The Foodie Traveler: Pithy Comments from a Cynical but Passionate Foodie and Wine Lover

Thoughts on Bouchon (Beverly Hills)

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:24:00 GMT

This is not a formal review, but just a commentary on our experience with Bouchon, which was clearly a restaurant with an identity crisis. So I first turned to Wikipedia to get some clarity. What is (a) Bouchon?

Wikipedia states that a "bouchon is a type of restaurant found in Lyon, France, that serves traditional Lyonnaise cuisine, such as sausages, duck pâté or roast pork. Compared to other forms of French cooking such as nouvelle cuisine, the dishes are quite fatty, and heavily oriented around meat. There are around 20 officially certified traditional bouchons, but a larger number of establishments describing themselves using the term. Typically, the emphasis in a bouchon is not on haute cuisine, but rather, a convivial atmosphere and a personal relationship with the owner."

Hmm. The menu fits that general description but but who charges $35 for (Flatiron) Steak Frites? The food is bistro in design, but sold as Haute Cuisine.

Service was attentive...and yet not. They were quick to replace our bread every few moments with fresh warm bread, but we mostly refilled our own wine glasses. The decor of the restaurant is quite elegant, but the disposable menus are printed on brown paper and there is white paper over the tablecloths. (No crayons, though.) We had beautiful Burgundy glasses for the Volnay we brought, but the $87 Bordeaux we ordered off the wine list was served in water glasses. One of the couples with us was celebrating a wedding anniversary, a fact that was made clear multiple times to management. There was no acknowledgment.

As for the food, it was hit and miss. The foie gras pate was probably the best item of the night, but it was $48.50! As for the rest, we found ourselves comparing each dish negatively to the same item at places like Anisette, Church and State, Eva, Chez Melange, etc.

The preparations were not particularly inspired or creative in execution. And I was expecting a deliberate attempt to focus on local, sustainable cuisine like what you might experience at Bouchon in Napa. But instead, I observed things on the menu like Scottish Salmon and Big Eye Tuna. No information was offered on the sourcing of the other proteins.

I left this restaurant with much confusion. Admittedly, I have not been to its sister location in Napa, but my understanding is that location is much truer to its french Bouchon roots than what we experienced. I will say as a result of this experience I am not nearly as excited to explore Keller's other restaurants.

Bottom line, if you go to Church and State you will get a very similar menu, but with much better food at much lower prices.

Amazing Peruvian Food in an Unexpected Location - MoChica

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT

If we had ordered the entire menu it would have come to $101. I know, I counted. We came close - ordered all but two dishes. The waitress did not believe us and kept insisting we did not order things.

We found out about this place through Jonathan Gold and other sources, and it sounded quite special. Plus, a friend of ours had already been there several times and raved. So me met him at the restaurant and as I alluded to, pretty much ordered the entire menu. The head chef/owner Ricardo Zarate was not there at night. My understanding is that he may still work nights at his gig at WabiSabi in Venice, but I could not get a clear answer on that.

No matter, he manages well, and his team did a fantastic job.

The setting is a food court in South Central called Mercado La Paloma. Not as bad as it sounds, actually. Except the part where they do not allow alcohol. The host did wait on our table and she was very friendly and helpful, albeit disbelieving on the quantity of food we were ordering.

Peruvian giant crunchy set soft corn served as a complimentary starter. Yum. Needs beer, though

Chicha Morada -Purple Corn Tea -
Maracuya - Passion Fruit Juice
Cebada - Barley Ice tea with Herbs and Ginger Root
$2 each

These Juices were far less sweet than they looks. Quite refreshing,actually. I love these juices as they are similar to the authenticMexican juices; not nearly as much sweetener and acid versus JambaJuice and the like.

Causa del Dia - Crab (Peruvian Potato Salad) - $4
Great combination of flavors and textures and chilled just enough to have a delightful custard effect. Good quality crab.

Papa ala Huancaina - Roasted Potatoes, Boiled egg, Huancaina Sauce - $3
Same sauce as the Causa which was good but redundant. Actually, the flavors here are perhaps too similar to the causa, but delicious nevertheless. Next time I would order one or the other

Salad - Quinoa and Greens - $5
Refreshing light salad with a burst of protein from the Quinoa. Everyone loved it but me. Why? I hate Feta cheese and it was a component of the dressing.

Seco de Cordero - Lamb Shank, Canario beans. Salsa Criolla, Cilantoro beer sauce - $13
Amazing dish for only $13. The shank was perfectly cooked and was fork-tender. The beans were so amazing that I perhaps even enjoyed them more than the lamb. The onions on top were mild and sweet and served as a nice foil to the fatty lamb.

Loma Saltado - Beef Filet, Salsa Criola, Fried Potatoes - $13
The quality of the Filet was decent. For me, I like the potatoes more crunchy. These were so starchy I had to ask if they were perhaps Yucca and not potatoes, but I was incorrect.

Special Menu - Moonfish and Lentil - $13
The fish (Moonfish is also known as Opah) was very fresh and perfectly cooked, with a good crispy sear on the outside and buttery and flaky in the middle. The Lentils were meaty and flavorful and kept their texture. The same garlicy sauce used in many of the dishes was used here as well.

Quinotto- WIld Mushrooms, Quinoa grain Risotto, Crema Fraiche - $10
Probably my husband's favorite dish. This was a wonderful spin off on the Piedmontese Classic, except lighter and more delicate. Plus the quinoa is so much healthier than rice you don't feel nearly as guilty enjoying its rich creamy power.

Ceviche Del Dia - Striped Bass - $5

Due to communication problems, we did not get this until after the entrees. It was definitely the highlight of the meal. Only one is pictured, but we actually wound up ordering 2 more it was so good. I like the way they marinate the fish in the citrus to order; it does not marinate all day and overly "cook" the fish. The quality of the bass was excellent. Tender cuts without stringiness. And I love the accompaniments of crunch and smooth with the acid. The Peruvian giant corn, a bit of sweet potato, a few onion slices.

Not Pictured: Arroz con Pollo - Chicken Breast, Spring Onion, Salsa Madre, Sauteed Rice
We had a lot of trouble getting this dish due to a communication error. We got it at the end and there was a problem with getting the picture. It was a good dish with appropriately tender chicken and moist rice but I actually preferred some of the other dishes we got.

All in all, Mo-Chica has great quality, healthful cuisine (if you are careful about ordering) and the prices can't be beat. I want to go back and try the tasting menu. And more Ceviche.

Mo-Chica: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free delivery with minimum order. Lunch for two, food only, $18-$36. Recommended dishes:causa;ceviche;seco de cordero;arroz con pollo.

In Mercado La Paloma, 3655 S. Grand Ave., L.A. (213) 747-2141 or www.mo-chica.com.

Tomatillo Experiments - Really Great Easy, Tasty, Healthy Sauce Recipe

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:23:00 GMT

Last week at the farmer's market I picked up 2lbs of tomatillos for $1. To date, my only experience with Tomatillos has been to occasionally add one to dressings or sauces. I never worked with them in bulk. I searched through all my favorite recipe websites for an interesting sauce to top some chicken breast and pasta, but was surprised to find I could not find anything appropriate.

So I invented something. And it came out so fabulous I had to share it. Super simple, healthy, and incredible depth of flavor.

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2) Spread 1-2 T EVOO on a non-stick cookie sheet
3) Add the following to cookie sheet:
a. 2lbs Tomatillos (husk removed, rinsed)
b. 1 large or a few small heirlooms: remove core and tough parts of skin, no need to peel unless you really want to
c. 1 peeled onion, cut in 1" wedges
d. 3 peeled garlic cloves
3. Assortment of fresh hot peppers - just remove stems. I used 2 red jalapeno, 1 habanero, 2 serrano.
4. Sprinkle with fresh sea salt
5. Bake for about 45 minutes until it all starts to carmelize but is just a little brown
6. Put in food processor or use immersion blender to combine. Add S&P to taste as well as some finishing EVOO.

Result: A rich, thick, flavorful, luxurious sauce with lots of heat. Really sticks to the pasta and is very low fat low cal. It really lends itself to interpreting in many ways. You could try it with regular peppers if you don't like heat. It certainly lends itself to the addition of south american spices/herbs like cilantro or cumin. You could also try sweetening it by roasting some fruit along with the veggies, or simply adding sugar or Honey.

Enjoy!

First Peak: New England Style Seafood Shack Finally Available in LA: BP Oysterette in Santa Monica

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:34:00 GMT

My biggest shock in moving out to LA was the complete lack of casual seafood shacks like one finds on the Jersey Shore, Cape Cod, Baltimore, etc. Gladstones, with it's low quality, poorly prepared, overpriced fare never counted.

I read about this place some months ago and have been anxiously awaiting its opening, which occurred earlier this week. We opted to get there on Saturday at 11:30 AM right when it opened for lunch so that we could avoid a long wait. (They do not take reservations.)

We feasted on amazing oysters and clams on the half shell (they offer four varieties), grilled oysters, authentic steamers and broth, and a beautifully-buttered succulent lobster roll.

We look forward to going back another time to also try the ceviche, chowder, fisherman's stew, crudo, and fish tacos.

