Where we eating

Urth Caffe

2012-01-25T15:52:00.000-08:00

Urth Caffe (various locations)
Website

Highly recommend the bread pudding with bananas and steamed milk. Available during breakfast only.

Meow Meow Cafe

2011-08-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Meow Meow Cafe
3646 Nogales St
Ste A
West Covina, CA 91792
(626) 965-9789

One of the better boba drinks I've had. Make sure to get it with boba and pudding.

Chop Chop Grill - Walnut

2011-06-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Chop Chop Grill
1253 N Grand Ave
Walnut, CA 91789
(909) 598-7588
Website
Yelp

I thought I did a review on this place before.... guess not. Anyways. I get two things here. Either the fish katsu egg topper or the fish katsu kurry. The prices aren't that bad and you order from a touch screen monitor. Seating can be a little difficult during lunch when college kids are out.

Blu Jam Cafe - Los Angeles (Melrose)

2011-06-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

Blu Jam Cafe
7371 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Yelp

One of the best french toasts I've had so far.

Normita's Surf City Taco - Huntington Beach

2011-04-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

Normita's Surf City Taco
815 Indianapolis Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 960-8730

Really good fish tacos and burritos. Cash only.

Splash Cafe - San Luis Obispo

2011-03-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

Splash Cafe
1491 Monterey St
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 544-7567
Website

Great seafood and bakery spot. Get the clam chowder bread bowl with the seafood topping. Crab melt is pretty good too. Prices aren't bad. There's another location in Pismo Beach.

Sake Sushi - Walnut

2011-03-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

Sake Sushi
20795 Amar Rd
Walnut, CA 91789
(909) 594-5221

Didn't receive many great reviews on Yelp, but $1.00 (per piece) sushi isn't too bad. The salmon is decent. There's an okay $4.25 crunch roll. They have half off beer all day too.

Misora Sushi - Diamond Bar

2011-02-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

Misora Sushi
2040 S Brea Canyon Rd
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
(909) 860-27

Decent sushi rolls in the Diamond Bar area. It's in the same plaza as Chuck E. Cheese's. They have Happy Hour Monday-Thursday 3pm-5pm (20% off your meal).

SGV Food Truck Festival - City of Industry

2011-01-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

Located inside SpeedZone in the City of Industry. Going on every first Friday of the month. $5 bucks to get in (but I heard of people being able to sneak in). If you decide to be civil and pay the entrance fee, you'll get $5 worth of free games that can be redeemed at the arcade.

Be prepared to spend a lot.... of money (on food) and time (in lines).

Syrup Desserts - Downtown LA

2010-11-04T23:51:00.000-07:00

Syrup Desserts
611 S Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90014

Belgian waffles, ice cream, strawberries, bananas, and nutella. That's all I need.

The Food Trucker

2010-09-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Food Trucker
Website

I'm personally not a huge fan of the kogi truck, but I've been reading a lot about the other new trucks out there and all the craze that's behind them. I'm jumping on the bandwagon, finally.

The Food Trucker is a great place to find out about all the different food trucks out there, what events are coming up, and they have a real cool application where they have a map showing where there are open trucks at that very moment. Don't know how accurate it is, but it's a great concept.

Phoenix Food Boutique

2010-09-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Phoenix Food Boutique
Locations: Rowland Heights, South Pasadena, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Arcadia
Website

Decent, cheap, Chinese food, that's open relatively late. There's 3 locations within a 4 mile stretch of Colima in Rowland Heights. They got shrimp with glazed walnuts for about $7!

Class 302

2010-09-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

Class 302
1015 S Nogales St
Ste 125
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 965-5809
Yelp

Learned about this place from a former co-worker who doesn't even live around the area. Go for the shaved snow (not shaved ice). I like the one with strawberries and chocolate fudge. Ask for extra condensed milk. Good for two people or maybe more. Their crispy mushrooms are bomb too.

Sushi Q - Chino Hills

2010-09-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

Sushi Q
3330 Grand Ave. Suite B
Chino Hills, CA 91709
(909) 364-9800
Website

Not really gourmet sushi, but very good prices for decent quality. Each plate is only $2.50. The albacore sushi is pretty good.

Ostioneria Colima - Hacienda Heights

2010-09-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

Ostioneria Colima
1136 S Hacienda Blvd
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
(626) 333-8017

Great seafood cocktails, ceviches, and Mexican seafood dishes. Speaking Spanish would help a little.

Happy Hour Eats - Food Blog

2010-09-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

I just started another food blog. This one's gonna be a list of restaurants with happy hour food menus and specials. Don't know how far I'll get into, but hopefully I can stay consistent and update it frequently. Check it out and let me know what you think. If you know any places with happy hour food deals, it would be a big help if you left me a comment there. Thanks.

Happy Hour Eats

Studio B (Buffet) - Henderson, NV

2010-08-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Studio B
12300 Las Vegas Blvd
Henderson, NV 89044
(702) 797-1000

Most of the Vegas locals recommend this place and say it's the best buffet right now. I concur.

The buffet is located south of The Strip inside the M resort/casino. It's about $30 for the seafood dinner. Go to their site or Yelp to find out more....

If you don't know... now you know.

The Shack - Rowland Heights

2010-07-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

The Shack
18927 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 839-4700

Relatively new Boiling Crab-like spot in Rowland Heights on Nogales and Colima. It's in the same plaza as Rite Aid and the Korean Supermarket. Most of my friends and I prefer going here instead of BC. Their sauce is chunkier and more garlicky. Some say the shrimps are bigger. Not sure. Service is awesome.

Ninja Sushi - Walnut

2010-05-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

Ninja Sushi
316 N Lemon Ave
Walnut, CA 91789
(909) 594-4306

closer to home than Koyo. Salmon sushi was pretty fatty. Gotta go back to try more of their sushi.

Sushi Koyo - Diamond Bar

2010-04-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Sushi Koyo
868 N Diamond Bar Blvd
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
(909) 861-6537
Website

My second favorite sushi spot (because it's close to home). Serves traditional sushi/japanese food. For dinner, only sushi is available.

...You're welcome

Gaja Japanese Restaurant - Lomita

2010-01-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

Gaja Japanese Restaruant
2383 Lomita Blvd
Ste 102
Lomita, CA 90717
(310) 534-0153
Website

Something different. Try one of the okonomiyakis (japanese pancakes).

Pizzeria Mozza - Los Angeles

2010-01-18T13:33:00.001-08:00

Pizzeria Mozza
641 N Highland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 297-0101

Probably my favorite pizza (if price isn't an issue).

Hama Sushi - Downtown Los Angeles

2010-01-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

Hama Sushi
347 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 680-3454

My favorite sushi spot.... ever.

Dean's Pizza - Long Beach

2010-01-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

Dean's Pizza
929 Redondo Ave
Long Beach, CA 90804
(562) 987-3297

Bomb thai curry pizza.

Laziness Has Taken Over

2010-01-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

I'm probably not gonna be posting full reviews on here anymore, but every now and then I'll fill you in with a spot I really like. I'll possibly put up a quick review on Yelp if I'm feeling productive.

Urban Spoon's Restaurant Slot Machine

2009-09-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles restaurantsUrbanspoon

Los Angeles restaurants on Urbanspoon

Restaurants on Twitter?

2009-04-25T20:31:00.001-07:00

(...fell off the earth for a bit.)

Besides the Kogi BBQ Taco Truck, anybody know of any other restaurants that are on Twitter? Trying to score on some deals here man!

Yelp!

2009-02-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

My friend got me into starting a Yelp account. If you got one, feel free to add me as a friend. Loner!

....please add me.

TGI Friday's Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupon

2009-02-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

My mom told me about this. She used it the other day. Just print it out and go to any participating TGI Friday's. You buy one entree and get one free. You can get different entrees. You just pay for the more expensive one. (Not Valid Valentine's Day).

Thanks Mommy.

Yuni Sushi

2009-02-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

Yuni Sushi
1928 Lincoln Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 396-4037
Type: Japanese food / sushi
Map

After Candle Cafe & Grill, we met up with a homie that moved out here from my area. We asked him what was a good sushi spot nearby and he mentioned a cheap place he likes to go to called Yuni. It's a few blocks from the beach. I read it's a Korean-owned spot. Many don't like that idea and they just "know" it's not gonna be good. I personally don't care who owns and runs a restaurant. As long as they offer what I'm hankering for at the moment -- whether it's quality, price, quantity, exoticness, coolness, awesomeness, or a mix of those -- it's all good.

To save us all time, this place is decent. If I lived close by it might be worth returning to every now and then. Some of the prices for certain things are relatively appealing.

The salmon sashimi ($6.55) and yellowtail sashimi ($6.95) at 6 pieces each were a good deal. They were a little warm but they tasted good.

The dynamite appetizer ($7.75) was cool. I guess it was so cool that I forgot to take a picture of the dish til after a few bites.

whoops. still looks good though.

The baked spicy lobster roll ($11.20) and the super spider roll ($9.60) were eaten without any notes left about them. This looks good too.

I have no idea which hand rolls were which but I remember they gave us a shrimp tempura hand roll by accident and let us have it. YES!!!! One of those is the spicy scallop hand roll ($3.65).

freebie in the heezy

Damn, we ordered a grip of food! The last one looks like the rainbow hand roll ($4.95).

Between two people, that's a lot of food. I think I was barely able to finish everything. Maybe I took some home. Not sure. In my notes I put down everything was good. The Yelpers gave this place mixed reviews. Some gave it 5 stars while a few gave it 1 or 2. If you ain't a sushi snob, your chances of coming away happy with this place is good. If you are, eat here, and hopefully you don't enjoy your meal! You deserve it. Just kidding.

Candle Cafe & Grill - Venice

2009-02-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

Candle Cafe and Grill
325 Ocean Front Walk
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 314-4456
Type: American food / casual
Map

Can't really say much about this place. It's located on the Venice boardwalk. You know: street performers, 5 dollar sunglasses, t-shirts with ironic quotes, bongs, pipes, vaporizers, Muscle Beach, basketball courts where they taped "White Men Can't Jump," and dudes rollerblading in Speedos. That boardwalk.

So Candle Cafe was just a spot for us to get a quick bite to eat, have some beers, and take in the scenery. We sat outside cuz it's the beach and I'm semi claustrophobic. Kind of.

