can say these are the best I've had when it comes to a sit down restaurant.

Here we have the elote fries, elote dog (secret menu), their house dog with grilled onions and peppers, patty melt, and their elote corn on a cob.

Mexican crema, cotija cheese, chili powder, cilantro. Their links have a nice snap. Ok, there's no good way to review hot dogs without tons of sexual innuendo. So before you say anything, "that's what she said" has already been said by me.

SO, yes. Their hot dogs were beefy and delicious. Buns are shipped daily from a local baker. I recommend their brioche buns.

Their classic house dog comes with a simple bacon thousand island, roasted onions and peppers. Simple, but flavorful and delicious.

This was my favorite. Who doesn't want their bacon hot dog topped with french fries, melted cheddar, bacon bits, and a chipotle mayo? This was a flavor bomb. It was just everything that I would want on a hot dog.

Horchata Ice cream with Churros and fried oreos. After all that food you would think I'll stop. This did it for me. If the dogs didn't put me to sleep, this sure did and I don't regret it. I LOVE fried oreos. The batter did not disappoint.

I'll definitely be back soon.

2528 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007

Comment

Santouka & Gyutan Tsukasa - Costa Mesa

June 4, 2017

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

- is my favorite ramen shop here in Los Angeles, hands down. When I went to Japan a few years ago, it amazed me how delicious the ramen was. People rave about sushi in Japan which I don't disagree but, I can honestly say you can find compromisable sushi here as well. Going back to ramen in Japan, I was blown away with the layers of flavors within the broth. A lot of soup bases here are imported or have fat delivered to recreate the umami-ness you would expect in a tonkotsu broth that have been bathing for 12+ hours. A lot of times, you would just find the soup to be heavy and fatty. Say goodnight after breakfast. At Santouka, the broth is clean, rich and deep in depths of flavor.

Shio Ramen (salt ramen) is my favorite. This is their white tonkotsu soup with melt-in-your-mouth charsiu pork.00

You can create combos with your ramen. I'm not sure why, yet, but I will do research later to why the sets are so ginormous and loaded with carbs. Literally. In Japan and Japanese restaurants here, you can get chirashi with a side of udon. Oyakodon with a side of udon. Why?! I don't mind. I love it actually but, just curious.

665 Paularino Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626 Mitsuwa Marketplace Costa Mesa Store

21515 Western Ave., Torrance, CA 90501 Mitsuwa Marketplace Torrance Store

3760 S.Centinela Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90066 Mitsuwa Marketplace Santa Monica Store

More locations >>HERE<<

Gyutan Tsukasa

665 Paularino Ave Mitsuwa Marketplace Costa Mesa, CA 92626

I've talked about this place before. So nothing much about this besides they are amazing. Delicious beef tongue grilled over binchotan served with wasabie, pickled veggies, miso nanban and a heaping of steamed rice.

Comment

1 Comment

Belle Belle Cues

April 16, 2017

New to Chinatown, Belle Belle’s Cue serves authentic Texas style BBQ in the neighborhood of Los Angeles, taking no shortcuts, and using only the finest ingredients. The meats are cooked with Woodfire for an unforgettable taste. Owner Justin Mi is committed to bringing simple, high-quality BBQ with the traditional down-south fixings to the Los Angeles community.

One of my best friends, Ben Azarraga, joins me for lunch. He makes a great napkin passer for those finger lickin ribs. This photo is not yet to be approved by him, but I'm sure he would appreciate it anyways ;)

With 5 different house sauces to choose from, my favorite was the Habanero BBQ sauce. If you are a lover of spicy foods, this was definitely tolerable. If you are Ben who cannot eat much spicy foods, do skip (sorry Ben for saying it wasn't spicy haha). His favorite was the honey bbq.

Brisket - $12 Per 1/2 LbPulled Pork - $10 Per 1/2 Lb — Brisket - $12 Per 1/2 Lb
Pulled Pork - $10 Per 1/2 Lb

I've never had brisket or BBQ like this in Los Angeles before. I enjoyed the simple smoked flavors without the heavy sauces that normally overpowers the meat. I would love to give this another try again. I recommend coming in a larger group, preferably meat eaters, so you are able to try a little bit of everything. My favorite sides were the pineapple coleslaw & creamed corn.

Wednesday Thru Sunday

11AM to 4PM (or Sold Out)

701 W Cesar E Chavez Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012

323.897.9227 - info@bellebellescue.com

1 Comment

Comment

Astro Doughnuts

April 4, 2017

After four years of success in Washington, DC and Virginia, Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken opens its first West Coast location on April 5, 2017 in Downtown Los Angeles at 516 W, 6th Street, between Olive and Grand, bringing its seasonal and creative menu to a town that is notoriously in love with doughnuts.

A casual yet refined take on two comfort food classics – fried chicken and doughnuts – Astro’s unique cuisine has had loyal customers lining up around the block for years. The menu features an evolving array of seasonal doughnuts, creative takes on fried chicken, unique side dishes and specialty doughnut sandwiches. Sourcing only the finest ingredients, Astro’s menu evolves based on the freshest fruit and produce available from local farmers and purveyors. Astro’s crème brûlée doughnut has been named one of 40 “Must-Try Dishes” by The Washington Post, one of the “best fried chicken restaurants in America” by TimeOut, one of the “Best Doughnuts in DC” and “Best Donut Shops in America” by Thrillist, one of the “Hottest Doughnut Shops in America” by Eater and “The Best Southern-Style Fried Chicken in Washington, DC” by Serious Eats.

Fried Chicken Sandwich with Bacon, BBQ Sauce, with a potato roll.

Los Angeles, CA

516 W 6th Street Los Angeles, CA 90014

213-622-7876

Hours:
Monday - Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Comment

Big Catch - Alhambra

April 3, 2017

Back here again, but it never get's old. Some of the best happy hours in THE AREA serving up $1 oysters. The Big Catch in Alhambra is definitely my favorite location. It's open and airy. Bar seating is open to the outdoors which lets in a nice breeze.

In case you didn't know, Big Catch is part of the EMC Seafood Group. So everyone that loves EMC for their oysters can also enjoy the same quality here. Kumamoto's are the most popular, but I also really love Kusshi.

Take a peak at their raw bar to eye everything you want to order.

Their famous Lobster Roll with tarragon butter, sea salt, stuffed inside a grilled brioche bun.

Dirty Fried Rice - Shrimp, Calamari, Salmon, Green Onion, Egg, Lobster meat, Cajun Sauce. Salmon stood out the most, it was perfectly cooked.

Sashimi Sampler - Salmon Toro, Yellowtail Toro, Toro, Sweet Shrimp (Amaebi). Don't forget to eat the shrimp heads. They also used pickled grated wasabi. Sashimi and sushi are extremely fresh. Something I recommend ordering when you come. They also have plenty of seafood creations to try.

2 S. Garfield Ave. Ste. 100, Alhambra, CA 91801

Tel: 626-282-8590

Hrs: Mon-Thurs 11:30am - 12am

Fri-Sat 11:30am - 2am

Sun 10am - 12am

Comment

Wine & Dine

Dirt Dog - Los Angeles

Santouka & Gyutan Tsukasa - Costa Mesa

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Gyutan Tsukasa

Belle Belle Cues

Astro Doughnuts

Big Catch - Alhambra