All-in-all, great food, decent wine list, excellent and friendly service, and fair prices. Salvadore, the manager, gave us hints of what is coming in the future once they get things going. Most notable on the list for me is Ipswich clams, yay!! We also asked him why the salmon, which was the daily crudo offering that day, was farmed Atlantic when clearly all the other fish was better sourced and of much higher quality. He blamed it on convenience and ease for their early stages, and indicated it was his intent to procure wild down the line. He is still getting organized with his fish suppliers as he does not have enough room in the restaurant to meet the oyster demand. He is already getting two shipments a day.

This place is a gold mine. THey are working on some logistics so that people can put their name on a list and hit the promenade. But for now, try to go during an off hour (I am not sure when that will be) so the wait is not too excessive. But don't let the wait deter you - it's worth it.

We had a few technical difficulties with the photos, but you can at least see the amazing steamers and oyster plate, as well as the menu with pricing.

It was like being back East. Buttery brothy goodness

We sat outside. They are located on Ocean Ave so you do get a glimpse of the ocean from the patio. But pictured here is the bar. They also have a number of tables.

Blue Plate Oysterette
1355 Ocean Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 576-3474

My First Gordon Ramsey Kitchen Nightmares Experience: Lido - Before and After

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:41:00 GMT

Back in June I had the pleasure/misery of partaking in the "before" night at one of Gordon Ramsey's projects, Lido in Manhattan Beach. My husband and I were there with another couple who hooked us up. The entire meal was horribly dreadful but we had a blast.

The patrons who were there were mostly friends of people who got in from a casting call and friends of people involved with Gordon or the rest of their team. We knew we would have to pay for the meal before we ordered. It was very expensive, took 3 hours, and it was all very, very, bad. Thankfully, we had 4 bottles of wine over the 3 hours so that made everything more palatable in more ways than one. The female owner cried the whole time and seemed not to have a clue what the show was about. At one point my girlfriend and I went into the bathroom where she was weeping uncontrollably and we were unable to console her. We explained that she was going to be lavished with an overhaul, redecorating, and lots of free press, but she kept weeping and saying "I didn't think it would be this bad."

Early on, the producer encouraged us to call over the cameras to report bad food, and of course we enthusiastically complied. Later, the producer (not a very friendly person) came by and said that we could not send back any main courses because they were done filming that part and that if we wanted dessert we should get it to go. At various points during the night, Gordon walked past us many times and made eye contact. No direct conversation, but by happenstance he overheard my friend say the osso buco was cold (we were no longer allowed to complain to others) and he yelled very loudly: This osso buco is STONE COLD take it back! They proceeded to microwave it and return it. YUM.

All in all, the food was WAY icky. Low quality ingredients all over or undercooked. Food tasted diner-like. You could tell a lot of it was premade/processed. The servers were sweet but clearly terrified.

From watching the show, we all assumed that we would find out later that the kitchen was filthy. It almost always is on that show. At one point, all service stopped for about an hour and we found out later that it was because Gordon was in fact reaming them out over filth and incompetence. But hey, I go to Chinatown and eat at C restaurants. How bad could it be versus that? I was there for the experience of watching Gordon in action and despite the expense and the yuck I am glad I got to see how it all went down.

So last night we decided to pay them another visit - post Gordon. We were expecting to be totally wowed. And expected them to embrace the fact that it was supposed to be an Italian restaurant. But the decor was odd. Light fixtures in the main dining room were pink umbrellas inside some kind of giant pink balls.

We sat in the patio, had it to ourselves. The decor was even more odd here. Around the entire perimeter of the room were auto windshields with bullet holes in them mounted on particle board. More particle board furniture was in the center of the room around a firepit. And the music was techno and angry. All I could think of was that Extreme Home Makeover show where they tear down the house and rebuild it in a week, clearly on a budget with many shortcuts.

As for the menu, they did not change the rather limited wine list but just added some carafe and tasting portion options.

We only ordered two things. First, a Marguerita heirloom tomato flat bread. The bottom was burned black, the top raw, the buffalo mozzarella cheese was of such low quality it did not melt properly and stayed an odd bright white color. The small cherry tomatoes on top were obviously not farmer's market quality even though we are in peak tomato season.

Wary from the appetizer, we opted to all share an order of chicken parm with a side of pasta in marinara. The pasta was overcooked. I suspected it was reheated in the microwave, but others disagreed. The chicken parm, however, was the piece de resistance. It was PROCESSED. As in chicken nugget. As in that stuff they made you eat at the school cafeteria or a NJ diner. Macaroni Grill looked like 2 star Michelin in comparison. Yes, that's right, Pre-breaded inedible chicken mush. It has probably been over a decade since I have been exposed to fowl that foul.

We were just horrified. I could not believe Gordon approved such an abomination. Perhaps Lido did like other KN restaurants? Tried out Gordon's changes and reverted back? Did we just miss the window? Reviews on Yelp are not that bad. I can only speculate on what went so horribly wrong.

As a final thought, they did not really update their website to reflect all the changes and leverage Gordon's visit. Maybe they have simply rejected him. A shame. I guess we will know more when the show airs in the fall.

Lido Restaurant

1550 Rosecrans Ave Ste G
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

(310) 536-0730

www.lidodimanhattan.com

First Foray Into Molecular Gastronomy at Home - Bloody Mary Pasta

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:21:00 GMT

I was lucky enough to get to the Gourmet Warehouse's first time sale to the public over the weekend. I had to drive out to Alhambra, fight a crazy crowd, and stand in a TWO AND A HALF HOUR LINE, but with the goodies I procured, all was worth it. I finally got my hands on food grade Sodium Alginate and Calcium Chloride, the primary requirements needed to make those cool gel bubbles (eg "spherication") you often are finding at restaurants who have been experimenting with this science.

So I started searching for some basic recipes in order to master the proper chemical proportions. First problem - my kitchen scale only goes to the gram, not to the 10th of a gram, thereby making it quite challenging to measure out the proper amount of ingredients. This is especially embarasing for me being that I worked for Mettler-Toledo, the largest scale maker in the world, for over seven years. I should have anticipated this problem when I bought my $60 no-name scale way-back-when. So I sent my husband off to Ebay to find a gem scale or similar. In the mean time, I wanted to find something I could try now, being that I have issues with immediate gratification.

After searching Google far and wide, I finally found a few recipes that used measuring spoons and not weight. (Thank you Surfas.) I knew it would not be perfect, but maybe I would at least get a feel for it.

I had some beautiful Maguro (tuna) in the fridge. I cubed that and tossed it with some sea salt and shiso and tarragon from my garden. Then I put some chunks of avocado mixed with some minced chili and lemon juice in the center of the plate.

But I wanted some kind of cool gel-ball as a topping. I toyed with many options - olive oil, herbs, lemon juice...then the tomatoes I picked from my garden caught my eye. I would make tomato spheres. Now I needed a basic recipe so I could glean proportions.

After reviewing tons of recipes, I observed that it was important to have a very smooth puree with the right viscosity. I decided to take my immersion blender and puree the heck out of the (raw) cherry tomatoes. Added some nice extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, meyer lemon juice, and a bit of cayenne. Hmmm, very thick. I didn't want to add water as I was going for flavor. Decided to thin with Vodka, thereby essentially making a bloody mary topping.

In the meantime, I dissolved 1T of calcium chloride into 5 cups very hot water. It is very important to note that you do need to use water with low calcium as you want a lower pH. I happen to have a Reverse Osmosis system that removes minerals like calcium, so I just went with that water, again, crossing fingers.

I strained the liquid through a cheese-cloth lined strainer. Added more vodka to thin it out a bit more, and brought the final volume to 15/8 Cups in a 4 cup glass measuring cup. I put the measuring cup into a water bath and heated it up to a simmer. Then I added the 3/4 t Sodium Alginate and quickly whisked it in. Now I was ready to go.

Not having a syringe handy, I poured the liquid into a squirt bottle. Then I attempted to squirt drops into the calcium chloride solution. I guess I was overzealous with the vodka, as the final mixture was so thin it basically poured out. Still, I did get little gel balls, which after sitting in the bath for 1 minute I quickly washed off with water.

They were much more firm and hardy then I expected. The flavor was definitely bloody mary. Good essence of tomato, vodka, and spice. The diameter of the spheres was only a few millimeters. Plus, they did not really burst with liquid. The texture was good, but not great.

While I knew my chemistry was incredibly inexact, I decided to put the blame on my now too-thin tomato solution. So I dissolved some arrow root into some water and added that to the tomato to thicken it a bit. You know, I saw the Xanthan gum at the store, but thought that was over the top and skipped it. Bad move. I guess the arrowroot was a reasonable substitute, it did thicken it somewhat. I did, quite by accident, produce bloody mary pasta. The texture was just like the yam noodles you get at the Asian grocer. Now I am wondering if they are produced with a similar chemical process. I need to look that up.

My husband suggest the old cut a whole in the corner of a baggy trick. I got some bigger drops, but as you can see, that technique was better suited to bloody mary funnel cake. I tried using a small teaspoon to drop larger "drops" of liquid into the bath, and I did sort of get larger spheres. But the texture was too gummy and not liquidy enough.

Well, enough experimenting, the tuna was waiting. I put the original spheres over the tuna and avocado as topping. My husband and I both really enjoyed getting the tomato accent this way - the dish did convey a nice mix of texture and flavor. Had I used a regular tomato salad it would have been watery and would have taken away from the tuna. The spheres did not pop with juice, but they were certainly more liquidity than boba (tapioca). I think the recipe really has potential as the bloody mary accent on the tuna and avocado really worked. It is just the texture that was wrong.