We didn't exactly get front row seats to the boardwalk. We were on the side, but it was cool so you could just hang out in the cut and spy on the people walking by without them noticing you. So we ordered their calamari ($8.95) and a pitcher of Kona Longboard beer ($19.50). The calamari was whatevers to me. Too thick and chewy for my taste. Flavor was somewhere - not on the plate though. Maybe it put on some speedos and went rollerblading real quick.

The Kona Longboard beer was not that great-tasting either. I've tried many a beer and I could say I wouldn't order this again if I had the choice. If I had to rank New Castle, Corona, Hefeweizen, and Kona Longboard, I would put it last out of those 4. It's not super nasty though. I'd pick it over Budweiser and Bud Light, or any other light beer. I used to love Bud Light. Shooot... I used to like Mike's Hard Lemonade and Smirnoff Ice!!!! Shut up.

I didn't try anything of substance in the menu, but from how the calamari was, I'm not really interested in trying. There's a handful of other boardwalk spots like this and I'll give them a chance before I come back here. But I'm assuming most of the other places are like Candle Cafe. You mainly come to hang out and enjoy the classic Venice vibe. That's cool with me. Get buzzed and rent some rollerblades.... don't worry bout what I'm gonna wear!

Restaurant Shizu - West Covina

2009-02-04T15:39:00.000-08:00

Restaurant Shizu
116 N Grand Ave
West Covina, CA 91791
(626) 966-5279
Type: Japanese / sushi
Map

I don't remember too much about this place. I just took some pictures and wrote the prices of our food. Sorry -- once again.

Shizu is located off of Grand Ave. right by the 10 freeway. It's in the same plaza as House of Louie. I've always wanted to try this place and my girlfriend said she used to come here all the time back in the day. So we went during lunch time on a weekday. I think we were one of the first ones, but more people started coming in just after us.

There's nothing fancy about the place. It was pretty plain actually. But who cares about that right? Right. Let's make this quick. I ordered the combination with salmon teriyaki ($14.99). A little pricey for lunch from my experience. Like I said, I don't remember anything about the place or the food. So let's just say it was good. I would've complained and remembered if it was really bad or good.

Next up, the dynamite appetizer ($9.95). Again, relatively a little pricey. From the looks of the picture, it seemed good.

The two handrolls we got were the salmon lover hand roll ($4) and the yellowtail with spicy crab hand roll ($4.50). I'm sure we finished these. Can't describe it though.

We also got the salmon with scallop tempura roll ($7.95). That's somewhat decent in price but then again you only get 6 pieces instead of the usual 8. Tricky, tricky, tricky. It's an intersting dish from the norm and that's why we got it.

What? We got sashimi? I don't even have it in my notes. Well here it is....

Ahh shit. I give up. I'll go back here in the future and take better notes. From the two reviews on Yelp, they really like the place. I mean it wasn't empty by the time we left. There were a good amount of people still eating. Then again, Wesco isn't really a mecca for first class sushi.

Koji's - Hollywood / Los Angeles

2009-02-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

Koji's
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 871-0200
Type: Japanese / sushi / shabu shabu
Website
Map

I think we went to Koji's the same day we went to Galanga. We didn't eat much here. We didn't even plan on coming here. We were just hanging out at Hollywood and Highland to kill time. That same day, they were having a big premier for Iron Man (part one. yes this is very old). Anyways, we saw Robert Downey Jr. but from far away. We were actually on the 3rd floor or something at the Highland Center. That's the same floor where Koji's is at, and also the Highlands club.

can you spot Robert Downey Jr? Look hard.

just kidding. he's not in the picture!

So after getting a taste of the tourist-y stuff, we went inside Koji's and sat at the bar. Whaddaya know? It's Happy Hour!

Happy Hour is from 5-8pm Mon. - Fri.
-$3 draft beers
-$6 crunch rolls
-$9 sake
-$3 california rolls

Guess what. That's all we ordered from there. Hey, gas costs a lot to drive all the way to Hollywood. Don't judge. Anyways, I'll make it quick. The crunch rolls were cool. The california roll was a california roll. The beers were beers. The sake was sake. I don't mean to take away from what this restaurant really offers. I still don't know. I know their main thing from the looks of the place is they have shabu shabu where you cook your own food at your table. I think they have a few special rolls up their sleeves. The place is pretty big and a lot of people go there, so I don't really know.

Look at their menu if you really want to know.

crunch roll

cali roll

some sake

I guess if you want the chance to see some stars, this might be the place to be. Afterall, we saw Robert Downey Jr. who's a pretty big star IMO. The highlight of the night came as a surprise. We were sitting at the bar area looking out of the window for a while. After some drinks, I started noticing women walking by. These women were special. They weren't wearing much. And whatever it is they were wearing, was maybe a size or two too tight. They kept passing by. They were walking with guido-like dudes and men in suits (bodyguards?). I see camera flashes going off to the side. What's going on? Then I see a face that solved the whole equation:

scantily clad women + guidos + bodyguards + n = x
if n= Ron Jeremy
then x = porno event/convention!

Ron Jeremy as some of you may know is a well-known porn star back in the day. I don't know if he still "performs" for the camera. Anyways, he came by with a little posse, and he came in the restaurant and schmoozed with some people. Then he went to the bathroom where my girlfriend waited outside to get a picture with him. Great night. The End.

....oh yeah Koji's is cool. I'd possibly go back for the Happy Hour. Maybe for another "event."

Inland Empire Reviews

2009-02-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

If you're out east in the Inland Empire, you may want to hit up this site to find the best Mexican food, burger joints, and I don't know what else they have out there.

Inland Empire Reviews

Recession All-Stars

2009-01-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

Besides the news, I've been hearing a few stories from people I personally know who have been affected by the so-called recession. I don't know how to fix it, so all I can do is try to come up with a list of restaurants (besides the usual fast food joints) that might help you save a little more. Skip that, just don't eat out! ......Never!!!!

The list is not gonna be too organized or even complete. Here's just a few categorized by cuisine:

Chinese:
Maxim (Rowland Heights)
Chopchop Grill (Walnut)
Coffee Break (Walnut)
JJ's Cafe (Monterey Park)
Happy Wok (Rowland Heights)

Mexican:
Hole Mole (Long Beach, Whittier)
Alberto's
Molca Salsa (La Habra, Fullerton)
Senor Baja

Pizza:
3.99 Pizza Co. (West Covina)

Thai:
Banana Bay (Rowland Heights)

Vietnamese:
Pho Express (Walnut)
Lee's Sandwiches
Nha Hang $1.99 (Garden Grove)

This list will be added to as much as I can (or feel like). Don't hesitate to add your own recommendations. Oh. Don't forget about Happy Hours. Those may just be the best times to eat.

The Food Roamer

2009-01-31T09:39:00.000-08:00

My homie/co-worker started up a food blog of his own. Hopefully he'll put up more posts and reviews. He loves taking pictures so if you see some weirdo at a restaurant taking pics with his camera phone, tell him I said "whattup?!"

The Food Roamer

You can also find him on Yelp.

Galanga - West Hollywood

2009-01-28T10:39:00.000-08:00

Galanga
7440 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 851-4355
Type: Thai / fusion
Map

It's been so long since I've been to this spot that I had to cheat a little and look on Yelp to get some ideas on what to talk about. Yeah I took notes, but as many of you know, they suck!

Whenever I go to LA or Hollywood or just somewhere out of my area, I'll usually do a little research on Chowhound to find some recommended eateries. I don't really remember why we went to Hollywood this time around, but I didn't do any reconnaissance ahead of time. Instead, we just drove around knowing we would find a spot. I mean it's LA/Hollywood. There's something around every corner and hip thrift store. I guess we were being picky cuz we passed on a bunch of stuff. After maybe a half hour of driving, we finally see this little spot with an interesting name. Aight. That's it.

Galanga Thai Fusion was the place. It's a small place near Fatburger with an equally small parking lot. We got there just after lunch so I'm assuming the drones had to get back to work at the hive. Luckily I wasn't them at the moment. From what I remember there were no booths. There's a patio dining area in the back if you want to enjoy your Thai burrito outside.

Speaking of which, I personally love fusions of any kind. All I remember from this place was the Thai/Mexican fusion in the form of the tofu burrito. We added shrimp to it. I don't remember what the cost was but my notes tell me it was sweet but good. I kind of remember that personally.

tofu burrito and a salad and a square plate. fusion at its best.

To go back a little, we ordered the crab roll appetizer ($6.95). Now that was really good. I don't know if that's considered fusion with the egg roll wrapper and stuff. Nonetheless, it was bomb. Usually my only complaints when something is good is 1) it costs too much 2) they don't give you enough. My complaint was mainly about #2, but seven dollars for an appetizer is treading around #1. But then again, it is called an appetizer and not a meal. Still. I'm cheap and I eat a lot.

I ordered the Spicy Crispy Basil Fish ($8.95). I think it might have been a lunch special. I got mine with white rice. I'm personally tired of brown rice because we used to cook it at my house all the time and I've associated it with dry.... just dry. The fish was good as well. Was it spicy? I think a little. Was it crispy? I believe so. If not I would've complained in my notes of knowledge.

Good. Fresh. Pretty light. That's Galanga for me. The cost is actually ok. If you've been around, it's obviously not the cheapest. The portions ain't huge like at Banana Bay or some other spots, but add an order of an appetizer and you're good. I definitely wouldn't mind coming back here if I'm in the area. Of course, I would like to try other things first, but you won't see me throwing a fit if we had to go here. Especially if somebody paid for me! Thank you kindly.

The Clubhouse - Costa Mesa

2009-01-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

The Clubhouse
3333 Bristol St # 2802
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 708-2582
Type: American food / dining
Website
Map

.......must ..........post .............review ...................ughhhh .......

Back up on the horse with the first review of the year. Man. We went to this place probably in May or June. So I'm about 6 or 7 months behind with maybe 80 restaurants to still post up. Unless I get laid off or quit my job, the postings won't be coming along faster than I visit new places. Sometimes, I just go to old restaurants and order the same stuff just so I don't have to jot it down in my handy notes application on my phone. Sounds like I hate doing this, huh? Actually I love doing it, but it's a lot easier when you got nothing else to do-- which isn't the situation right now.

Anyways..... The Clubhouse. Costa Mesa. South Coast Plaza. Louis V. Bimmers. Yuppies. The End.

I went here and met up with my lady after a half day of work. She suggested The Clubhouse and I should've picked something cheaper cuz I was a little sick and my tastebuds weren't dead on (but when are they ever?). But here we were. In a fancy sportsbar where all the business guys go to ink deals and talk about how T.J., the CEO's assistant is rumored to be messing with the CPA from JDPA and he might have an STD. I don't know, but you didn't hear it from me.

