Hollywood - Susan Feniger's Street

LA is a fun place to live. Being able to go to the restaurant owned by a prestige contestant after watching a few episodes of Top Chef Master is both fun and special. How often do you get to do that with your favorite show!?


Street's crew were attentive, friendly and entertaining. Curry flavored corn snack (on the house), citrus refreshment and poured Hong Kong milk tea were served in no time.

Above, BABY BEETS AND LOLA ROSSA aged sherry vinegar and grain mustard vinaigrette - 5. The sweet and tangy salad brought up the appetite in a good way.

BROILED SCALLOPS ON THE HALFSHELL with Peruvian aji amarillo cream, chorizo breadcrumbs, lime and fresh picked cilantro - 12. The combination of these wonderful bites were memorable and left me wishing for more though the serving size were perfect for two people.

BABY BACK RIBS in spicy Korean miso glaze with scallion ginger cream - 14. There was no Asian cow. What I am trying is say is that I did not taste the Korean miso nor the scallion and ginger in the cream. That said, the short rib was cooked to perfection and will sure be well qualified as “comfort food” for the most part.

TATSUTAGE FRIED CHICKEN marinated with soy, mirin, and sake crispy fried in rice batter and topped with spicy kewpie mayonnaise sauce - 15. First, you bite into the hot oil fried crispy and tender chicken with the rich spicy kewpie mayo. Then have a slurp of the cold sweet and savory soba. Then add a little spicy and sour from the kimchi. Heavenly!

Just as I have portraited Susan Feniger in my head, her food is just like her personality. She wants you to have a full belly with the generous portion and if you had brought some friends to share, you should have the big smile like hers when you walk out the Street. You will not need Susan there to confirm it.


Susan Feniger's Street
www.eatatstreet.com | 742 N Highland Los Angeles, CA 90038 | (323) 203-0500

Glendale - Palate Food + Wine

Although living in LA and dining out in Glendale is like fishing in a river, Palate has been on my wish list for some time.

We were led to the inner wine bar, a more friendly and lively space with some good selection of bottles, cheeses & books. The wine list was given quickly upon sitting. At the tasting bar, Chef/Principal Octavio Becerra and other executives were personable to everyone. I must admit: this place made me wish I was a drinker.
Below, a bottle of sparking water - 6, Crispini and the white bean soup made of swiss chard, kabocha squash and pumpkin seed oil - 7. The crispy Crispini was brushed with extra virgin oil and seasoned well. The soup unfortunately predominately tasted just beans with very little trace of kabocha and other essence.

braised short ribs / farro / melissa grapes / cavolo nero / cipollini onions / dijon 16 : a heavenly bite for me consists of small chunks of everything in the plate. The melting-in-the-mouth rib paired with the mildly sweet grape and onions will keep you forking nonstop to an empty plate. It’s not a plate for sharing.

branzino / broccoli 2-ways / bagna cauda / pine nuts / breadcrumbs 14 (above) : the fish was seasoned and cooked perfectly. fresh tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Below, chocolate pudding / crème fraîche / fleur de sel - 6 : The sea salt brought out some good sweetness of the treat. It’s indeed a good rich satisfying finish.

Palate has the right ingredients, people, attitude, cooking and drinks. Right after the dessert, I was ready to make a reservation for dinner. It’s a place new comers become regulars.

Palate Food & Wine
933 S Brand Blvd Glendale, CA 91204 - (818) 662-9463
www.palatefoodwine.com | menu

Little Tokyo - Hama Sushi

Hama Sushi is my “sushi-craving-quick-fix” spot. It’s located in the center of Little Tokyo. It’s in my home turf.

It’s usually packed everyday with constant 15-20 minutes wait during dinner hours. While you are waiting, you can’t skip to see a sign, not pictured, saying that they refuse to serve Tempura, Teriyaki or other common Japanese a la carte. They only have two tables while the sushi counter sits about fifteen. Ginger, wasabi and steamy towel are served right away when you sit at the counter.

Below, Salmon Teriyaki (I’m thankful but mystery to me as it should be one of their refuse-to-serve items), the salmon is very juicy and fresh with the right amount of crispy skin every time. The sauce is well balanced with sweet and savory. I also like to order the Miso Soup with Clam. The clam adds that Umami flavor to the plain ol’ miso soup that is good for my heart.

Sushi rice here is mildly sweet and sour. Raw fish are fresh. The combination is very well rounded. Below Sushi Deluxe Set C, at $17, comes with eight pieces of sushi, four California rolls & regular miso soup. (not all pieces pictured, egg sushi sold separately)

At Hama Sushi, adults order hand rolls like fat kids would want to order ice cream cones. It’s been said that one must finish a fresh served hand roll in five seconds to fully enjoy it before the dry crispy Nori becomes soggy and ruin the texture. From the left: Yellowtail, Spicy Salmon & Spicy Yellowtail easy bites, at around $4 each, are never short on demand.

Like any good sushi joints, some nicely carved orange wedges that shows chief’s knife skill are served as the last plate before the bill to refresh.

Hama Sushi is not a place for a surprise. It’s a place you will find consistent fresh raw fish and excellent spicy hand rolls. It’s a place that keeps me going back on a typical day any given time.