I think my texture issue was one of inexact chemistry. Even though I was a biochemistry major, I never liked all the precise measurement. That's why I am not a chemist any more. But now it is time to bring back those roots. First, I need a scale. And some syringes. Maybe some pH paper. And perhaps that Xanthan gum.

More on this story once I have the proper equipment.

Stefan's LA Farm - First Taste

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:32:00 GMT

I saw on Eater that Stefan Richter's (Top Chef) new restaurant was at their soft opening stage a few days ago. We had to be in Santa Monica on another errand on Saturday so we decided to take the opportunity to check it out for Lunch. I actually made reservations but that turned out to be unnecessary as they were empty. They were shocked to see us as they had not yet formally announced their opening. Go Eater!

The space itself is quite impressive. It is in the middle of nowhere Santa Monica on Olympic near the studios. When I first plugged the address into my GPS, the car was determined to take us downtown. Thankfully, I caught that in time. But back to the restaurant. There is a beautiful bar, a huge indoor seating area, then an elegant patio adjacent to the relatively open kitchen. The patio is clearly the place to be. The look is a cross between Tavern and Spago. Comfortable and peaceful setting. Sinatra and other brat pack music played quietly in the background.

Service was extremely friendly and attentive, no problems here at all considering it just opened.

However, we experienced two red flags right off the bat. A basket of bread, Grissini breadsticks, and butter was brought to the table. THe breadsticks and butter were both excellent. The bread, however, was precut into small chunks slightly bigger than what one might use for stuffing. While the bread was quite fresh and of good quality, it LOOKED stale and the presentation came across as cheap.

Next problem is the wine list. For me, lunch on a Saturday means Rose (ideally from Provence) or at least a nice minerally white from Italy or France. With the exception of a few Champagnes, his list was all domestic, mostly California. All the non-traditional whites such as Sokol's Evolution were more on the fruity Rhone side. Stefan displayed such European sensibilities on the show, I was shocked to see that not carry through to the wine list. There was not one thing I wanted on the list, and that was a bummer.

The menu mostly had standard cafe/bistro fair, but there were a few interesting standouts. We ordered two starters and two entrées.

1) Arancini with Summer Truffles and Lemon Aioli - $10: Foursmall pieces of deep fried risotto. Nice crisp on the outside, but therice was cooked to mush - you could not distinguish the individualkernels of rice and the texture was a bit gummy. No truffles to be found. Tasty, but at $10 anextravagance.

2) Smoked Salmon with endive, frisee, and dill vinaigrette potato salad: $16: 6 small slices of smoked salmon were served on top of a pile of cubed potatoes with a stack of frisee on top. No endive. This dish presented awkwardly and the flavors did not integrate well. Because the ingredients were presented in layers, we assumed the best way to consume the dish would be a fork full of potatoes, salmon, and frisee. The potato salad was VERY heavy on the mayo and pickles and it overwhelmed the subtly-flavored salmon. This was our least favorite dish. I think if the potatoes had far less mayo, or better yet a light aioli, this was have been a much more integrated dish.

3) Turkey Burger with Herb Aioli, Swiss Cheese, Frisee, Pretzel bun, and sweet potato fries. $14 This was a very white sandwich. The taste profile was very reminiscent to that of a turkey Reuben, probably because of the swiss and the Russian dressing like aioli. I needed something to break it up, in the way a Reuben has sour kraut. Perhaps some herbs, tomato, arugula, maybe just a bit of mustard.

4) Mini Mushroom Ravioli with Black Truffles and Foie Gras Sauce: $19 This was our favorite dish. Hedonistic, really. However, until I wrote this, I had forgotten the sauce was described as Foie Gras. We thought it was a heavy cream sauce and did not detect and Foie Gras flavor profile. That said, presumably house made raviolis were perfectly au dente and the mushroom filling was delicate and well-flavored. But it was drowning in a rich white sauce that overpowered the delicate taste profile. Yes, the truffles did show up on this dish. I would have preferred the raviolis with a great olive oil and garlic. They simply did not need the heavy sauce.

Summary: Ok but pricey menu with a few highlights. High quality ingredients that in some cases were unnecessarily over-sauced. I think with tweaking the menu will improve, and I also think locals will swarm as the space has a lot of appeal. I would like to come back for dinner once they get settled.

LA Farm
3000 W. Olympic Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 449-4000
http://lafarmrestaurant.com

<a href="http://www.fooddigger.com/RestaurantDetail.aspx?id=25704"><img src="http://www.fooddigger.com/BlogImage/score.ashx?size=small&id=25704&uid=8030&rating=71" alt="Stefan's at LA Farm in Los Angeles" /></a>

Inaka Revisited - At least as good, maybe even better

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:58:00 GMT

Several months ago, I reviewed Niki Nakiyama's tasting menu at Inaka and declared it the best tasting menu I had since Bastide. Sadly, Bastide is long gone but Niki is doing as splendid as ever. We finally made the long journey back to Arcadia and got to experience her amazing cuisine one more time. I don't know what to say but WOW. I felt like a judge on Iron Chef. As a special touch, she remembered I am a big fan of uni and made us a special dish shown below. Really amazing. I would prefer this cuisine over Providence, Sona, Ortolan, Bazaar...need I go on?

Yes, it is in a strip mall and has no ambiance to speak of. Get over it!!

Rumor has it she finally obtained a restaurant space and will be opening sometime in 2011 on the West Side. Keep an eye out. But for now, go while you can!!

Chefs Table at INAKA Seafood Gourmet 8-01-09

Lobster Cakes, Sesame Tomato Tofu, Corn Pudding, Mixed Greens with Cherry Tomato. - It was reminiscent of a crab cake, but only in the way a $5 Carl's burger is similar to a ribeye off the grill. Exceptional light and crispy coating around pure lobster meat with such a delicate flavor and texture it was almost airy.

Diced Kanpachi, Shishito Pepper Oil, Avocado, Yuzu Sorbet. Look at the way the avocado glistens. And the Yuzu sorbet had the texture of something processed in liquid nitrogen. (Maybe it was?) The way we ate this was we assembled a bit of the fresh and vibrant kampachi along with a bit of avocado and some of the sorbet as one bite. The mouthfeel of the combined salty, spicy, creamy, cold, acid flavors and textures was truly amazing.

Sashimi Platter, Abalone, Seared Toro, Uni (Sea Urchin), Bonito. - As before, the quality rivals that of the best sushi bars in LA. Also notable here is her homemade soy sauce which was blended with a very high quality dashi. It accented the fish perfectly.

Steamed Uni with Meringue Lotus Root - OMG OMG OMG. She made this dish just for me as Niki knows how much I love uni. This was a true Iron Chef dish. I have no clue on the technique she used, but the best way to describe the custard filling in the uni shell would be to compare it to Chawan Mushi. I believe some chemical or molecular gastronomy techniques were utilized here as well to create the smoothly, custardy filling. Then the uni was perfectly steamed (Not briny, like cooked uni sometimes gets) and was bathing in a rich dashi broth. The entire effect was completely sublime and one of most amazing taste sensations I have ever experienced.

Foie Gras, Ginger Eggplant, (Ayu) Sweet Fish, in a Ginger Broth. Another great dish. The foie gras proved to be an excellent foil to fish. Again, another harmony of flavor, texture, and mouthfeel.

American Rib Eye Souvie, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans - I am assuming she meant Sous Vide here. I love this style of cooking as to me it really adds a depth of flavor and buttery texture to proteins. This was my least favorite dish as I am not a big fan of either rib eye or green beans. But I appreciate the progressive nature of this dinner and she needed something big and bold to finish the hot dishes.

Sushi Platter, Toro, Aji (Spanish mackerel, Tai (Japanese Snapper, Kanpachi, Hotate (Japanese Scallops) Seared Kobe Beef. (Same platter taken from two angles.) Again, super high quality fish all perfectly prepared. Interesting note - she had already put the proper amount of soy) sauce on each fish prior to serving. I wonder if she saw one too many people use her sushi as a soy sauce sponge to prompt this unusual serving method. One of the most notable sushi pieces off this plate was actually not the fish but the Kobe (right bottom picture). I usually do not care for kobe sushi, but the way she seared the beef was so perfect that once again it was a fantastic taste and texture experience.

This was a simple add-on dish of soba and some tempura veggies (not pictured) on the side. THe noodles were perfectly cooked and we had to drink the broth.

Kabocha Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce, Green Tea Cheesecake with Red Bean Cream, White Peach Compote with Vanilla Ice Cream, and Fresh Fruit. Even her pastry was delightful. Not too sweet, bright flavors.

All I can say is that I wish her restaurant was closer. If you are a foodie and you have not yet had her tasting menu, do not pass go. Take your partner and spend $200 and go to Inaka. Tasting menus will never be the same after that.