On The Clubhouse's website, they describe the place as a stylish country club environment. Never been to one, so that's how the place looked inside. There were tv's everywhere playing sports channels and we got seated at a round table fit for about 8. The place wasn't dead, but it's pretty big so there's room for everybody. Plus, it might've been after the lunch rush.

This place is a little pricey, but then again it is a stylish country club environment. For appetizers we got the Flaming Spinach & Artichoke Dip ($12). See.... I told you it was pricey.

I think when it arrived it was flaming on top. I forgot. The dip was good. Not too salty nor too bland. Just right. Some might say it was worth the twelve bucks. I say it is if I'm loaded.

flaming spinach & artichoke dip minus the flaming part

My girlfriend got the Salmon Salad. I don't remember the cost. Maybe $15, but it was one of the best salads I've tasted. (I haven't tasted many salads so my credibility in this department is laughable) I just remember the salmon was a little raw or lightly seared. I'm assuming they used sashimi grade fish for it cuz it was bomb. The combination of the sauce they used on it and the fish and salad was pretty impressive for a salad hater liker myself. If I had the money, I would get that everytime along with my main dish.

the salad that wowed me

After the amazing salad, my order came. I got the Tilapia ($15). Since I wasn't feeling in top-top shape, I didn't write too much in my notes and put "tilapia was good. fish was light." Yup. LA Times here I come! No, but I remember liking it with the creamy sauce and the rice and that green stuff in the back. If you like fish you probably won't be too disappointed.

Oh yeah, there was free bread in the beginning too!

I want to thank my girlfriend cuz she paid and it was our 2 year anniversary this year. Happy Anniversary, honey! She's the one behind the scenes of this blog doing many of the better describing that should soon come in time. Clubhouse was a good place if you got a little dough. The food is pretty good (atleast the ones we tried) and you can walk it off after by shopping. Oh wait, you might not have any money left after.

.....even lazier

2009-01-13T23:42:00.000-08:00

With the New Year's and all, you'd expect people to have more motivation to do the stuff they should/want to be doing. Nope. Not me. I've been so lazy to put up reviews cuz I'm so beat from work. I'll get on it though. Sorry. and Happy New Year!!!

Ami Sushi - West Covina

2008-12-21T11:20:00.001-08:00

Ami Sushi
2560 E Amar Rd # 3
West Covina, CA 91792
(626) 581-4148
Type: Japanese / sushi
Map

Ami Sushi is a small Japanese spot located right next to Jeun Tong Tofu House in West Covina. I've been here many times before. It's not the best sushi around, but like Taquisa, I go back for proximity's sake. The prices here are also not bad. My favorite deal here is the 12 piece Shrimp Tempura Roll for only $6.95! I don't know if they've raised their prices recently, but even for a dollar more it's still a relative bargain.

On this particular day we got it to-go (cuz we didn't want to pay for tip). We got the mentioned Shrimp Tempura Roll, the Alaska Roll ($8.95), yellowtail sushi ($3.75), and albacore sushi ($2.99). The Alaska Roll is the one with raw salmon on top. It had spicy tuna inside. This one I wouldn't get again. Nothing great or good about it. The two sushis though, weren't too bad. They were good sized and had a fresh taste to them. The Shrimp Tempura Roll as always, was consistent. There's nothing bomb to crave about but it's good and the price makes it better.

Like I said, this place gets my business cuz it's close by and they got the cheap Tempura Roll. If you're not too picky about sushi, or maybe just getting into it, I would tell you you might like the place. Sushi snobs need not apply.

Buffalo Wild Wings - Rancho Cucamonga

2008-12-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Buffalo Wild Wings
8188 Day Creek Blvd # 140
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
(909) 899-9832
Type: wings / American / sports bar
Website
Map

I don't really know what I wanna say about this place. For one thing, I'm just not a big wings/sports bar kind of guy. The other reason is I didn't jot down any notes about the place (again). So let's see....

Buffalo Wild Wings started popping up maybe a year ago or more in the Inland Empire, and I think they have one in Palmdale. This place is a Hooters competitor minus the hot girls in orange. It's not exactly where you would go for a romantic night out unless that's what you and your date are into. It's loud, there's drunk fools watching sports, tv's everywhere you turn, and fried food. A yuppie's nightmare. Unless you're a cool yuppie, that is. (??????????)

Man, I really don't remember too much about this place. I didn't drink that much I think. We went here for my homey's birthday. Went to the bar, drank, sat down at a table, drank, ordered food, drank, ate mediocre food, drank, threw up, got in a fight, blacked out, woke up, couldn't find my pants, some girl asked for her money, I didn't have any, I ran out, then drove home. Most of that didn't happen. I didn't even throw up. I'm just compensating for not having any material for you guys. Apologies.

Now on to the food-- with little to no commentary/memory:

Sampler ($10.99). I see onion rings, cheese sticks, nachos?, and saucey stuff in the back.

I ordered the shrimp basket ($7.99). When I was a kid, I thought fried shrimp/popcorn shrimp would be bomb. Overrated. I've never had any that was super bomb. This was no exception. There was some sauce but I forgot what. Remind me not to order fried shrimp/popcorn shrimp again.

hopefully my last order of popcorn shrimp

You go here for the drinks, and also the wings. I didn't eat any and I have no idea if my friends liked it. I know you can pick your sauce and maybe how hot you want it. Ummm, yeah.

6 piece chicken tenders

For me, I'm not into these kinds of places. That's because I don't eat chicken wings for the most part. If you do on the other hand, you might wanna hit this place up. I can't say it'll be bomb but some of my friends like coming here once in a while. They're wack though. Just kidding. If you want credible opinions on this place, hit up Yelp. And don't come back to this blog again!

Kamon

2008-11-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

Kamon
17855 Colima Rd
City Of Industry, CA 91748
(626) 965-5895
Type: Sushi / Japanese cuisine
Map

For some odd reason, thinking back about this place doesn't get me excited about eating here. Even though the food is good and it's actually one of the better sushi places around the area, it hasn't popped in my head to come back. Because I'm so uninspired by the place I'll make this a no thrills/frills review. Actually I'm just lazy as usual and I'm in a bad mood. My 5 day weekend is over already and I probably won't get another one til late next year, or unless I quit.

On that note, I apologize to Kamon for taking it out on them. Now let's get this over with...

Okay. First thing we ordered was a combo dinner ($18). You get to pick 2 items from the menu. We got an 8oz. salmon teriyaki and sashimi. We asked for all salmon sashimi. It was all surprisingly good. The portion was bigger than I expected. The salmon sashimi was good, fresh, sweet, and fatty. The combo also came with salad, miso soup, and some fried chicken.

what the?

Next up, we got the dynamite appetizer ($6.50). The picture is very deceiving cuz I took it real close. That mother was small. The spoons weren't regular-sized spoons. They were like the spoons you use for chilli oils at Chinese restaurants. But man was it good. Or maybe it was just psychological. Since you only got so little, you cherished and savored every bite. Sneaky.

maybe actual size

We ordered two sushis (yellowtail and cajun albacore) at $4.50 per pair. They were both good but they put wasabi on it. Damn. I gotta get used to that.

We also got a spicy scallop hand roll. It was good but we've had many that were better. Probably wouldn't get that again.

Last and least, we got a tempura roll ($5.75). I think this was ordered just as a filler and cuz it was cheap. All I put in my notes is that I wouldn't get it again.

Man, it seems like we ordered a grip of food. It was mostly me that killed it though. But anyways, Kamon is a decent place. It's a little pricey and if you check Yelp, it got mixed reviews. Some gave it 2 stars while a few gave it 5 stars. I wouldn't give it 5 for sure. Maybe 3.5 stars. I'm right. Everybody else is wrong. F******************K work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5C's Louisiana Seafood - West Covina

2008-11-21T02:06:00.001-08:00

5C's Louisiana Seafood
1034 West Covina Pkwy
West Covina, CA 91790
(626) 337-2530
Type: Cajun / Southern / Soul Food

2 in the morning. I gotta leave my house in about 4 hours to go to work. What should I be doing? Sleeping? Getting rest? No. Doing a review on 5C's Louisiana Seafood in West Covina. That's what you call dedication (insomnia).

So after having M&M's in Long Beach, I've been craving soul food every once in a while. I don't know how I found out about this place, but next thing you know there's a spot that opened up near my house by the West Covina mall. It's in the same plaza as Panera, Sizzler, and Fresh & Easy.

I've been here maybe about 3 or 4 times as of this writing. I always get their fish dishes. They have a lot of seafood choices: red snapper, catfish, sand dab, trout, sole, shrimp, and oysters. They also have jambalaya, gumbo, chicken wings, and various sandwiches.

The inside of the place is kind of small with not a lot of seating available, especially for large groups. I don't remember much about decor, but looking at the picture there wasn't too much of it. It's a regular hole in the wall spot dressed up a little. All that's important to me is the food...

Unfortunately, I didn't take notes again so I'll just base everything from my photographic memory. Ummmm...... It was good. The End. Just kidding. This particular day we got the combination plate ($12.35) which consisted of 3 jumbo shrimps, 6-8 deep fried oysters, and 3 pcs. of fish. We got the red snapper. It also came with lettuce, tomatoes, french bread and some hush puppies. The fish and oysters were tasty, but I remember the fish having lots of bones. The fried shrimp was just fried shrimp to me. We had these with different sauces but my personal favorite is tartar sauce with this kind of stuff. The lettuce and tomatoes I used as neutralizers and juicifyers(?). I'm not a fan of pickles and hush puppies.

deep fried frenzy

neutralizers and juicifyers. except the pickles and hush puppies

My friends got something similar except they just got the fish and chips ($5.50). They got the filet catfish. This was actually better than the red snapper for some reason. Maybe there wasn't as many bones.

hot sauce, tartar sauce, you're good to go.

So how does this place stack up against M&M's? If you put them side by side, I'd go to M&M's. But if you put M&M's in Long Beach, and 5C's in West Covina, I'll go to 5C's once in awhile. I mean it's not a bad spot. If you like deep fried seafood and live close by give this place a try. I read on Yelp and it got decent reviews on average. One dude gave it 5 stars. I'll be back, but I'm going to M&M's first. Actually, next week! Yay!

Yoshinoya's Clam Chowder

2008-11-18T00:21:00.000-08:00

tastes goooood!!!!

