The Olive

Located at the new Downey Promenade, you will find The Olive. This restaurant is not only beautiful but serves up amazing Mediterranean cuisine. I've only had a few Mediterranean experiences, but nowhere to be on the higher end (except Momed), but this place was extraordinary and I'm pretty impressed.

I would say that everything we had was as made in-house as you could imagine.

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Fresh pita made to order with a side of spicy green crack sauce (it's that ridiculous).

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Perfect brew with a nice froth. I'm a coffee type of gal instead of mimosa.

A little more about the restaurant:

“The Olive’s distinct and unique craft cocktails, created by Carlos Morales, feature the Downy Godfather or Chili Pepino and could easily be found in the best resorts. Comfort staples like babaghanouj, sweet African peppers and wonderful spicy Hummus ride alongside shawarmas, seafood, chicken and steak entrees and specialties including Cornish hens or a mixed grill feast for 6 at a bargain $88. Wraps, soups and a wide variation of salads along with paninis, flatbreads and vegetarian options round out the menu with desserts, Italian sodas, coffee. And, of course, cocktails, high end spirits and aperitifs from the full-service bar are also available.”

8830 Apollo Way Ste 104 Downey, CA 90242

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

Oto Oto Izakaya - Monrovia - Brother's 30th

Talking about Oto Oto will be a bit personal for me. I don't talk much about restaurants in my posts because I only want to feature the offerings as well as the ambiance. In terms of the actual flavors and whether I like it or not, I don't dive too into it because that is something I want you to be the judge of.

Oto Oto on the other hand... I've worked here in the past for 3 and a half years while finishing my college degree in Business Marketing. I haven't been back since leaving over 2 years ago. I think the reason was the clean break from the restaurant. I wanted to eat new things. Italian cuisines, French, American, and contemporary cuisines whatever that means. The spark for Japanese food just vanished. It wasn't that I stopped coming here only, I also stopped my Izakaya and Japanese food craze unless a friend or family member wants it.

This is why we came here tonight. My brother, David, was turning 30 that night so we wanted to have a nice dinner followed by a countdown. I made a gesture to eat at a place like Oto Oto "Izakaya-style" so we can drink and just snack on items. But turned out, he was really excited to go back to Oto Oto and eat all the food he loved when they used to visit me during and after work.

Without going into detail today, my true drinking habits started here. I've also learned a different side of Japanese cuisine I wasn't familiar with. Izakaya. I immediately fell in love. Not just by the food, but also by how the chefs work. The main chefs are from Japan to continue this restaurant group here in America. IF you have to know, I believe they have over 150 chains in Japan. Oto Oto Monrovia, is their flagship in the U.S.

The restaurant is louder and much livelier than your typical conservative sushi dining experience. The best way to describe the whole Izakaya experience, is to start with a drink, order a few appetizers, and then order more drinks. Continue. I like to start with beer or sake. And order little appetizers like chicken karaage:

My first time eating this was here. I ate at least one piece of this every day. And when I am super hungry, I would order this with a bowl of rice. I would squeeze the lemon all over the chicken and my rice so I'll have the lemon flavor throughout. This, by the way, is fantastic with beer.

So you cheers a little and snack a little. One of the next dishes are all my favorites to eat here while enjoying great company, with drinks.

Yakitori

Here is the chicken skin, chicken liver, and special heart which is the fatty membrane around the heart of the chicken (DELICIOUS). Everything was eaten with a dash of togarashi pepper. 

Additional hearts were ordered. 

Ankimo in ponzu. This is monkfish liver served in a bowl with ponzu, spicy grated daikon, seaweed, shredded cucumbers and minced green onions. I used to also eat this with rice. The flavor is mild yet creamy in texture.

Half shell oysters - 1 ordered with UNI - Sea Urchin (recommended). Served with spicy grated radish, minced onions and ponzu. Super fresh and clean.

Wagyu Carpaccio. I know these are all my favorite foods here, but you have to order this. Tender wagyu beef over mixed greens, sliced red onions, sprouts and minced green onions with a savory tataki sauce. Everyone at the table was happy about this.

Salmon cut roll. We always order this wherever we go. 

Yellowtail belly. Just melts in your mouth. I eat this with a touch more of wasabi even though it's already added with a dash of soy sauce. Your eyes will roll back.

Dragon roll. Yes, unagi is good and we love avocados. But did you know they use real snow crab in all their rolls? Think again when you want to pass on their rolls. And hey, you are eventually going to need something to soak up all that alcohol.

For the next few years, I suffered with the syndrome to call this Spicy tuna at every restaurant. It is called spicy tuna pizza here at Oto, but a lot of other restaurants have the same concept with different names. I loved the seasoning of the spicy tuna.

More yakitori. Beef tongue and Pork calbi. Both are recommended.

They were sold out of their tebasaki karaage (fried chicken wings) so we ordered their chicken wings yakitori instead. I like this version, but the boys wanted fried.