Molecular Gastronomy Taste-off: Voltaggio @ Breadbar VS Bistro LQ

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:23:00 GMT

Molecular gastronomy...fusion...modern styled food...Avante Guard...new Asian. Terms like these are typically what get people excited about a new restaurant, especially in LA where this kind of cuisine is still, well, Nouveau versus other cities like NYC and Chicago. So it was with great anticipation that I set off to hit two strangely similar yet quite disparate experiences on the same evening. I had made reservations for Michael Voltaggio's single night at Breadbar over a month ago. Chef Voltaggio is an up and coming contestant on the newest season of Top Chef. Plus, he recently had a stint at Bazaar before landing at the Langham, so I went expecting something very special with a molecular gastronomy twist. However, it was only a week ago that the menu for the grand opening of Bistro LQ became available. http://www.bistrolq.com/Menu WOW. What innovative, unique cuisine - also with molecular gastronomy flair. So we decided to experience small plates at both restaurants on the same evening for an interesting study of these techniques.

We first went to Bistro LQ - A new endeavor by Laurent Quenioux, also of Bistro K fame. We just ordered a few items from the "Overtures" section of the menu - starters. The decor is surprisingly minimalist - perhaps the chef does not want it to interfere with the sensory perception of his dishes. We allowed the waiter to steer us for most of the five item selection. We asked for what would best show off the chef's talents.

Sorry about the images here - camera difficulties. You will get the idea.

Uni - Sea urchin tapioca pudding with yuzu kocho, kumamoto Oysters in yuzu Martini gelee

This was one of my favorites. Flavors were great. He used a nice dashi with the uni. However, the tapioca (aka boba) was a bit too thick and chewy and I think overwhelmed the delicate texture of the uni. The oyster in gelee was nice but it did not really connect to the uni.

Veal Cheeks and Pea Composition - Pea Guacamole, pea gazpacho, peas shoots salad, fresh corn sorbet

A decomposed dish as you can see from the picture. We could not eat either the guacamole or gazpacho as the taste and texture was mealy and the flavors were very Vons hummus. The salad was nice. We could have both sworn the corn sorbet was uni, but the waiter said (well implied, anyway) we were nuts. The veal cheek itself was braised nicely but overall unremarkable.

Oat Meal Infused in fresh fennel lobster broth, cinnamon roasted Maine lobster
No, No, No. Cinnamon, lobster, and oatmeal are just not meant to share a bed.

Mr. Fierson Eggs -Two poached hen’s eggs, Spanish chorizo and date infusion

The eggs were perfectly poached, the chorizo was a nice accent. The dates were a subtle accent to the dish. The entire effect was again, unremarkable.

Smoked Herring -Warm potatoes, a light Jerez vinaigrette and sautéed quail egg

The waiter really had to talk us into this one by promising it would not be too fishy. It was too fishy. And too smoky. And the quail eggs were a bit overcooked.

The last dish we had, not pictured, was actually the shining star. We passed on dessert and they brought us over a beautiful plate of 10-15 small petit fours and chocolates that were exquisite. My favorite was a homemade marshmallow. This plate could have easily sold for $15 or more. I wish I could order just that.

As I am re-reading what I wrote, I realize it doesn't sound so good. But I suspect it is not the kind of place to order just starters. They push the 6 or 9 course degustation menus. I think that would be the way to go. THe menu is very, very interesting and this chef is really fabulous, based on Bistro K history. I think they just need time to feel out the menu and refine some of the dishes. It is worth revisiting in a few months.

Moving on to Bread bar for the Michael Voltaggio celebration. It is worth noting that this is the Breadbar location in the Century City mall. It is not really a restaurant. They were ill-equipped for this event and to say service was a disaster would be an extreme understatement. But I did not care too much, as I was there for the food. One of the most amazing surprises of the evening was when it became quickly apparent that almost every food blogger in LA showed for this event. Kevin of kevineats.com took pictures of all the bloggers who would allow it and posted them as part of his review. His review is also far more detailed than mine and you should check it out as it is very well-written. http://www.kevineats.com/2009/07/hatchi-at-breadbar-los-angeles-ca.htm

As part of the Hatchi Menu, you could choose as few or as many courses of the 8 available for $8 a piece. Pairings per course were also available.

Sadly, the servers threw all the courses on our table within about 10 minutes of each other - we had all six served in two batches of three items. Then it took us about 45 minutes to get the 2 dessert items. No one ever stopped by to explain anything. Hot items were cold, cold items were melty. Other bloggers were complaining of the exact opposite experience - 20 minutes + between courses. At the very end when we got our check, we all could not help but laugh when the harried waitress looked at us, paused, and said, "Sorry for the...." and wandered off without even finishing the sentence.

Still, beneath the entropy was really great talent. It was such a contrast to the items we had just had at Bistro LQ. The flavors and textures were clean and far better integrated. And still quite creative and inspired. I am anxious to visit Chef Voltaggio at the Langham-his new home. Here is what we had (better food, better pics All the dishes were great, but sadly, because of no interaction with the chef or the servers I spent most of the time wondering what I was eating. It is for that reason I do not detail the dishes below outside of naming them. Kevin seems to have had much better luck then me getting all the details, as well as an autographed menu. Of course it took him hours to eat. It took us about 20 minutes. Not sure if I will attend another Hatchi dinner at breadbar because of the chaos - I shall await for the reviews of tonight's and see.

"An Experience of Texture and Flavor" Wine pairings by David Haskell

Japanese Tomato Tartare
Green Almonds, Parmesan “Overeasy”,
Tapenade Powders

Artichokes “Barigoule”
Salmon Belly, Philadelphia Cheese,
Smoked Salmon Roe

3. Hamachi Crudo
Smoked Egg Yolk, Sea Sponge,
Watermelon, Wild Rice

Crispy Chicken Thigh
Cuttlefish, Green Garlic,
Sweet and Sour Mushrooms

Veal Sweetbread
Poached Egg, Pea Consomme,
Coffee-Cardamom Soil

Wagyu Beef
Short Rib, Saul’s Pastrami, Tamarind,
Broccoli Textures
Horseradish “Styrofoam”

Fool’s Gold
Hazelnut Praline, Salty Caramel,
Nitro Coffee Mousse

Miso Cake
Jasmine “Rice Cream”, Strawberry, Yuzu

The Dining Room at the Langham [San Gabriel Valley]
1401 S. Oak Knoll Avenue, Pasadena
626-568-3900

http://www.bistrolq.com/
BISTRO LQ
8009 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 951-1088

Breadbar In Century City

10250 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90067
310 277 3770
http://www.breadbar.net/

I went for soba I came back with a new favorite Izakaya: Otafuku

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:03:00 GMT

I had been meaning to get there for a while. Otafuku has a reputation as having some of the best homemade soba in town. We wanted a light dinner the other night, so we decided to finally give it a shot. Honestly, it was just meant to be a casual meal. I didn't bring the camera, and that was an egregious error in judgment!

We ordered a few sashimi items as they looked intriguing: Halibut done in the old traditional style where it is first marinated overnight in kelp. Aji (spanish mackerel) off the specials list. And Albacore. All were about $12-$15 each. And all were worth it! I haven't had albacore like that in a long time. Engagingly crunchy, smooth flavor, more like marugai (geoduck) than clammy. It was much less "quinine-ey" than I usually get. The halibut did not come out tasting like kelp, the kelp brought out the halibut essence. Very subtle, and again, great texture. The Aji also was excellent.

We moved on to a few yakitori items: hearts, gizzards, tomato and asparagus both wrapped in pork belly. Initially, when we saw the price of $3.50 a skewer, we thought it was overpriced versus Shin Sen Gumi just up the street. But the portions were double the size; 4 or 5 pieces per skewer. And just like the sashimi, flavor and texture both spot on. The veggies were not wrapped in glorified bacon like most places, either. They use a thin layer of pork that is quite meaty and flavorful; it did not feel overly greasy.

Another great dish was the wild mushrooms over crispy rice; the mushrooms are braised in a dashi sauce that tastes almost french. It is thickened with a bit of cornstarch then served over squares of crispy (fried) rice. An interesting and compelling mix of flavor and texture here as well.

Finally, we sampled their soba. THey offer one kind that is 100% buckwheat. Buckwheat flour is high in protein and has a very low glycemic index. But most soba contains a mix of wheat and buckwheat. The 100% buckwheat is chewier and rougher than the blend, but still, excellent flavor and texture and a good option for those watching carbs. The blend was of course much tastier. It was described as seiro soba: "quite thin white noodle made of a mixture of special white buckwheat flour, using only the heart of soba seeds" Both are accompanied by the same soba sauce and accompaniments. I heard they offer sobayu, the broth the noodles are cooked in. We will request that next time. Along with the off-menu onigiri (grilled rice balls) we saw others had requested. Too full...

They have an small but respectable sake list (as well as beer,shochu, etc.) I am so sorry I did not have my camera. I will go back soon and update this post with photos.

I have read other's complaints that they charge too much. With 4 glasses of high-end sake the bill came to more than $150 for two. We think the quality is absolutely worth it and we will go back for sure. We spend at least that when we go to other local izakayas; we found the prices fair.

Otafuku Noodle House

16525 S Western Ave
Gardena, CA 90247

(310) 532-9348

Unique Sushi/Sashimi Experience in Vancouver: Octopus' Garden

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:41:00 GMT

Chef Sada is not only a great sushi chef, he is also a character. He runs his restaurant with great charisma and genuinely loves what he does. We loved it so much we went two nights in a row! At the end of the evening, he cranks up the music and sings along with the Beatles' Octopus Garden. This place is definitely a hangout for locals - we are so lucky we found it.