It's not super rich or creamy, but it packs lots of flavor. For $1.89 it's hard to go wrong.

Update: One World Vegetarian Cuisine

2008-11-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

I was invited back to One World to check out some of their changes. Click here to read about my return.

The Beachcomber - Newport Coast (Crystal Cove)

2008-11-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

The Beachcomber
15 Crystal Cove
Newport Coast, CA 92657
Type: American cuisine
Website
Map

Here's yet another spot to take out-of-town guests to make it seem like you're hip with the in-crowd, even though we all know you read this blog or searched the internet under "hip places to eat" to find this place. It's all good. Your secret's safe with me. I'm almost as cool as you, but I found out about this place from my girlfriend. She's a little more hip than I. She told me her dad eats at this place that's right on the beach/sand and he sometimes sees dolphins while chowing down. She also said he saw or sees Karl Malone eating here sometimes. Aight. If it's good for The Mailman, why not?

Before you decide to go to The Beachcomber, know a few things: it gets really packed on the weekends, so waiting times could go from an hour to maybe 3; you can't just pull up to the place and park in front (it's on the sand and yards from the ocean); it might be a little chilly so bring a sweater; and you can't make reservations for large groups (large being more than 4?).

That being said, my girl took me there on a weekday so we wouldn't have to wait long. We went in the morning for breakfast. Like I said, you can't just pull up to the parking lot-- unless you're handicapped and have the sticker for your car. It's kind of a little mission you go on. First, you drive up PCH in Newport Coast/Crystal Cove, then you turn onto Los Trancas away from the water. Some days you might not have to pay for parking, but expect to give the city about $10 for that, just in case. So after you park you can choose one of two things. You can walk to the spot via a tunnel which takes you to the other side of PCH, or you can wait for the shuttle and pay $1 per person. Guess what we did? Here's $2 good sir. I know walking would be the proper thing to do at the beach, but nope.

lazy ass's view

Bye! and don't forget to pick us up later, cuz I ain't walking back. Thank you!

We gave our driver a small tip cuz he was cool. The ride isn't that long, so we got dropped off at the stop and proceeded to walk to the restaurant. I didn't think to take any pictures, but there's a bunch of small houses/cottages surrounding the restaurant that you can rent. Pretty cool if you got the dough.

Luckily for us, there wasn't a wait, but the place was still packed. We decided to eat on the patio cuz it's the beach and all. There was a tent over the patio cuz I guess it was drizzling earlier, but I seen pics on the website and there's usually no tent. One other thing was it was cold. I didn't bring a sweatshirt forgetting that the beach in the morning ain't like the pictures you see on postcards. There's blankets that you can ask for though, but I was too manly to get one. Moron.

The Beachcomber serves separate breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. I don't know the exact times for each, but we were there in the morning, so breakfast it was. The menu was pretty limited. I ended up getting the Egg White Frittata ($7). I don't remember what it was exactly, but I know there was spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese. I think it was whatevers to me. Nothing wow about it. I got it with the roasted breakfast potatoes. After looking at the menu again, I realize I shoulda got their French Toast. Next time.

Frittata ain't a manly name

My girl got the Corned Beef Hash and Eggs ($10). Again, I also don't remember what she thought about it. Oh quit whining. If you read my blog often, you'll know I'm horrible at describing food anyways. If you really wanna know how it was, maybe you can read the comments and she'll have put her two cents in there. I'm guessing it wasn't super great, although on the website they claim,"The best hash served this side of the Waldorf!"

read the Comments section for comments on this dish

So after what I can't remember was decent food at somewhat pricey prices, would I go back? That is probably gonna be a yes. Although the food we ordered wasn't memorable, I read on Yelp that it's hit or miss and you might get some bomb food. But in my opinion, and many others', you come here for the surroundings. The food is just something to do between conversation and to keep you alive while enjoying the scenery. I'll take friends and family here if they're feeling somewhat touristy. If you come in the summer, don't forget your boogie board!

Caribbean Gardens

2008-10-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

Caribbean Gardens
2007 Foothill Blvd
La Verne, CA
(909) 593-7824
Type: Caribbean/Guyanese

As of this writing, I found out that Caribbean Gardens is no longer with us-- at least in its original La Verne location. I looked it up on Google, and they might have possibly moved to Pomona. I'll give them a call and get to the bottom of this as soon as I can. Til then, this will be just a short eulogy....

Caribbean Gardens and I were friends. We weren't close friends like me and Banana Bay, Hole Mole, or even Maxim Cafe. But we had a special relationship. I'd go there on somewhat special occasions and if I had some money to spend. I'd go all the way to La Verne just to eat there and come right back after. I found out the hard way that this place was gone. I drove all the way over there with a friend and when we pulled up in the parking lot, the name was different. My first initial thought was, "Oh. They changed their name?" But I very quickly realized that the chances of them changing their name to a Chinese restaurant-sounding place and keeping their original menu in tact was just wishful thinking.

The flag of Guyana

Really quickly, I'll try to shoot off about the food, although I don't think I can keep my composure re-living all the memories here.

This place serves Guyanese food. (Guyana is located in northern South America) What's Guyanese food? I haven't had much Caribbean food, but the name of this place pretty much says what it is. I mean they got plantains, jerk chicken--which I know is also eaten in Jamaica. They have some veggie dishes, fish dishes, and different meat dishes. I think this place has some Indian (from India) influences with their daal (lentil soup) and other things. They also have roti which is a type of flat bread from India as well. It's kind of like Cuban and Peruvian food too. Durr... they're both in the Caribbeans.

The prices here aren't that cheap but I personally didn't mind paying up once in awhile. If I could, I would've eaten there about every 2 weeks. Maybe if their menu had more selections, I would've liked to go every week. But alas.

Here's their fried fish meal ($15) nice and salty

Roti and vegetable curry with more plantains $9.25

more people should've known about this place

Why did they close down? WHY??!!!! WHHHHHYYYYYYY!!!!!?????? I don't know how many people were exposed to this place. It was a small spot in a shopping plaza. It was never packed when I came to eat here. Is it me? Do I have bad taste? I don't think so. My friends and girlfriend thought it was cool. Maybe they were being nice to me cuz they knew how happy I was to eat here. Could it be that nobody should ever listen to my recommendations and this food blog is just a waste of everybody's time? Yes. Likely. But I still refuse to believe that this place shut down cuz of less than par food.

Caribbean Gardens... wherever you are. You'll be missed. Come back to me, please. *sob* *sob* *sob*

The Boiling Seafood

2008-10-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

The Boiling Seafood
19705 Colima Rd Ste 415
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(909) 594-1889
Type: Cajun Seafood Boil
Map

There's this new craze around So. Cal for Cajun-style seafood. You just order the type of seafood you want (shrimp, crab, lobster, or crawfish) and choose the type of seasoning. When it's done they bring you the finished product(s) in plastic bags. To eat it, you just get the stuff out of the bag, peel it, and toss it somewhere on the table (covered with butcher paper). That's it. But it gets messy.

I was a little late to this new trend-- if you wanna call it that. My friends used to rave about these kinds of places, especially a place known as Boiling Crab (review coming soon). I was put off from a similar experience when I went to San Pedro with some friends and had a similar style meal. It was just wack to me. Plain. Seasonings sucked. Never again. But it wasn't Cajun-style.

Some new place opened near the hood and my friends said it's supposed to be similar to Boiling Crab. They really really wanted to try this place out, so I dropped my past notions and joined in the hype and anticipation of trying this place.

The day of reckoning finally came. A big group of us rolled through. Luckily for us, the place was empty. Or maybe it's not so lucky for us. Not a good sign?

Since I didn't know crap about these places, my friends had to be our tour guides. First up, they ordered us 1 pound of king crab legs ($14.99). They said to get the "whole shebang" seasoning which is all their seasonings combined (rajun cajun, lemon pepper, butter). You get to choose how spicy you want it. We got medium. Next up 1 pound of shrimp ($8.99). Same deal. Whole shebang medium. We decided to get some items from the lower part of the menu. We got crispy oysters ($9.99), some corn on the cobs ($0.50 each), and some fries ($1.99).

you read their menus sideways

So first comes the side stuff. Crispy oysters and fries. You get about 10 oysters per order. They're deep fried obviously. I liked them. Nothing super outstanding, but they're cool. In my notes, I put the fries are decent and they give you a lot for 2 bucks. But having been to a few of these places now, I'm not getting fries anymore. Not that they suck. I prefer to eat the seafood with rice. What's good about this spot is you can order steamed rice, or you can probably bring your own. Yup. Do that instead.

crispy oysters and fries as a filler

(Before you get into all this mess, they give you a bib to protect part of that new, white shirt you stupidly wore)

The shrimp came next. I didn't do a great job with the picture cuz I took at an angle that makes it look plain and dry. Not the case. It's really soaked in a red sauce known as the whole-shebang. I think they had to change that name though cuz that's Boiling Crab's sauce name. I liked it. You just soak the shrimp in the sauce, remove the head, suck the head of all the juices, suck the body of whatever juices it has, peel the body, dip the peeled shrimp into the sauce again, and enjoy. No, this is not an instruction manual for a porno. But it might give you an orgasm or two. After my many experiences at these places now, I order more shrimp than anything else. For the money, it's just the best deal. I'll still order crab or whatever, but this is the staple of the meal for me.

Hi guys. Sorry you taste so good.

Alright. You gotta get some kind of crab. We always get the king crab legs cuz 1) I heard there's more to eat, and 2) it's cheaper than the dungeness. What can I say. It's crab. It's good. There's a lot more work to it than the shrimp, but the efforts are equally rewarded. Sometimes though, karma bites you in the ass when you're cracking them open and you get stabbed by the thorns on the legs. It's like I can hear the crab watching over us saying, "Take that!" But once you come out the battle field with your hostage (a fat slab of meat), I use a fat technique of pulling the pieces apart a little and soaking them back in the sauce. By pulling the meat apart, it exposes more surface area to absorb the sauce. It's a mathematical fact.

These things bite back.

somebody ordered some fried shrimp, but who cares, right?

I forgot to mention they also give you some lime, salt, and pepper that you mix together for a more citrusy flavor. It's good to have to change up the pace of whole-shebang.

bag o' goodies.

the rest of the carnage

Victorious!