Shiso gyoza. I knew what I wanted, but so did my brother. He made sure we ordered this even though we were extremely stuffed. His eyes rolled back after taking a bite. Served with citrus ponzu. If you love gyoza, you haven't loved it until you had it here. Made in house.

Limited quantity: Miso Marinated cod bones. Don't be fooled by the name, these are packed with flavor and meat. I've had this at other restaurants, but it just doesn't compare to here. It just tastes so fresh and not like it's been sitting in the fridge for a long time. The portions are also generous. Pairs fantastically with beer.

We also had a simple straightforward snow crab roll and ended our night with watermelon shaved ice.

If you plan on visiting let me know, I love it here.

OH and Happy Birthday again brother.

320 Main - Seal Beach

What I love about trying different restaurants is the different destinations it leads me to. 320 Main is located on Main street along with many small business shops to check out. It feels like the matured version of downtown Long Beach. Just a local friends and family gathering scene though I could be wrong during the evening Happy Hours.

We came to 320 Main during brunch, and it was such a pleasant surprise. 

Pimms Cup

What's a brunch without a cocktail? This simple mixture is nothing short on flavor. Pimm's with some lemon, ginger and cucumber. I had a cold, but this ironically made me feel etter. Must be the ginger.

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Creole Shrimp & Grits

These were jumbo shrimps cooked perfectly. Extremely plump and flavorful. Cooked with andouille sausage with some good ole cheese grits.

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Smoked pork chop

This dish was ridiculous. It's every pig lover's dream. A huge pork chop with seared crispy fat served with some potato hash, sunny side, and an apple fig jam with crunchy toast. This is what brunch is all about. Great to share, but I devoured this all by myself.

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They also serve great food to pair with drinks like duck poutines.

320 Main Seal Beach CA, 90740 562-799-6246

Ixtaco Taqueria - El Monte

John and I went to the gym before finding Ixtaco Taqueria. We were hungry. Needed food, but it wasn't quite time for dinner yet. Don't you just hate that? What's a good post workout meal that is satisfying, fills up, but not too much, between 3-6? It's pretty hard. Because when I eat, I mentally get ready for it. I kick the protein shakes to the curb. Don't swing no snack bar in my face either. I want meat and greasy food that I can get my hands on. My hair was a mess, but I didn't care. No one complains when there's tacos. No one.

We stumbled upon Ixtaco when we were headed for a quick fix at Mitsuwa Marketplace. Luckily, John read my mind and rerouted to this joint a few miles down from where we were at the moment. Nothing a quick U-turn can't fix. Have you seen how I drive? There's no playing games when tacos are involved. I tell people this all the time when they get nervous, just close your eyes.

10021 Valley Blvd, El Monte, CA 91731

As you can see, they do have a decent selections of tacos to choose from. I would definitely need to be back to try out the other menu items.

Aguas Frescas

This was their coconut and mango. Both refreshing on a hot-supposed-to-be-spring day. Handcrafted to suit natures best produce. My coconut drink was nice and subtle. The mango had a sweeter bolder kick which always pairs great with tacos.

I ordered 2 Asada and 1 Roasted Duck.

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I was probably 9 the first time I had tacos from a truck. There was one where I used to live in Glassell Park called Gorditas Lupitas. The tortillas at Ixtaco reminds me of Lupitas. In other words, comforting. My mom and my dad used to stroll down the street. I would remember what a treat it was to eat tacos. The delicious chewy tortillas with the spicy salsas. These totally brings back memories.

Roast Duck

Their roast duck taco was my favorite. If you are familiar with Chinese roast duck, this is exactly what it is in a taco.. with cilantro and onions.. and salsa verde. I am not complaining. It totally makes sense. If you think about how Chinese would use steamed buns or thin flour pancakes to wrap roast duck, this is no different. I'm not sure how consistent the duck is prepared here in a taco, but if it's served with tons of skin, I am happy with that. So much flavor and super moist. They also serve this in a burrito as an option as well as a quesadilla, torta, sope. I'm telling you, they have options.

Sope

I love sopes because it's fried. They make their own here like their tortillas. What I love about this is the slight crispy edges with the hot steamy chew you get. You won't find the same texture from store bought sope shells. It's just not the same as to when it's handmade. I would order this a little more extra crispy next time.

Grilled Elote

Yummy grilled elote. Corn that's been charred, buttered, slathered with mayonnaise, cheese, lime juice, and to what I believe was a chipotle style mayonnaise. It make look like a lot of mayonnaise, but trust me, that's the best part. Comes piping hot in a plastic container. Great to carry on in the car when you are on the go.

Langostinas

Langostinas burrito! Loaded up with rice, beans, and a layer of purple cabbage. Squeeze as much lime as possible then douse with some spicy salsa. Lick your fingers after. Napkins are only used at the end of the meal.

10021 Valley Blvd, El Monte, CA 91731

I know El Monte isn't very local to a lot of you folks, but it's always fun to explore. I love places like this, because it creates an experience I wouldn't expect to find. I don't always need to be in Los Angeles. Getting away, driving to a different city, and finding a totally random restaurant is the best part of being a true foodie. So go and explore.

Happy taco hunting.