Our request to Sada was relatively simple...we only wanted fish that was locally sourced. In many cases, we got stuff we simply cannot get in LA. He did a brilliant job of giving us unique preparations of sushi and sashimi that included Copper River Salmon, Hotate, Halibut, Halibut Cheeks, Kumomoto Oysters, Geoduck, Spot Prawns, and our favorite: Albacore Tuna Belly.

Also, horse is legal in Canada, not in the US. I noticed he offered that on the menu as well. We had it in two raw preparations, one as a carpaccio the other as a tartare. Another thing he did for Scot once he learned that Scot like fish eyeballs (the gel around them is considered a delicacy in many Asian cultures) is he made us a specially prepared local fish called "Kinky-fish." (You can imagine the jokes.) It is available only in BC, and is similar to a buttery snapper. It was poached in a miso/dashi broth and was rich and succulent.

The pictures below are a sample of what we had over two dinners. Their menu offerings go far beyond what we sampled; he actually does a lot of creative hot dishes as well. He encourages you to specify your preferences so he can make you a menu around them.

"Cocktail" of Local Uni, Quail Egg, and some kind of foam

Perfectly shucked Kumomotos with just the right amount of ponzu and spicy garnish (daikon, chive, cucumber, etc)

Homemade Yuba (Tofu skin and tofu milk.) Yes, that is a piece of cheese melted on the bread. It works...

Amazing sashimi: Albacore belly, Marugai (Geoduck), Copper River Salmon, Halibut

Huge Local Ama Ebi (Spot Prawns)

Real Wasabi - Not that green horseradish stuff that people try to pass off as wasabi

Horse Sashimi (Carpaccio) It tasted similar to beef (Filet Mignon), but more mild.

Horse TarTare garnished with some spot prawns: We actually preferred the carpaccio style.

Actually, I find a mature burgundy pairs well with rich, buttery fish.

Halibut cheek: Rare and special item

Tako (Octopus) on an extremely tasty seaweed bed similar to wakame

Instead of frying the spot prawn heads, we requested them to be made into a broth. This one was yuba. Very comforting and mellow

Dungeness crab rolls. THe one on the left had mago and tobiko, the right was avocado and cucumber. I like how there was just one piece so it did not fill you up

"Kinky Fish" head. Sada said this is what he likes to eat. Our waitress said it is her favorite, and something rarely served to customers.

Kinky fish cheek. Notice how moist and succulent

No, you don't actually eat the eyeball, but the gel around it is amazing

What a great 2 nights! We want to go back.

Octopus's Garden Restaurant

www.octopusgarden.ca

1995 Cornwall Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6J 1C9, Canada
(604) 734-8971

A Pink's-like Phenomenon in Vancouver called Japadog

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:29:00 GMT

Vancouver has its own take on Pink's called "Japadog." It is a Japanese-owned chain of hotdog carts that appear at certain locations around the city on select days and times during the week. They have an absolute cult following and the lines to show it. Anthony Bourdain recently did a feature on them on No Reservations, making the lines even longer.
Their website is a funny place that introduces itself by saying: "Our English is very poor. The followings may make mistakes. We are sorry." Try to find the section on hours and you will read "We may close about 3 days per month, depending on whether." Whether Weather? It is all unclear. It took us 3 tries over 3 days to locate them when/where they were supposed to be. But while trying to figure out when and where to find them can be a bit of a challenge (hint: ask a local) they do offer rather unique hot dog options.

We stood in line in the heat for about 40 minutes, chose 4 dogs, and sat on a nearby parkbench to consume them along with many others. Their clientele is more local than tourist, and yes, mostly Japanese. We went with the classic Okonomi (kurabata pork), the Okura (bratwurst), the turkey smokie, and the veggie. (They were out of the fish).

While their big draw is the Kurabata pork with japanese toppings, Scot and I both liked the bratwurst with the Okura (okra) and bonito the best. Neither of us liked the turkey (too smokie) or the veggie (tasted more like seitan than veggies) The bratwurst (2nd from left in bottom picture) had a good crunch on it and the lightly pickled/salty okura really paired nicely with it. We added some wasabi mayo to it, and it was quite tasty. Not sure if it was worth $6, though

I think in this case pictures speak louder than words:

http://www.japadog.com/en/

locations vary; check out website

Just Dip it in Head - The Legendary Spot Prawn Boil at Fuel in Vancouver, BC

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sun, 24 May 2009 23:27:00 GMT

I got a lead on a very unique dining opportunity via Chowhound. Fuel, a top restaurant in town, does a spot prawn boil each Saturday night only for a few weeks in May-June. 12 people, one seating. I called weeks ahead of time and was delighted to get a reservation. The locals were quite impressed that I even found out about it – it is kind of the local equivalent to Hungry Cat’s annual crab fest. (Speaking of, they just opened up reservations for that, hurry if you haven’t already signed up)

This was an absolutely phenomenal meal. We sat up at the bar with 10 others. They spread out newspaper all over. The Amuse was a beautiful and delicately flavored tuna tartare. Then came a clean and brightly-tasting arugula salad with homemade ricotta served over a squash puree. Then onto the good stuff…

The chef brought out the alive and kicking spot prawns for inspection. They were some of the most largest and lively prawns I have ever seen. They were boiled in a flavorful blend of spices that included fennel, sausage, potato, radish, wine, lemon, and paprika. He poured them all over the bar and we just dug in. Wow. So succulent, so bursting with subtle shrimp flavor.

At one point I sort of complained to Scot that I wished I had something to dip the potatoes in; he told me to “Dip it in Head.” Well, that is just what I did. The juices that came out of the prawns were so sweet and perfectly accentuated with the cooking broth. It made for a great dipping "sauce" for the potatoes.

Scot and I both agreed that this dinner so raised the bar for spot prawns that we think it will be tough for the rest of the restaurants to even come close. We shall see...

BEFORE...

AFTER!

___________

Fuel Restaurant

1944 West 4 Ave

604-288-7905

http://www.fuelrestaurant.ca/

First Spot Prawn Adventure in Vancouver: Blue Water

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:04:00 GMT

We went to Blue Water Cafe Fri night - sat at the Bar. They only had 3 spot prawns left, which were good. (Sashimi style) We got a poached spot prawn salad, the prawns were a bit mealy and overcooked. Oysters (local only) were fabulous. Yoshi, their renowned sushi chef, did a couple of sashimi items for us, some were off menu. The local sockeye salmon, sable, and halibut was all amazing. So yes, we were able to achieve our goal of getting locally-sourced excellent sashimi. We also ordered their famous scallop/red sea urchin mousse which was a fun and tasty dish.

All in all, a fantastic experience, but we were not blown away by the spot prawns vs the Santa Barbara Spot Prawns or the Ama Ebi we get at the top Sushi restaurants in LA. But it is early, and they gave us the bottom of the barrel. I am sure the best is yet to come

Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar
1095 Hamilton St
Vancouver, BC V6B 5T4
Dinner: 5pm till 11pm, Late Menu till Midnight Bar: 5pm till 1am
(604) 688-8078
www.bluewatercafe.net

A secret source for great Spanish Ingredients

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:40:00 GMT

Quintessinal spring dish: Fresh Fava bean, Asparagus, and Arugula Salad with Shaved Cheese, Plus a secret source for great Spanish Ingredients

This kind of dish is what makes me love California – not just the flavors but the manner in which the ingredients were sourced. The ingredients included asparagus and fava beans from the Torrance Farmer’s Market, both quickly blanched. The arugula is from my garden. I also used a Manchego cheese that far transcends what I can typically get at the local cheese store. That is because I acquired it from secret and probably unknown grocery store called La Espanola Meats. A tiny little place in an industrial setting, this family run business offers the stuff previously only found at restaurants. Top of the line groceries imported directly from Spain include a variety of staples like olive oil, canned fishes, sauces, olives, crackers, and more. But the reason to go is the meat. It used to be illegal to import Jamon Iberico (think Proscuitto on steroids) but they have it. Along with a fantastic Serrano. They make their own fabulous meats as well. Try the chorizo and other sausages. And the cheese! A generous selection of goat,sheep, and cow cheeses of various ages and style, you will have a hard time choosing. They have lots of samples, that will help. Don’t miss the baguettes, they give them to you warm and wrapped in paper. Shopping here is like being in the old country. I have only been there once, I can’t wait to go again and try the homemade Paella they offer on Saturdays. (You have to preorder it.)

I never had fresh fava beans until I moved to California. And I certainly never was picking home-grown veggies out of my garden in the middle of May. Sure I had asparagus, but it never tasted as sweet as what is locally available. And the Ethnic shopping opportunities are endless. *Happy Sigh.*

La Espanola Meats

Neighborhood: Harbor City
25020 Doble Ave
Harbor City, CA 90710

(310) 539-0455

http://www.laespanolameats.co

Want to really appreciate the LA dining scene? Just visit Miami

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:01:00 GMT

I spent weeks researching the perfect restaurants for our upcoming vacation in Miami Beach. It seemed I was having an especially hard time with the planning because every time I thought I found the perfect place, I would read all the reviews on Yelp or Chowhound and realized it was probably not as good as Gayot, etc. made it out to be. But I couldn't believe that in the land of displaced New Yorkers I would have trouble finding great restaurants, so I persevered.   Plus, I had been to the area about four years ago and remembered it having promise.