So what's my take? For many who've tried this place and had the chance to compare it to Boiling Crab, they didn't like it. Some just straight up despise it. As of this writing, I've been to Boiling Crab about 3 times, and this place about 3 or 4 times. I've tried both, and yes, Boiling Crab is superior to this place in every way except that you can order rice just in case you forget to bring some, and it's closer to home. In all honesty, I don't mind going here again. And I probably will go here soon. I've brought people here who haven't tried B.C. and they liked it. Why spoil it? If they like it, they like it. I like it.

p.s. I heard they changed the name of this place to Michael's Cajun something or something. But for now, just look it up on Google as The Boiling Seafood. Also, don't wear anything nice. And maybe you might not want to go anywhere fancy after cuz you'll be smelling like seafood and garlic for a little bit.

The Stinking Rose

2008-10-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

The Stinking Rose
55 N La Cienega Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 652-7673
Type: Californa-Italian / garlic
Website
Map

Being my girl's bday (back in March), she wanted to try something different from the normal special-occasion-spot of sushi, sushi, and sushi. I don't think it took long for her to decide on The Stinking Rose in Beverly Hills. When I first heard of the spot and passed by it a long time ago, I thought it was an upscale restaurant. Fortunately it wasn't as upscale as I thought.

The Stinking Rose, like Garlic Jo's is known for their garlic themed dishes. The term "stinking rose" is universally known as garlic as the website claims-- hence the name. I read that they use about 3000 lbs. of garlic a month at their San Francisco location.

Ironically the decor inside reminded me of vampires and how they would decorate their castle. There's different themed dining rooms throughout the place.

I have to make a quick confession. The notes I took about this place are almost non-existent. All I put down in my phone is "there's a separate bar area." That's it. I don't really remember what dishes are what and if it was really good or not. All I can provide for you are the professional quality pictures I took of the food:

here's one looking from the beer goggle lens

this one's a scenic pic. notice how I got the table with the lights reflecting off the glass and the silverware. The bread and that other stuff couldn't have been in better spots. Art just sometimes happens.

Ok. The next one was mine so I had a good view of it. I think it was the sea bass ($25.95). It had some kind of small pasta balls for the carbs. I think it tasted good. I don't think I got full from this one though. It's possible I'd get it again.

the sea bass in its habitat

So my girl's friends came and my friends came and we had like 20 heads in the place. Bad thing when it's your bday. You know why? Every single person is gonna try to get you a drink. What's wrong with people buying you a drink? Nothing-- when it's 1 or 2, or 3. But maybe 7 or more mixed drinks spells disaster. My girl was throwing up in the bathroom by the end of the meal. But she recovered and we went clubbing soon after.

Again I apologize for the horribler-than-usual review. The Stinking Rose is a good spot to take out-of-town visitors (unless they come from Frisco) who want something cool and different. I consider these kinds of places the go-to spots when you wanna impress visitors and make it seem like you're hip and know what's up in your city. The prices are a little high especially if you're treating. The food is good (that I vaguely remember). I'd go here again for another special occasion. I'll take notes next time.

California Crisp - Pasadena

2008-09-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

California Crisp
300 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 396-9992
Type: sandwiches / salads / pasta
Website
Map

Spent a little time in Pasadena a while back (in March to be exact). When I think of Pasadena, or any other city I think about, I wonder how their food culture is. Pasadena seems like a decent town for eats. So what do I do? I settle for the mall and find something there to quiet my stomach. Me being me, I at least made an attempt to skip the places I got at home (Subway and other places found everywhere). The mall is called Paseo Colorado and we end up on the second floor across the way from the movie theaters and a sushi restaurant to some spot in the corner called California Crisp.

This place didn't have exactly what I was craving for, but this particular meal was meant as a snack so we could save our appetites for something better at night. This place had sandwiches, salads, pastas, and I forgot what else. It's a healthier food place that I'm guessing caters to the yuppier crowds in Yuppiedena. Since it's a healthy spot, you know you gotta pay a little extra for those fresh ingredients. The well-to-do can afford to stay healthy, while I and many many others have to settle for heart disease, high cholesterol, and carpooling.

There was a good amount of people inside cuz I think it was lunch time for the working bunch. I remember I had a little trouble deciding what to get. Not much seemed that appetizing to me. I settled for the half veggie sandwich with one side ($6.59). I picked the pesto pasta for the side. The sandwich was cool. I don't remember much. I just know that their ingredients were fresh. Their pastas are served cold.

yuppie snack

My girl ordered the grilled chicken breast panini and 1 side ($7.29). She said it was okay as well. I don't know where the picture is but there's nothing special about it.

This place is just okay for us. I mean if you're on the healthy tip and lived in the neighborhood, you'd probably frequent this place if you could afford it-- and you're a yuppie. Just playing. I won't go here again cuz it's just not my style. It's not nasty though. So if you need to shed some pounds, this might be a good place to start. Fatty.

Niko Niko - Rowland Heights

2008-09-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Niko Niko
19705 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(909) 598-7299
Type: Japanese food / sushi
Map

I remember the first time I had Niko Niko. That was in the beginning of my sushi career. I fell in love right away cuz their prices were decent for all the special rolls they had. I think the most expensive one is about $12. The one I tried was in La Habra. I remember one time I drove all the way from West Covina to La Habra just to get some rolls at Niko Niko!

Now, I've grown up, and I can say that I've been to a few sushi spots since then. But to this day, I still don't mind hitting up this place once in a while. Luckily, they have one closer to my stomping grounds in Rowland Heights. It's in the same plaza as Happy Wok, Boiling Seafood, and Albertson's. This time, we went here for my girl's bday. My mom treated us.

I used to love their dynamite appetizer ($7) here. I don't know what happened, but the taste for this has fallen off for me the last few times I ordered it. I probably won't get it again. It was just lacking in taste and I didn't want to finish it. When I say that, it must be ultimate wackness.

dynamite appetizer-- my ex-friend

My mom and bro got the combo meals cuz they don't eat rolls or sushi. My mom got the salmon and beef combo, and my brother got the calamari steak and salmon teriyaki combo ($10 something each?). My mom said her food was okay and my brother said the calamari didn't have much flavor. I wasn't too interested in what they ordered anyway.

I think my girl and I were extra hungry cuz-- or it might have been cuz my mom was paying, but we ordered a good amount of food. We got the Sapporo roll ($10.99). It was yellowtail on top of spicy yellowtail with crab inside. That one was good.

The baked spicy lobster roll ($10 something?) is usually a hit with me. This time around was no exception. I put "very good" in my notes so it must have been..... very good!

can't go wrong with Niko Niko's baked spicy lobster roll

Nowadays, salmon sashimi or sushi is like rice for me when I go to a sushi place. I always have to order it. The 7 piece salmon sashimi got a nod from me. It was fresh-- even though it was late night. I don't know if that really matters.

To round out our sushi selection, we got the 2 piece yellowtail sushi ($4 something) and 2 piece albacore sushi ($4 something). Both were good. The yellowtail was fresh, and best of all, they were fat pieces. The albacore had some ponzu sauce in it which luckily wasn't too tangy.

I've mentioned before that I've been here already. I think I've been to Niko Niko restaurants about 5 or 6 times. A couple times in Rowland Heights, a couple in La Habra and a few in Long Beach. They're all about the same. They're usually consistent with their stuff so I'm not worried about going to any other of their locations. It won't be my first choice, but I won't whine if we have to go there.

Myung Dong Tofu House - West Covina

2008-08-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Myung Dong Tofu House
1025 S Glendora Ave
West Covina, CA 91790
(626) 338-0414
Type: tofu / Korean food
Map

Soon after Yogurt Space, we hit up some new tofu restaurant in the same plaza. It's called Myung Dong. Now I could easily turn that name into something inappropriate, but my young dong is bigger than that.

We went on a Sunday night just an hour or so before they were closing. There wasn't much else to eat at that time, especially tofu spots near my house. So no matter what was on the menu, we were eating there. Nothing fancy or unique about the place (not that I care-- as long as the food is good). So anyways, the tofu soups here are $8.99. About standard price I guess. It's been a while since I've been to a tofu house. I got the the seafood tofu soup. My girl got the shrimp and scallop + tofu combo ($13.99).

So the first question I would ask anybody who went to a tofu spot is, "How was the sides?" If you don't know already, you usually get free side dishes when you eat at Korean places. I think it's called banchan. (This might be the last time I explain this) For me, I have two or three different restaurants I compare other tofu spots to. On the upper end of the spectrum is Jeun Tong in West Covina, and Tofu Village in Garden Grove. They have consistently the best sides and the tofu is always good. On the lower end of the spectrum for me would be BCD. I'd say their sides are the wackest, but maybe that's cuz we only go there late night. I don't know if they serve better stuff during the day. Myung Dong's sides are just a little bit higher than BCD's. Not a good sign.

2nd rate sides

I've said before that it's hard to eff up on your tofu soups. Most places I've been to are pretty consistent. Even BCD's is okay for me. Myung Dong.... you gotta step up your game. The soup was noticeably lacking in taste. Of course I still finished it though. I was hungry.

looks good doesn't it.....

...it wasn't

The shrimp and scallop also looked better than it tasted. They only gave 2 scallops. The sauce it came with was eh-- that I remember.

I probably wouldn't go here again on my own will. But I don't know anybody else that really eats tofu soup as much as us. Maybe we'll go here on a Sunday night if we're too lazy to drive anywhere else and we're fiending for tofu.

Yogurt Space

2008-08-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

Yogurt Space
993 S Glendora Ave
West Covina, CA 91790
(626) 338-1578
Type: yogurt bar / dessert
Website
Map

Damn. I'm so behind on my reviews! I went to this place in March. Who knows if this place is still open? Nah. I think it is. It was decently busy when I went.

So Yogurt Space is pretty much like Yogurtland. I smell some biters! It's located in the Hong Kong plaza where Krua Thai and World Buffet is. The decorations inside is nothing different from other young/hip/teeny bopper places. If you've been to Yogurtland, you'll notice that it's the same self-serve style. There's not as many options for yogurt as Yogurtland, and I'm not sure how their toppings compare, but just as long as they had mochi balls, I was happy. You can bring your laptop here and connect to wi-fi. I don't know if they charge though.

teeny boppers welcome...

I don't remember what I got on mine. I think I may have mixed one or three different yogurts, then topped it with some Cap N' Crunch cereal, some kiwis, maybe some strawberries, and of course mochi balls. I don't know what my girl or my cousin got. I paid for all three cups and the total went to $14.92. So about 5 bucks a cup. I'll tell you a secret. If you want a lot of toppings, don't put a lot of yogurt. If you put a lot of yogurt, there's no space for the toppings. I usually fill up my cup about 2/3 of yogurt, then pile on the toppings.