Hama Sushi - Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA
www.yelp.com/biz/hama-sushi-los-angeles | 347 E 2nd St Los Angeles, CA 90012 | (213) 680-3454

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Hawaii - Island Breakfast

Whether you echo the idea or not, Breakfast, the so called the most important meal of the day, turned out to be the most memorable meals on my vacation days. Over a course of a few days, with a little help of the Yelp iPhone app on the iphone, we drove our way around those Nearby would-be Hot Spots and they sure live up most of their hype.

First: Kaka'ako Kitchen. Located inside of the Ward Centers, it opens before most of the stores does in the plaza. Seating is spacious and clean; ideal for morning moods.

Below, the Hawaiian Egg Bread French Toast and the Local Breakfast that comes with two eggs, sausage and home fried red potatoes. Since they use local produce,  everything tasted fresh. At around $6 each, the generous servings are reasonably priced.

Kaka'ako Kitchen - Honolulu, HI
www.yelp.com/biz/kakaako-kitchen-honolulu
1200 Ala Moana Blvd Honolulu, HI 96814 | (808) 596-7488

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Boots & Kimos. A re-visit since two years ago and it’s becoming a town landmark locally and to me personally.

Below, Banana Pancake With Macadamia Nut Sauce $8.59, with just the right amount of creamy nutty sweetness on the fluffy stacks that reminded my now two years old love at first bite. The Hawaiian Smoked Sausage was very juicy and savory while the fried rice took a different turn being tasteless and dry.

Although I missed the old hole-in-the-wall decor, the larger sittings certainly shorten the wait while keeping their pancake hot and onolicious.

Boots & Kimo's Homestyle Kitchen - Kailua, HI
www.yelp.com/biz/boots-and-kimos-homestyle-kitchen-kailua
131 Hekili St Kailua, HI 96734 | (808) 263-7929

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Kihei Caffe. Whether you are a tourist or a smiling local, this is a spot you don’t want to miss when you are in Kihei.

Besides the great location and the ocean front view, their offerings are sure worth all the yelp stars. Below, French Toast 7.5 (topped with banana and macadamia nut +2), it’s crispy out fluffy in and everything one could ask for. It’s almost worth waking up in the morning. Don’t hesitate to ask for a second jar of coconut syrup because it will run out before you notice it.

Above, the Loco Moco Local Fry 11.95. It’s Loco Moco over fried rice like two eggs and a hamburger patty wasn’t enough. No, really. It’s savory, satisfying and you don’t have to be a Hawaiian to appreciate it.

Kihei Caffe
www.kiheicaffe.com
1945 South Kihei Road, Kihei, HI 96753 | (808) 879-2230

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Gazebo Restaurant is located in one of the most beautiful private beach in the U.S.

Below, Combo Short Stack $8.25. Sausage & Eggs $9.5. Ocean view: priceless.

In case you haven’t already notice, I’m a pancake french toast addict. Gazebo’s version of my favorite staple was not the best I have had but with such view and a little walk of the beach afterwards, it’s unbeatable.

Gazebo Restaurant - Lahaina, HI
www.yelp.com/biz/gazebo-restaurant-lahaina
5315 Lower Honoapiilani Rd Lahaina, HI 96761 | (808) 669-5621

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Torrance - TORIHEI

It’s conveniently located in a Japanese plaza right next to the Mistuwa Market. I can see myself getting in a habit of not cooking right after the grocery shopping and go dining out somewhere close.

Torihei has been rated the best Yakitori-ya in the So.Cal. among the foodie circles. We had been warned it being busy, so we got our 8pm reservation a week ahead and walked straight right in, passing all the eye-rolling-hungry-souls in the 45 minutes line. We felt good even before ordering anything.


Right after we walked in, thanks to their fancy fan, it’s virtually smokeless compared to other yakitori-ya.

The menu was pretty big and not limited to chicken only. Service was decent.

Below left, White radish - 1.95 from the Oden section, was cooked perfectly with nice light oden broth flavor.



Above, Grounded chicken on rice bowl with soup - 5.95, for those who need rice in every meal.

From the left, Chicken thigh, Half raw egg w/ salmon roe, & Breast w/ plum. For these less than two dollars each skewers, all the bites were all cooked to the right tenderness and seasoned well.

Again, the fire & salt masters at Torihei just keep hitting the perfect spot. (Beef tongue, Gizzard & Chicken wing)

The whole squid with mayo was gone in seconds.

While some people might considered the liver being cooked too rare here, it tasted fresh and creamy soft.

Fuwa-Fuwa (soft) chicken ball was one of my favorite bites. It was sauced generously and I really enjoyed the texture of little pieces of chicken cartilage (soft bone) they mixed in the balls.

It was a birthday dinner so we bought our own Banana Chocolate cake from Frances Bakery - Little Tokyo. There was this cakeage fee of $15 where they served the cake with some candle and plates. It was not the best of the deals but it did the trick.

Now I am a fan and yes TORIHEI is easily one of the best Yakitori-ya you will find in the Southern California.

TORIHEI



http://www.yelp.com/biz/torihei-torrance | 1757 W Carson St Ste A Torrance, CA 90501 | 310-781-9407