We had a few (albeit quite expensive) good meals. But more often than not, we had a lot of overpriced mediocre meals. And the local policy is to include an 18% gratuity everywhere. I suspect it is because of all the European tourists who are probably not used to tipping, but I hate this practice. I typically tip over 20% for good service, and I like the option of tipping less for really bad service, which was not uncommon in Miami.

One of the restaurants, Casa Tua, is considered to be one of the top restaurants in Miami Beach area. From a food standpoint, Casa Tua really stood out as having beautiful, handcrafted Italian food. Our rule when travelling is to try to order locally sourced food where possible. When we ordered the Florida Shrimp pasta we thought we were doing the right thing. But the pasta (pictured below), which cost around $30, only contained one sliced shrimp, we were a bit taken aback. It was a delicious potato pasta with a delightful fresh pesto sauce. But one shrimp? Come on.   Also, the service was so pretentious it was offensive. We had ordered a 97 Barbaresco which by all rights should have been decanted. There was so much sediment in the glass I asked the Sommelier to filter it into another glass. The particles were so tiny that they passed right through the filter, but the Sommelier took the attitude that since there was nothing in the filter that I was wrong to make the request.

Another restaurant was Quinn's. Long story short, I ordered the Mahi, one of our friends the Rare Ahi. I thought mine tasted fishy. My friend liked mine and we traded entrees. The next day, he did not feel well and I was fine. Hmmm.    ALso, my husband ordered the special, a small surf and turf. Imagine our surprise when the charge for it was $88. When I casually questioned the practice of not warning us a special was that expensive and suggested that would impact our decision to return in the future, the owner readily agreed and proceeded to ream out the waiter and waived our $40 corkage and then told us not to tip the waiter. We tipped anyway and got home and found he actually removed the gratuity charge. Wow, now that is a sign of a bad economy.

Then there was River Oyster Bar in Miami. It had such great reviews, we paid the expensive cab fare to go back there from Miami Beach. But other than the clams on the half shell, which were excellent, we found the rest of the shellfish (over 5 different appetizers) just fair. The sauces tasted pre-made and/or processed. The bread was stale. The mussels were very inconsistent in size and doneness. One of them was bad and it made me feel quite ill for a while. They comp'd me sorbet to make up for it. Whoopee. We left after the mussels and did not order mains.

Another disappointing experience was Shoji Sushi. This one is especially sad as we LOVED this place four years ago. Yelpers and hounds continue to name it as the best sushi in Miami, but well, I guess it is all about what it is being compared to. When we sat down at the bar and I saw trays of pre-cut non-uniform chunks of salmon, tuna, etc., and when we asked for the best fish that night and Seviche was suggested, I knew we were in trouble.   We later spoke to one of the chefs who was there when we were four years ago, and he just kept apologizing and saying something about the economy being to blame for the low-end product. Huh?

I also need to mention Azul - probably the top restaurant in Miami. There was real artistry and creativity in presentation and ingredient fusion. It was very good. But if I put it against any of the top modern-style LA restaurants such as Providence, Sona, Ortolon, Spago, etc, it would not be in the same league.

Finally, there was one glimmer - Ola, a "Nuevo Latino" restaurant in the Hotel Sanctuary. Delightful imaginative cuisine. Again, not rock-your-foodie-world, but fun and tasty. And definitely the most friendly service we experienced out of all the restaurants we experienced. Unique ceviches and fish tacos, and a fun "Deconstructed Key Lime Pie." Great wine list with lots of reasonably priced Spanish and South American wines.

Potato Pasta with Florida Shrimp at Casa Tua. Look carefully, you can spot the shrimp at the top

Fish Tacos at Ola

Deconstructed Key Lime Pie at Ola

Steak Tartare with fried poached quail egg at Azul

Fried Oysters with a variety of sashimi toppings at Azul

I am glad our focus on this vacation was fitness and massages and not food. Miami is definitely not a destination for Foodies.

OLA at Sanctuary Hotel
1745 James Avenue
Miami Beach, Fl 33139

Quinn
640 Ocean Dr
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 673-6400
www.quinnsmiami.com

Shoji
http://www.shojisushi.com/menu.html
100 Collins Avenue (between 1st and 2nd)

The River Oyster Bar
650 S. Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33130, US

Azul
Mandarin Oriental, Miami
500 Brickell Key Dr. (Brickell Ave.) Map
Miami, FL 33131
305-913-8254

Casa Tua
1700 James Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 673-1010

Escape from Royal Caribbean - The best raw bar in Key West

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 00:04:00 GMT

This is definitely NOT a cruise review, but I thought I had better explain what a self-respecting Foodie was doing on a Royal Caribean ship. I have avoided cruises for years, but when my company decided to charter a ship for 1200 employees I knew the time had come. While I was looking forward to spending time with my coworkers, I was not very optimistic about what the food situation would entail. We had a great time on the trip, but sadly, my concerns about the food proved to be justified. No fresh anything; I have eaten better at one of those buffet chains. Albertsons $5.99 shrimp cocktail would have run circles around the mushy, defrosted one served to us. Cruises sometimes have smaller restaurants that are alternatives to the dining room. Generally, you pay a small premium to go. In this case, the "premium" option was Johnny Rockets. We had to pay about $5 pp just to walk in, but I must say I have never enjoyed 50's food this much. We referred to it as our "fine dining option" from that point on. But I digress.

This is about an amazing raw bar experience. I had found Half Shell raw bar on the web a few weeks before we left, and knew it would have to be a "not to miss" in Key West. So as soon as we set shore, my friends and I rented motor scooters and set out to find it.

It had the perfect ambiance. Wood tables, pitchers of beer on tap, and a million dollar view right on the water. Think Jersey Shore meets Laguna Beach. Gulf oysters and little neck clams on the half-shell. Conch Seviche. It was all so delicious and in an incredibly peaceful setting. Plus, it was my birthday. Our friends said the Stone crab claws were even better than the ones they had at Joe's a few nights ago.

Even though it was just a simple shellfish lunch, for me it was the best meal of our entire Miami trip even compared to many of the pricey, wine-ladden dinners we later experienced. But what do they say about pictures speaking louder than words?

Half Shell Raw Bar
231 Margaret St., Key West, FL

http://www.halfshellrawbar.com/index.html

Some of the best sushi you'll find in LA...in a little place you probably never heard of in Torrance

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:54:00 GMT

If you regularly read my blog, you know my husband and I are REALLY into sushi above all other food options. We have been to dozens of sushi places big and small all over LA, and like most sushi-lovers, have come to be quite opinionated about our preferences.

In short, we seek out the highest quality fish prepared in a way true to Japanese tradition.. We do not order california rolls or anything containing sweet or creamy sauces. We are not big fans of the whole Nobu-jalapeno thing either.

If you are of a similar philosophy, I encourage you to check out Sushi Nozomi in Torrance. We have been going there for about two years now (and before that when they were Kazan) and are regulars. I decided I could not keep them a secret any longer and upon finishing one of the most amazing meals yet, decided to finally spill it.

Just up the street from the big Japanese Auto headquarters, you will find Nozomi ensconsed in a large stripmall that caters to the local Japanese community. It is well-lit, has a fairly large bar, along with several tables and tatami rooms. Besides phenomenal sushi, they have some excellent hot menu items as well. But we will save that for another blog post. For now, this is about the sushi.

One of the things I love about living in Torrance is the extreme specialization in Japanese restaurants. You can choose Japanese restaurants by region, by style, by specialty. Not just noodle restaurants here; Soba in one, ramen in the other. There are places just for Yakiniku, just for Tempura, just for Okonomiyaki, etc. Well, sushi is no different.

Nozomi is the place to go for snapper. The last few times we were there, they have offered more than five varieties, sometimes closer to ten. I have learned a lot about the range of texture,color, and flavor in snapper. Some resemble a simple white fish. Some are as rich and buttery as yellowtail.

Of course, they also have the most amazing Uni (they can actually get the super-high end Santa Barbara stuff typically shipped off to Tokyo) Toro, kohada, Ankimo, sayori, and, well, just ask the chef to hook you up. If he brings it to you it will be good. This may sound silly but this is one of the few places where I actually enjoy and look forward to my "dessert" of Tamago (egg custard.) It truly is moist, custardy, and flavorful and has just the right amount of sweetness. It is just really spot on.

But besides offering some of the highest quality fish you can get this side of the Pacific, they also specialize in just the right garnish. Each piece is lovingly accented with a tiny but a perfectly paired topping of some kind. Perhaps just a bit of yuzu and some Himalayan salt, or maybe a bit of kelp. But they brought out something this past friday that really amazed me. A ponzu gel. This was pure genius. I love ponzu as much as the next person, but I hate the way it often soaks into the rice, ruining the texture and getting you all sticky. Plus, the distribution of rice-fish-sauce in your mouth is never quite right. THe chef observed this problem and by mixing the ponzu with agar-agar in secret proportions and forming it into a sheet, he was able to place small "slices" of this gel on the fish to make the perfect bite.

Below is a picture of the gel in action on a piece of snapper called "Threeline Grunt." I thoroughly recommend you give it a whirl. But go on a Friday, Wednesday, or Tuesday, as those are the days they get what they call their "Omakase" shipments from Japan. And be sure to sit at the bar so you can interract with the chef.