Because Yogurt Space is so close compared to the 10 or so miles to the nearest Yogurtland, I'll go back here. The yogurt was good. They got mochi balls. It's all good.

BJ's - West Covina

2008-07-30T22:14:00.001-07:00

BJ's Restaurant & Brewery
2917 E Eastland Ctr Dr
West Covina, CA 91791
(626) 858-0054
Type: Californian / restaurant / bar / pizza
Website
Map

Another chain restaurant. Yes. Indeed. BJ's in West Covina in the Eastland Center mall is one of many BJ's restaurants nationwide. This is the one my girlfriend and I went to. I would compare this place to a Yard House or TGI Friday's. I've been here many times before and I know I'll end up going here in the future.

BJ's has a little special place in my heart though. I was maybe about 22 or something. Ironically, I actually started drinking alcohol after it was legal for me, unlike 98 percent of my friends who started in high school. But in the beginning, I only liked the hard liquor shots, and--promise not to laugh.... Smirnoff Ice. Everybody clowned on me for drinking the "girly" stuff. I didn't care. I was kind of laughing to myself thinking you guys are the ones drinking that nasty ass beer. How can you like that stuff? I had my first sip of beer when I was probably in 1st grade. Stuff was nasty. And I thought so for about a decade and a half. I tried taking sips many times to see if it would grow on me, and I was still sticking to the Mike's Hard Lemonade. Then, I went to BJ's with some friends. They were all drinking their beers. I think I wanted to get buzzed that night, so I forced myself to drink it. I got their famous hefeweizen. Damn. It was all over from there. Their hef was just so light and smooth and tasty that it just pulled me to the dark side never to look back. I've probably tasted maybe 30 or so different types of beers since then, and I still try new ones whenever possible.

So getting back to the present, we ordered the BJ's beer tasters. We each got the 7 tasters for $8.95 each. It's just 7 of BJ's own beers in thin glasses. I don't remember what they had, but I know by the 2nd glass, we were a little tipsy. I'd get that again cuz I like the variety.

party line

When you drink, you gotta get something to snack on. In Tagalog, we call that pulutan. It's just a must. Onion strings were great. It's just a little too much just for two people who still ordered a pizza!

onion strings

We ordered the Great White Pizza for about $20 for a medium. Bad move. Not the pizza itself. That was good. It was deep dish. Fluffy but crispy on the outside. Had alfredo sauce and it's good with ranch (what isn't?). But we just let our buzzed hunger order for us. We only got like 1 or 2 slices each. Oh well. Leftovers.

I pretty much said what I needed to say about this place. Nothing really wrong with it in my opinion. Good place to go for an occasion. Loudish. Oh, it can get crowded during peak hours. And, uh... that's it.

Toi On Sunset - Hollywood (Los Angeles)

2008-07-24T17:18:00.001-07:00

Toi On Sunset
7505 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 874-8062
Type: Thai food
Website
Map

My girl and I were in Hollywood on a late weekday night. We went to a bar/lounge to watch her friends' band perform in remembrance of their friend that passed away recently (R.I.P. Mike). It was late when the show ended, so I had to go on my other blog (Club N' Grub-- which I haven't been updating lately) to find out what was open nearby. There's a lot of things to choose from, but we decided on a trendy Thai place called Toi (on Sunset) on Sunset Blvd.

It was maybe around 1am or 2am when we got there, so there wasn't much people. There isn't a parking lot that we saw, so we had to park at a nearby street. That's Hollywood for you. Inside, the place has a music theme, with rock memorabilia on the walls, loud rock music playing, a psychadelic wall on one side, and a lounge on the side. You know, your typical Thai joint.

Their menu wasn't extensive, but there was a good amount of deciding to do. They have a decent amount of vegetarian items because again, that's Hollywood for you. And good for me! I ordered the tofu, pumpkin, and eggplant dish ($10.95). I don't remember if you had to order rice separately, but I know you can choose from white rice or brown rice. We got half and half. My girl got the shrimp pad see ew ($11.95). Yeah, this place isn't cheap.

My tofu, pumpkin, and eggplant was good. The sauce or sautee was good. It came with bell peppers and mushrooms too. Everything was good except the pumpkins. Ironically, that's what attracted me to ordering it cuz it sounded interesting. We both agreed it was the wackest part of the dish. Not sure if I'd order it again.

my camera phone says this is the tofu, pumpkin, eggplant dish

The pad see ew was pretty hefty, although it only had 5 shrimps on the whole thing. Well, atleast they were good-sized suckers. It had a lot of garlic in it which we liked. We ended up taking some home cuz it was more than enough.

no, I'm not gonna use a real camera next time

Toi is surely a good go-to place on a late Hollywood night. Even though it was good, I would just go here at night cuz there's so many other places to try. I'd take out-of-town guests here if we went to a club before. It'll make it seem like I'm cool cuz I know "the spots."

Taps Fish House & Brewery - Brea

2008-07-18T09:18:00.001-07:00

Taps Fish House & Brewery
101 E Imperial Hwy
Brea, CA 92821
(714) 257-0101
Type: seafood / bar / steakhouse / dining
Website
Map

We went here in late March (I got a lot of reviews to catch up on still) for my friend's and his girlfriend's birthdays. I was told this place was good but pricey. My girl and her best friend-- which is my friend's girlfriend with the birthdays usually go here to eat. I never been here so I was excited to hear what all the hype was about. Taps is located in the city of Brea near the Brea mall. More specifically, it's near the shopping area away from the mall where you'll find Eddie Bauer and Fatburger and Old Navy and stuff. When you walk in the place it looks like it's a huge sports bar kind of place, but when you go off to the left into the formal dining area, the scene changes. Everything got classy all of a sudden.

But anyways, in the beginning we waited for everybody cuz everybody has to lag and make an entrance. So we waited at the bar area on the right and ordered some beers and watched Golden State vs. the Lakers. I think the Lakers lost that game. But atleast L.A. got Baron Davis now! Taps serves their own beer as well as the known brands. I ended up getting their hefeweizen beer. It was good. Smooth. It had a good after-taste, especially when you burped. Kind of like a berry after-taste. After all that though, BJ's hef might be better still.

makes your burps taste good

So after the Lakers lost, everybody arrived and we got seated. Time to order and eat dammit. People have been waiting a minute or 60. My girl ordered some raw oysters ($12) she split with her friend. No thanks. They liked it. I liked it cuz she was a little touchy later on........ Nooo.

oohh baby I like it raw!!!

i forgot to mention free bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

I ordered the Chilean sea bass ($31). Good lord it better be good. I liked it. It was light and flaky. The rice was good. There were some sweet peppers on the side that were good. For 30 bucks was it worth it? Hmmm. It was cool. better than anything I've gotten for half that price.

Chilean (kick his ass!) Sea Bass

my friend got some pasta thing or something. It was good.

We also got the Hawaiian style ahi tuna tartar ($13). I think it was cool, but by the looks of it, the price was in the design.

After everything was put away, there were mixed reviews about the place. I liked it and I wouldn't mind going back for another occasion. I just gotta make sure not to eat out for about a week before-hand. Some of my friends said it was okay. Some even said Yardhouse is better. They might be in the same category for me. Although Yardhouse does have a lot more beers and maybe a bigger menu. I'll still go back here though.

Inka Grill - Lake Forest

2008-07-08T22:59:00.001-07:00

Inka Grill
23600 Rockfield Blvd Ste 2K
Lake Forest, CA 92630
(949) 587-9008
Type: Peruvian cuisine / dining
Map

Finally. Some Peruvian food! I tried making a post here a while back asking about any spots anybody could recommend, but I got nothing. Thanks a-holes. Just kidding. But not really. No, just kidding. I was down in Irvine with my girlfriend, and we were both fiending for some Peruvian. The trusty internet led to a somewhat far spot down the 405 and 5 freeways in Lake Forest. The place was Inka Grill. I think it's a chain with a few stores open here and there. It was a Sunday afternoon when we got there, and the whole plaza where Inka Grill was located was dead. I mean there's a Panera Bread place off the side, but I don't even think there were that many cars parked in front of it. Inka Grill was no exception. We were the only paying souls in the joint. Not a good sign.

Oh well, I still wanted me some encebollados fish ($11.95-- and I know that's not how you say it) and some fried plantains. Gotta love that salty and sweet combination. So that's what I ordered. Before that arrived we got some free bread. Always a good thing. I love the free breads at the Peruvian spots. They give you butter and their secret weapon-- the green chile sauce. I looked it up just right now and I believe it's called "aji" (pronounced like ahi tuna). It's pretty much good with anything: meats, veggies, bread, maybe soups, seafood, chocolate, ice cream......... so. If I'm smart, I'll eat a bunch of it til I get a little tired of it, then move on to my main dish, and I'll surely have leftovers. Money in the bank!

a meal in and of itself

So my fish dish came. It's served with a grip of caramelized onions, some veggies, rice, and fried fish. Simple. Nothing fancy. If made correctly, good seasoning. I think it's cooked in some kind of sauce or something cuz it ain't dry. This particular dish was great. Some places season the hell out of everything on the plate and it's a little too salty-- even for me. Inka Grill's was just right. Thinking about it makes me speechless. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.......................................................

My girlfriend ordered the jalea ($16.95). I think it was the half plate or something. It was still a huge portion though. All the seafood in it was deep fried. We both thought it was good. I can't remember who's dish was better, but it was probably mine. Sorry. I can't help that I got good ordering skills.

this is what they consider a half plate. thanks guys.

For me, probably 95% of the bites I took had the green sauce. The bottle was full when we started eating, and it was just squeezed dry by the end. Luckily for us, there were leftovers. We asked if we could get some green sauce to go and the lady said they have to charge us $5 for a bottle. Damn. Here's five bucks. I needed it to finish my meal properly.

It ain't a Peruvian meal for me unless I got my fried plantains

Lake Forest is pretty damn far from West Covina. I can't say I'll be back for sure. If I'm in the area, it's very possible. I gotta find out other Peruvian spots near me. I know there's one in Brea so I'll check that out one of these days. Hopefully more people patronize Inka Grill cuz it wasn't looking so good. Tell them the guy behind whereweeating.blogspot.com sent you. They might hook you up a little somethin somethin. Nah, they won't.

Zagat rating just a fee away?