You won't regret it. Oh, and another benefit it is not nearly as pricey as some of those snooty west-side places. It is certainly not cheap, but what will typically run us $200+ at higher end sushi places further north will be under $150 here. And we tend to eat more than most.

Nozomi

1757 W Carson St
Ste L
Torrance, CA 90501

(310) 320-5511

www.sushinozomi.com

Hours:
Mon-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mon-Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Clam Chowder Contest on the Pier

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:20:00 GMT

This past Saturday I attended what I thought was going to be a lot of fun…a clam chowder tasting/judging on Redondo Beach Pier. $6 for 5 tastes. Split with my husband, that translated to 10 tastes for 9 available soups. Participants were pretty much all South Bay local restaurants, most of them from the pier or the immediate vicinity. They gave you a small Styrofoam cup and a plastic spoon, and the idea was to use the same cup for each sample. No spit bucket or new bowl. You had to dump it in the trash can and wipe out the “bowl” with a napkin.

Still, very exciting to help judge the best clam chowder. The rules said the only meats allowed were clams and bacon, and the chowder could be either red (Manhattan) or white (New England.)

I am simply not going to name names, it was just too terrible. You easily google it if you are that interested. Locals will be able to easily guess the participating restaurants.

I was just amazed how bad every last one of them were. Yes, I am from the east coast and have spent a lot of time in Boston enjoying the best chowder I have ever had. But my complaints have nothing to do with authenticity, which of course was completely lacking. My issue was with quality of ingredients and technique. Faults included obviously processed broths/stocks or bouillons as bases. More salt than flavor. On that, add variations of lots of bacon fat, way too much flour for thickening, and a heck of a lot of salt. Only one had nice chunks of fresh soft clams. Others were obviously using canned clams. Even the one with the fresh clams did not use a homemade fish stock.

Every single contender did white, with the exception of one restaurant that did one of each. The red might as well have been white, as it was so thick with flour that it did not taste remotely like red. Campbell’s Manhattan would have been an improvement.

But yet, I appeared to be alone in my dissension. Others were simply raving about "the one with the bacon bits" or the "really thick" one. Yuk! I guess this is why people still flock to these places. Am I really a food snob because I don't like processed ingredients? I have to believe there are others with the same soup values as myself.

Maybe this prevailing attitude is why there are so few restaurants that make decent soup anymore. But there must be restaurants who still want to step up and not lower themselves. It is not that difficult or expensive just to take the extra step, which I think really boils down to starting with a stock made from bones/shells of animals or fish, not that yellow or brown colored pasty substance they sell in a plastic container that you spoon out and add water to. So to all the restaurants out there making fake soup, here is a very simple recipe. Make stock by roasting some bones and boiling them overnight with some veggies and mirepoix. Take a stock, add protein of your choice, skim, add veggies, and herbs/seasoning. Perhaps legumes. Cook a couple hours. Finish with cream if you want. Done.

Los Angeles needs some restaurants that make proper soups. Please help me put the pressure on.

Riva: As a Fraiche lover, I expected so much, but got so little :(

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 21:54:00 GMT

I love Fraiche and was excited to go to Riva, Jason Trevi's new endeavor. It took months, but finally got a together a group of eight of us to go. I figured that we gave them time to work out the kinks, and was planning for an amazing meal. I had seen in the reviews that they are best known for their Crudo and Pizza, and was prepared to make a meal on that.

The room was great - upscale, modern. Service was spot on. Prices are fair. But the food? Disappointing across the board. We ordered almost all the crudo on the menu, it averaged about $12 per order for roughly 4 pieces of fish. It wasn't bad, but places like Catch and Il Grano do a much better job. Then we moved on to the pizza. Ordered 6 different ones. The crust was off, they were too salty, the flavors not integrated. They SOUNDED great - fungi with tallegio, arrugula and Proscuitto, home made meatball, etc. But they were just fair at best. Gjelina, Angelini Osteria, certainly Mozza, and even a little local japanese-italian place in Torrance called il Chianti make a much better gourmet pie. So do many others too numerous to list here.

The group was dissatisfied and decided to get three mains for the table. A pork, lamb, and mixed seafood dish. None were memorable or even prepared that well.

All in all, a shocking disappointment. THe room and atmosphere are upscale and the focus of the menu, the pizza, is too casual to fit the room. THe crudo seemed out of place, and why there is no pasta on the menu makes no sense to me. I hope Jason revamps the menu and brings more of what makes Fraiche one of the best restaurants in LA into Riva, or it just doesn't have a fighting chance.

UPDATED: When a Good Restaurant Goes Bad. New Blog Direction plus Comments on Tender Greens in Culver City

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:03:00 GMT

I do apologize to my readers that I took a bit of a hiatus in my blog posts. I have recently had the opportunity to meet many talented food bloggers at a few foodie socials and it has really inspired me to rethink my blog. I think I have recently got caught up in focusing on restaurant reviews as the be-all end-all. But every day it seems there are more and more people out there doing what I am doing (not to mention the professionals) and doing a very good job at that. I would like to say that my reviews are the best and most worthy, but I don't necessarily think that is true. And some of my more recent posts have fallen into what seems to be more and more of a food blogger cliché of throwing a bunch of pictures up and merely describing what in my subjective opinion as to what's good and what's bad. (Not to mention it took me a few hours to complete my recent post on Bazaar, and that was kind of overwhelming.)

This approach is simply not good enough. This blog is my voice and I need to say something more. So in the future, you will see less stories with pictures and descriptions of every item I ordered at a restaurant, but more focused, hopefully more poignant foodie/restaurant stories that leave you thinking. I plan on focusing more on individual dishes, on restaurant and food controversies, and whatever else inspires. Topic suggestions always welcome.

As for generic restaurant reviews, I of course will keep doing those, but the more routine ones will go on the review sites. That said, Chowhound continues to irritate me when they somewhat arbitrarily remove some of my posts, causing me to really censor myself. I am not happy with what Yelp is doing to the restaurants, a form of blackmail where in some cases restaurants have to pay a fee to force bad reviews down the list. The review site I am really liking now is FoodDigger. This is a great little start up that is literally hungry to please. Check them out, they have some interesting unique features and are going to be a major player very soon. My posts are located here

Ok so after that diatribe, back to Tender Greens, the point of this story. Background: My office has been ordering from them every Friday for about 8 months. We always loved their fresh salads, soups, sandwiches, and baked goods. They seemed to have a real eye for quality and for detail. Well, for the last 4 weeks it all came crashing down. Operational issues: Missing items, charging for missing items, unauthorized substitutions. But the food quality has been the real issue. The tuna is "off." The special little touches in the salads like herbs, unique ingredients, etc seem to be disappearing. The amount of protein (fish, chicken, etc) as a percent of total salad has been noticeably decreasing week after week. These $12 salads have been turning into all lettuce.

Today was the worst day on record. So I sent an email through the site's contact form, essentially telling them our office is boycotting them unless they fix the situation. Honestly, my impression was that they were hiring incompetent help and that they were cutting quality to save costs. That was going to be the whole focus of this blog post: blah blah economy how restaurants are coping, etc. But as I am writing this, the owner actually called, within ten minutes of my email. We were wrong in our perceptions. Same guy has been doing takeout for two years, and he has been slacking off. As for the tuna, they recently changed to a supplier in HI and he admitted it was not to his standard and they even sent back some. So the owner was genuinely concerned and really listened. He gave a firm commitment to fixing everything. Next week, he is comping our entire office and I am going to call him with feedback after lunch. I told him we were not trying to get money - we just wanted our weekly salads back. This owner really got it. So far, I was impressed. I will update next week with the results.

UPDATED: True to his word, the owner bought my entire office lunch this past friday. THey did "micromanage" the order to ensure success, but it worked. Everythign was back the way it used to be. Probably the proteins in the dishes were a little more generous then we could expect in the future, but the flavor was still great. He promised consistency in the future, and we will hold him to it. My office will miss some of the bakery items that are not on the new menu, but all in all, we have our salads back and we are delighted.

Shin Okinawa: I highly doubt people eating this food have a better shot of living till 100+

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:43:00 GMT

It was with much trepidation that we went to this restaurant. Lots of mixed reviews. But as this restaurant is very close to where I live, it could easily be a place where we could hang out frequently. Plus, while I do not claim to know a lot about Okinawan cuisine (a very specific type of Japanese), I am of course familiar with the stories of Okinawan longevity, which they generally attribute to their special diet.   So - upside potential was close, healthy, and relatively inexpensive. Worth the risk.

It was a bad omen when I called them and asked how much corkage is. They said $26. Um, I am asking about wine, not Sake. Nope, $26 for wine.   Well, we planned on ordering Sake anyway.

So I perused the menu looking for unique items, especially those known to be Okinawan. We focused on a lot of off-menu specials, and the ones marked "recommended" on the menu. We decided on 7 items to start.

Sting Ray Fins: If you made squid into squid jerky, that would probably be a comparable dish. Tasted kind of fishy and was almost impossible to chew. $6.75

Spicy Black Sausage - This is very greasy Portughese sausage with shredded iceberg lettuce as an accompaniment. Husband said it needed mustard to cut the fat.   $6.75

Stir Fried Cabbage, Simmered Pork, Bitter Melon: This is the dish most extolled by others. It is important to note that I love bitter melon. I order it frequently at Chinese restaurants, and even buy it and make it at home.    But you do have to treat it a little bit to make it less bitter. It's best to stew/boil it in some way. THis was pretty much just chopped up and stir fried - no sign of even a parboil. Husband picked out the pork, we could not eat this dish. $7.50

Aloe and Seaweed with Plum Sauce: I have never eaten aloe before. Applied it as lotion, grew it in the yard, but never consumed it. This was a very exciting dish for me as I have heard that Aloe has many health benefits. This dish really grew on me. THe also was cooked into a gel with the consistency of jelly fish. IT paired will with the shiso/ponzu/seaweed accompaniments.   I enjoyed this dish. $5.75

Soruru Japanese Marando (Deep Fried little fish) : I think the fish were frozen/defrosted. There was a mayo dip. Not exciting. $6.75

Takoyaki - Balls made of dough and octopus pieces and then breaded/deep fried. Covered with bonito shavings and served with mayo for dipping.    I have had this dish before, but the texture was always nasty and greasy. These had a really interesting gummy texture similar to a rice noodle. This was our favorite dish. $5.00

Chef's Special Okinawan fried rice: Traditional Okinawan black rice mixed with the chef's choice of the best meats and vegetables in the house. Ours came out with Spam, egg, scallion, and celery. Sigh. $8

At this point, we cut our losses and left without ordering anything else. Including our $30 bottle of Sake, it still came to $100. (Wound up going out for some wine then filled up on a Dove Bar.

I really tried hard to find dishes that exemplified the healthy eating of those who live in Okinawa. I know they have a diet rich in fish, fruit, steamed rice.

This is just not that kind of food. It tastes like Japanese fast food to me. The ingredients are mostly processed, frozen/defrosted, sourced from other places, etc. Everything has a large amount of fat added to cover up the low quality ingredients. I actually asked them about Exile Kiss' claim that they buy their noodles as opposed to making their own. The waitress confirmed it, which is why we did not order that dish.

Their cocktail and beverage menu is substantial. In conjuction with the inordinately high corkage for a casual place like this, plus the greasy/salty food, it is clear what they are going for. This place is a bar first, restaurant second. This is meant to be a money making machine; keep the food margins low and the alcohol margins high.

A shame.

Shin Okinawa Izakaya
1880 W. Carson Street, Suite #A
Torrance, CA 90501
Tel: (310) 618-8357

Hours: [Lunch] Mon - Fri, 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
[Dinner] 7 Days A Week, 5:30 p.m. - 12:00 Midnight

http://www.shinokinawaizakaya.com

Kagura - Exciting New Japanese Option in Downtown Torrance

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:17:00 GMT

Quite by accident but perhaps more and more on purpose, I find myself "stalking" some of ExileKiss' recent Asian restaurant finds. Most recently, it was Kagura. I was never that motivated to check them out, being that the last two restaurants in that spot were a Hawaiian hole in the wall and a Chinese hole in the wall, both sub-par strip mall food. Well, have I been missing out. They totally recreated that space into a remarkably beautiful room, complete with private booths that seat 8+ surrounded by beautiful cherrywood dividing walls with warm colors and a post-modern feel. My review can not do justice to Exile Kiss'. I strongly suggest you check his out as there is much more detail and background provided. That said, I did order a few rather interesting items that he skipped. ExileKiss' Kabura Review

The menu goes on and on. There were only two of us, so we could not go completely nuts. We ordered 9 items, that was plenty.

We started with Sawanoi Sake, which we found fairly smooth, a bit nutty, with a hint of tropical fruit. It was solid, but not amazing.

We ordered two sashimi items. The first one:

Hamachi Ume-Goma: Yellowtail with sour plum and sesame. This was one of our favorite dishes of the evening. I never experienced a combination of flavors quite like this.   Pricey at $15.95.

Next item: Salmon Luibe: Frost Japanese Salmon Sashimi and Salmon Roe. $12.95. So my Japanese is not very good and I thought "Frost" was some kind of Japanese exotic preparation of some sort. Nope, frost means frost. The salmon came out frozen, like what you get in Korean Sushi Bars. Plus, they forgot the Ikura so we had to send it back. That is why you see a half slice on the plate.    THere was nothing wrong with this dish, but it was unremarkable. It was better once we let the fish defrost.

Next, another favorite: Yaki Hamaguri: Charcoal-grilled Hamaguri clam with sea urchin and arrowroot starch sauce. This arrowroot starch sauce was to be a recurring theme with several items we ordered. Unlike cornstarch, thickening with arrowroot allows for more subtlety. Similar to the way Okra thickens gumbo. In their case, it is combined with a very intense dashi that has a significant rich fish flavor component to it. Scot found the clam too chewy but I love chewy clams. The mushrooms were cooked in the broth and had both amazing texture and flavor. At $16.50, this dish was an extravagence.

Yurine Manju: Steamed lilly root cake in shrimp, fish cake, and shitake mushrooms and gingko nut with fish broth, kudzu, arrowroot.

Obviously, those are not shitake. Still, a comforting and very flavorful and unique dish. $9.95

Takiawase. (steamed seasonal vegetables) We have had this dish at Yuzu other times, but I would never had known it was the same dish. Again, their dashi is much more intense. And it included a bonus shrimp. $10.50

Ebi Hamo Tempura: Shrimp and Pike eel with 3 kinds of dipping sauces. Probably the most disappointing of all the dishes, expecially considering it was $16.95. The shrimp tasted like they were frozen/defrosted. The eel was very good. No way this dish was worth the money.

Ankimo Toban Yaki - Monkfish liver with that same arrowroot sauce.   THe sauce is seasoned a bit differently for each dish so we were fine with the repetition. On this dish, Scot went nuts. For me, it was a texture issue; I prefer it just steamed like they do in sushi bars. This preparation made it softer.   $12.95

Kaisen Zousui: Assorted seafood, egg, and rice with fish in broth. Think Japanese bouillabase. A remarkable and fulfilling dish with incredible depth of fish flavor, but without being fishy in the slightest. Also an extravagance at $23.50

Cha Soba : Green tea infused noodles with a dashi/soy sauce. Accompaniments not shown. These were solid, very strong taste of the green tea. Great flavor and texture, but again, unremarkable. I prefer Yuzu's soba.   9.95

THoughts and conculsions: This restaurant is not inexpensive. There are very few items under $10, and you are really going to want 4-6 items per person unless you are not that hungry. That said, I think they are going to give Yuzu a run for the money as they are just blocks away, and have food of a comparable quality but a distinctly different style. While both are intrinsically Izakaya in offerings, there is not as much menu overlap as one would expect. Also, Yuzu can do a Kaiseki-type dinner, but it is off-menu and something you have to ask for. Kaguya clearly specializes in it, and we are very interested in trying it on a future visit.

Bottom line, we spent around $180 before tip including a $40 bottle of Sake. Not only did we get fantastic quality and service, but we left feeling like we enjoyed a very healthy, nutritious meal. It was a very comforting meal. (Caveat: We pretty much skipped the beef/pork/fried dishes, so this can be a very different experience depending on your mood. I just like having the option.)

$15 Corkage

Kagura
1652 Cabrillo Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
Tel: (310) 787-0227

Authentic Japanese New Years Dinner (Osechi) at Yuzu

andrea.hoffman@gmail.com (Foodie Traveler) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:58:00 GMT

We are regulars at Yuzu in Torrance and were lucky enough to be invited to their "secret" Osechi menu for New Year's Day. Osechi is a traditional New Year's Feast in Japan, dating back more than one thousand years. It is typically done in someone's home, and is usually prepared over the course of several days leading up to the new year. There are many dishes that make up Osechi, and each one has a special meaning celebrating the new year. I don't know all the meanings, but I included those I am familiar with.

There were a total of six courses, but most of the courses included many small items.

There were six of us, and each one of us individually received a tray like the one below.

On the tray: Hatsun, consisting of

Ikura mixed with pickled vegetable
Abalone and mushroom in abalone shell
Duck
Seaweed in dashi
Herring Roe with strips of Kelp (Kelp is associated with joy. Herring roe symbolizes the wish for many babies. I was fearful of eating this...)
Daikon and pickle inside carved out persimmon
Sweet Black Soybeans (Associated with good health)

Hamachi Sashimi on Ice

Nimono, Assorted boiled or stewed vegetables that reminded me of Oden. I think they were cooked in dashi. The yam paste and the lotus were my favorites.

Fukiyose

Fried lotus root
gingko nuts in shell
Roast Black Angus Beef
Whole Grilled Shrimp
Roasted Tai (Snapper) (Symbolizes a good omen)
Tempura snow crab with matcha

Shime

Kurobata Shabu Shabu
Chukasoba

Not pictured above are both the noodles (chukasoba - symbolizes long life) and the broth that went with this Shabu-Shabu dish. Again, the portion above was per person. Veggies and tofu skin was on the side.

Dessert was a hand-made red bean mochi in a red bean sauce. Unfortunately, the picture did not come out.

Considering our typical checks at Yuzu are much higher, we were delighted to only pay $60/pp for this fabulous 6 course feast. But I doubt they made much (if any) money on this dinner, I think it was done as a thank you to the local Japanese community for their continued support.

Yuzu Restaurant
1231 Cabrillo Ave., Torrance, CA 90501
310-533-9898