2008-06-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

So my friends and I went to some Thai place called Palms Thai. If you've been there, you're familiar with the singing Elvis' they got on stage every now and then. We drove all the way here just to eat cuz it was my friend's birthday. He picked it, so I got high expectations cuz he usually knows the spot. Before we walk in, we see the Zagat Rated badge. I was like, "Oh yeah. We're grubbin tonite!" After all was said and done, it wasn't that great. You'll probably think I'm biased, but I'd way rather save gas and eat better food near my house at Banana Bay. If you're in town for other stuff, then by all means.

But here's what I'm getting at. My homie's spot (Banana Bay) isn't Zagat Rated. Our whole party thought B-Bay was better (we're just being nice Jim. just kidding!). Truthfully. I asked my friend how you get a Zagat rating. He said you just pay some fee and that's pretty much it. Now I know that's probably not all there is to it, but if that place was Zagat rated, I know other places that could put that badge on their windows.

On a side note, I was talking to my boss about the BBB (Better Business Bureau). I asked him how you get that certification, and he pretty much said you gotta fork over a few bucks and you're cool.

So if anybody knows. Is this true? All you need to get that credential and possibly more people coming to your restaurant is money? Somebody fill me in.

Wasa - Newport Beach

2008-06-27T13:16:00.001-07:00

Wasa
1346 Bison Ave
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 760-1511
Type: Japanese food / sushi / dining
Website
Map

Every time I drive to my girlfriend's house out in Newport Coast, I pass by this place. I always look at it while driving. Eventually, I couldn't stand just looking at it. I wanted in. So my dining partner-in-crime (girlfriend) and I went here on a weekday night I believe. There was a few minutes' wait, but who cares. I'm trying this place dammit.

Inside, the place is pretty damn small. This isn't a very intimate place to eat as there's probably only 3-5 booths. The rest, you're sitting next to other customers so you can easily peep out what their fat asses got and they can see what your lard ass got. Okay, maybe not the best term for a sushi place, but we always order a lot, unless we're restaurant hopping.

Being in Newport Beach, I was afraid to look at the menu for one reason. The prices. I mean, this is the land of Benzs and Bimmers and Botox and mansions and millionaires. The average person here probably makes more in one day than I do in a month. Seriously. Sadly. But the menu took off a few weights off my chest. The prices-- they weren't that bad. They weren't cheap or a great deal that I recognized, but not bad. This place is also Zagat Rated. There's a small army of 4 sushi chefs working for that room.

Even though the prices as I explained weren't that bad, this wasn't a special occassion (actually it was, cuz I was with my girl. 2 points), so we still had to be a little choosy with what we ordered. This is what we came up with:

The baked dynamite appetizer ($8.95?) was small but good. I didn't put any descriptions on it under my notes, but I think it was.

baked dynamite

We got the Garlic Ponzu Treasure ($9.95). It came with 3pcs of salmon, yellowtail, and toro (fatty tuna). All 3 were seared. There was a little wasabi in it which I usually hate, but this wasn't as strong. I'd get this one again.

Garlic Ponzu Treasure me matey!!!! yarr!!!!!

We usually throw some hand rolls in the mix. Newport Roll ($4.50) and Spicy Scallop Roll ($4.25). Both were good but the scallop was a little better. I don't remember what was in the Newport Roll, but don't be scared about ordering it.

Newport Roll and Scallop Roll did their thangs.

I've been having some bad experience with "nice" places and lobster rolls. Like the time we went to Zipangu and ordered their most expensive roll the Maine Crunch Roll. Wackness. The lobster roll ($15.95) here.... no thanks. Plain as a Boeing 747 but it wasn't fly. Get it?!

strike two for "nice place's" lobster rolls

Last up, the Ninja/Spider Roll ($9.95). It was 6 pieces of "had it before and wouldn't get again." It pretty much tasted like any other spider roll that wasn't super great for me. Actually, come to think of it, I rarely get any spider rolls that are super bomb.... note to self.

soft shell crab (spider) roll. just a filler.

So 3 of the 5 orders were good. I'd still go back some time-- possibly. Just probably no more cut rolls unless they're used as fillers to get me full. There's too many damn sushi places around that this is not a place I would get attached to. My girlfriend still prefers Sankai which is like 4 miles further down the freeway. So do I.

Wendy's

2008-06-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

This will probably be one of the most useless posts I've posted, but I made notes on it for some reason. I went to Wendy's when they came out with the fish fillet sandwich. I got that and some fries. The sandwich was a little crispy, but it needed extra sauce and it wasn't that big. I think the fish sandwich was like $3 something. Way too much for that. The taste was in the same league as Carl's Jr.'s and Jack In the Box's (when they had one). So anyways, this post is useless cuz they don't even have the fish sandwich anymore. So you can thank me for wasting a minute of your time. Your welcome.

bye bye mediocre fish sandwich.

Casa Alvarez - Rowland Heights

2008-06-20T04:50:00.000-07:00

Casa Alvarez
19744 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(909) 594-6463
Type: Mexican food / dining
Map

Back on the blogging horse once again! Giddyup.

I hit up Casa Alvarez with some friends after church one day. (Yeah, I go to church..... to make my mom happy) This place is located across the street from Happy Wok, Niko Niko, etc. and is right next to Stater Bros. on Colima-- just look at the map dammit. I've been here a few times before, so unless they pulled some nasty ish on us, I'll be going back again. If all you need to know is if the place is good, it's good. The End for you. If you're a nosey person and you wanna see what we ate, follow me....

So my friend Frans, she got the Beef Chimichanga ($7.95). As you can see in the picture below, they hook it up with the guacamole and sour cream. It's like they use ice cream scoopers for it. Nice. Frans described the burrito's brother as "fried to perfection." I take that it was good. On a side note, I forgot to mention they give you free chips and salsa at the beginning of the meal.

"fried to perfection" beef chimichanga.

It's about 6 or 7pm, and everybody's ordering their burritos and tacos. I order my breakfast classic-- huevos rancheros ($7.45). It's really hard to go wrong with this dish any time of day. I mean fried eggs with some beans, cheese, and rice is simple but hard to beat. And all you beans haters can eat a... bean. Just look how big the portion is. I had a little trouble finishing it. I would definitely get this again but there's just so many other dishes, that it'll have to wait its turn.

huevos rancheros. there's a plate under there somewhere.

You ever eat with somebody that always orders some wack stuff? They take forever to figure out what they want, and when they finally decide and their food arrives, they end up regretting what they ordered. I won't mention his name, but my homie Marcus is that guy. This particular day was no different. He got the shrimp burrito ($8.55) after much "umm"ing and "uhhh"ing over the menu. When it came, he was just like, "damn, I shoulda just ordered the chimichanga." I guess I used to feel sorry for him, but now it's just funny. He said the burrito was okay but the shrimp was overcooked, and he wouldn't get again.

shrimp burrito. okay. overcooked.

My friend Camille I guess wasn't that hungry cuz all she got was a beef taco and fish taco. She said both were good but she liked the beef taco better cuz the fish used corn tortilla. I myself like corn tortillas. But oh well.

fish taco

there's probably some beef in this taco somewhere

If you're in the area, and want a Mexican restaurant with a good sized menu, good food, decent prices for the most part, keep Casa Alvarez in mind. That's it.

Hi ho Silver... away!!!

Unthirsty.com - Website (happy hours)

2008-05-31T17:20:00.001-07:00

Unthirsty.com is a website that lets you find out if there's any happy hours near your location. You can choose if you want to see drink specials or food specials or both. I believe you can also specify the times you want too.

Happy Hour - Banana Bay

2008-05-31T17:14:00.001-07:00

Everyday: 10pm - close

-2 for 1 on select cocktails (20%off on all other drinks)
-$2.00 Thai and Domestic Beer
-$2.50 imported beer
-$2.00 off all wine

Happy Hour - Yard House

2008-05-31T17:11:00.000-07:00

Monday - Friday: 3pm - 6pm

-half off select appetizers
-all pints $3.25
-well drink $4.25
-house martinis $5.25
-wine by the glass $2.00 off

(at participating locations)

Happy Hour - Black Angus

2008-05-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

Mon - Fri: 3pm - 7pm

-half off all appetizers
-half off well drinks
-half off the Classic Martini
-half off wines by the glass
-half off 16 oz. draft beer
-half off Classic Margarita

Happy Hours

2008-05-31T16:58:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna start keeping track of Happy Hours I find out about to remind myself and inform you guys of some potentially good deals for food and drinks. Cheapskates!!!!

I started a website recently for happy hour foods.

Akasaka - Walnut

2008-05-31T10:07:00.001-07:00

Akasaka
505 Grand Ave
Walnut, CA 91789-2144
Phone: (909) 598-8816
Type: Japanese food / sushi
Map

Local Sushi Hopping: Part 2 (click here for Part 1)

After some good rolls and a little less decent sushi at Denno, my girl and I went straight down Grand Ave. to Walnut where another sushi restaurant was situated. Originally, we wanted to try Jubei and see if it would redeem itself from our last visit, but they were closed. So Akasaka it was...

My girl loves the stuffed tomato sushi that some chefs prepare. It's usually raw scallops with some crab meat and sauce wrapped around with raw tuna or salmon. What do you know? Akasaka had stuffed tomatoes on their menu for a $15 dent on your bank account. This one was wrapped with salmon. I don't know how much most sushi places charge for their stuffed tomatoes, but that's a grip for 2 small pieces. I'm complaining about it mostly because it was the worst stuffed tomato I've had ever. It was super plain. There was no crab meat to give it some flavor. The salmon was kind of lacking in taste. The only way I'll get that again is if they charge $5 at the most for both pieces.

the worst (blandest) stuffed tomato we've had

Salmon being my favorite sushi, we ordered the 5 piece salmon sashimi ($8.95). At first I thought it was cool, but after a while it kind of just tasted like water. It was the same story as the stuffed tomato.

water sashimi

We decided to cut our losses and keep the money we had left. I don't know if it was an off day for Akasucky, but I've heard some bad reviews about this place from family and friends. Regardless, you gotta be consistent with that stuff or it'll make people like me never want to come here again. I never want to come here again.

Hwang Jae Korean BBQ/Denno Sushi - Diamond Bar

2008-05-31T09:15:00.001-07:00

Hwang Jae Korean BBQ/Denno Sushi
22640 Golden Springs Rd
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
Phone: (909) 861-9030
Type: Korean food / Japanese food / sushi
Map

Local Sushi Hopping Part 1:

My girlfriend and I wanted to eat at some Guyanese place in La Verne. Unluckily for us, it was closed for a few hours in between lunch and dinner. The next thing we decided to eat was sushi, but didn't know where to go. Lately, when that happens, we just decide to do some restaurant hopping. We'll order a little from this place, then head over to the next and order a little from there. The purpose is to have a little bit of different tastes that we're craving. This restaurant hopping journey though, consists of two different restaurants, but one type of food: Japanese.

After another half hour of deciding where to eat, we decided our first place should be Denno Sushi in Diamond Bar. I've been there 2 or 3 times already, so I knew what I was getting into. My girlfriend hadn't tried it yet. Denno is off the Grand Ave. exit on the 60 freeway. Go south one block and make a left at Golden Springs and it's on your right-hand side. The place is always empty every time I've been there-- especially on Sundays. The whole restaurant is actually 2 in 1. You got one room that's for sushi (Denno), and you have another section that's for Korean BBQ (Hwang Jae). I believe the place is Korean-run. It's a pretty nice place and I hate seeing these places empty. Was it empty for a reason? We'll see....

empty on Sundays-- usually. but nice inside. don't you think?

free miso soup (only one)

The prices here are okay. They have a good selection of special rolls at decent prices. Since we weren't planning to get full here, we had to be very selective on what we ordered. First up was the sushi. We got salmon ($3.50) and yellowtail ($3.95). The salmon was good. Not fishy. The yellowtail was okay as well. I don't think I'll ever be a good describer of tastes, so give up on me now. My girlfriend wasn't a fan of the sushi that much though.

good salmon. okay yellowtail. horrible reviewer.

Next up, we had the Denno Roll ($8.95). This one is topped with scallops with crab inside and what looks like the sweet eel sauce and masago (little eggs). It was good with a good amount of cream sauce and not a lot of rice.

we had to get the name-of-the-restaurant-roll

I think my friend sent us an email about baby lobsters or something and how you shouldn't eat them because of bacteria. Next up, we get the Lobster Volcano roll ($9.95). If a lobster roll is 10 bucks, I'm usually ordering it. This roll has the same story as the Denno roll. Lots of cream sauce and little rice. Verdict: good.

don't listen to emails and get the lobster roll

I've already given away that I'll go here again. After this meal, I'll still go here again. Probably the best time to hit this place up is Sundays when other sushi places might be closed in those in-between hours. They have a good selection of rolls. I forgot to mention that the service was good, but probably cuz we were the only ones in there. For future reference, when I don't have a need to mention how the service was, take it that there wasn't anything wrong with it. On to Akasaka!

Dono Sushi - West Covina

2008-05-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Dono Sushi
1230 Lakes Dr
West Covina, CA 91790
(626) 919-2750
Type: Japanese food / sushi / dining
Website
Map

Back in my hometown, we haven't covered all the sushi joints around. I think I've been to most if not all of them in my area, but I haven't reviewed them. I've been to Dono Sushi before, but it was a few years earlier. Dono is located in the same area as the Edwards Cinema, Cold Stone ice cream shop, and Fatburger. You can see it when you're driving on Glendora Ave.

Last time I was here, it might have been for my birthday so I got to order whatever I wanted. I remember ordering only the fancy rolls because I didn't eat sushi back then. I really liked the rolls but they were a little expensive. Maybe at $13 or $15.

This time around, it was just my girlfriend and I that ate there. We were on a budget, but we wanted Japanese food/sushi. Not really the best of places to go when you're worried about the price. Unless of course, you go for the lunch special, which is on Mondays - Fridays from 11am - 2pm. It's $1.25 for select sushis, $4.50 for 4 pieces of some sashimis, and $2.50 - $3 for some handrolls. The catch is that you have to buy a drink for each person. (On a side note, we went here for the lunch special a few weeks later, and the hand rolls were good-sized and not bad and the yellowtail and salmon sashimis were good for the price, but we wouldn't get it if the price wasn't hooked up)

So anyways, I couldn't really order the good rolls this time. I had to try to find the best bang for the buck-- the dish that would fill me up the most with the least amount of money. Usually if that's the case, I'll order the combo boxes or the bento boxes. I ended up getting the salmon bowl ($8) because it was cheaper than the combos. It was pretty good. I still think it's a little expensive though. It's just your usual teriyaki salmon on top of a thin bed of cabbage and some rice under.

salmon bowl. fills your stomach for less-- but not that much less.

Still in the cheapskate mind state, I found one of their cheaper rolls which was called the Mr. Kani roll. I don't remember what was in there. Looks like some kind of crunchy roll. Not that great. Maybe after doing the math at $6.95 for 6 pieces, I should've got a better full 8-piece roll for a little more. Oh well.

Mr. Kani roll. I wouldn't want this roll named after me.

My lady ordered the spicy sashimi bowl ($11.95). She and I were expecting a simple bowl of rice with sashimi on top. This thing came in a wok-sized bowl with all this filler. It had some shredded lettuce, daikon with tiny chopped pieces of sashimi. They give you a bowl of rice and spicy sauce on the side for you to mix in. It looks like they had salmon, maybe some yellowtail, tuna, shrimp, and octopus. Straight on the octopus. I felt sorry for her. It just looked like a huge salad with some raw seafood sprinkled here and there. She said it was okay, but she wouldn't get it again.

spicy sashimi bowl. a huge bowl of stuff, and you might find some seafood

Because this place is in my town, I would possibly go here again. I'll go either for the sushi lunch special or if I had more money to spend on the better rolls. Then again, if I had more money, I might be wise to consider a better place to eat. So maybe just for the lunch specials.

Zipangu - Costa Mesa

2008-05-14T13:35:00.001-07:00

Zipangu
2930 Bristol St # C
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 545-2800
Type: Japanese food / sushi / fusion
Website
Map

The view from the jungles of Habana

click here to read the first half of our restaurant-hopping journey

So we had our taste of Caribbean food (Cuban to be exact) at Habana. Next door a few steps away was a Japanese sushi/fusion restaurant called Zipangu. Because it's in the same hip shopping area as Habana, it also attracts the hip and cool. Zipangu has a modern design inside. That's all I'm gonna say about that. Ask a girl or a poet to describe the details of the place if you want. Inside isn't as loud as Habana. It's a little more laid back with a loungey feeling.

Over here, we didn't order very much. We ordered one roll and a few pieces of sashimi, but I think we ended up spending more here. One reason was cuz we ordered the Maine Crunch Roll $18. The description stated, "Maine lobster with Cajun tempura, avocado, asparagus, flying fish roe and paprika soy paper topped with tempura flakes and sweet eel sauce. I don't know about you, but that sounded really good. We weren't super hungry anymore, so were hunting for quality. This roll was one of the biggest fucking let-downs in my sushi career. I had to say the F word just to emphasize how disappointed we were. For $18, that better be one damn good roll. To us, it was just weak and you could almost say bland. Maybe our expectations were high and we already ate before, but good lord! Never again.

Maine Crunch Roll. Wack son. That lobster tail is empty-- which is a similar feeling I had after eating this.

In between eating the lobster rolls, we had some sashimi. We got the salmon ($7) and yellowtail ($9). Now these were good. Nice cuts and good color. Great taste. Too bad we wasted our money on the rip-off roll. We coulda got more sashimi.

good sashimi. shoulda got more.

We went to Zipangu another time after this, and it was good-- though pricey. This place is good. I can look past the Maine Crunch Roll cuz I ain't getting it again. The second time we came I forgot what we ate, but we were happy, although sad to spend so much. I don't mind coming back here again.

Habana - Costa Mesa

2008-05-14T13:00:00.001-07:00

Habana
2930 Bristol St # A110
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 556-0176
Type: Cuban food / restaurant
Map

Ditched work today to post this review. Not really. My car ain't healthy at the moment. So luckily for all y'all, you get to read about the stuff I ate a few months ago and look at the award-winning pictures I took.

Lately, my girlfriend and I have been doing some restaurant-hopping on occasion. It's like bar-hopping, but fatter. We'll order a little at one restaurant, then go straight to another and order a little there. We got hungry and couldn't decide whether to eat Caribbean-type food or sushi. So we decided to have a little of both. She took me to a place down the street from the South Coast Plaza Mall. It's a trendy shopping area with Urban Outfitters, some artsy stores selling different stuff, a cafe with a gypsy theme where the hip hang out to lounge and eat, and other places I didn't walk into. Now that I think about it, I've been frequenting these kind of places lately. Does that mean I'm turning into a yuppie or am I just cool and hip-- or neither still?

The first spot we hit up was a place called Habana. My girlfriend loves the sangria here. It's a Cuban restaurant that attracts young-ish, probably successful people. "Young-ish" being 30 something. (I'd like to consider myself "young" at the age of 25.) The place was pretty crowded. I forgot what day it was that we went, but we ended up eating outside cuz it was just too tight inside. We sat outside next to the parking lot (which sucks cuz it's so hard to get parking there). From there, I could see our next stop after this place, but I'll get into that on the next post.

The menu prices here aren't cheap. It ain't super expensive but I'm glad we didn't have a full meal here. We ordered the calamari fritas ($8) and the seared ahi carribean rub ($21). The menu isn't that extensive. If I had somewhat good memory, I could probably memorize the whole menu after two visits. We got some free bread that had some good butter/spread. I think I always rave about the free breads cuz I'm super hungry. This case isn't any different. I killed those carbs.

The calamari fritas were very good. The calamari was light and fluffy in a way and not too chewy. The sauce was like a salsa which was very very good. We killed that quickly and painlessly.

calamari fritas in the dark. really good.

The seared ahi caribbean rub wasn't bad. It came with garlic mashed potatoes and fried onion strings. The tuna was nice and rare. The sauce was a little tangy but not overwhelming. It wasn't filling if I remember correctly. Would I get it again? Hmmm. Maybe not.

seared ahi caribbean rub was coo

After all was said and eaten, we still weren't full. Although the calamari was good and the ahi was cool, the prices for the main meals were kind of high. If I got money to spend, cool, I'll go here if I can't think of anywhere else. If I don't, I'd rather not hit this place up. "Well that's an obvious answer," you might be thinking. But even if I'm broke-ish, I'll still hit up a sushi restaurant and spend $20-$30 per head for my meal. At the moment, I'm in the red financially, so I won't be coming back here soon. On to the next restaurant next door.....

Mi Piace - Pasadena

2008-05-08T20:37:00.001-07:00

Mi Piace
25 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 795-3131
Type: Italian food / dining / bakery
Website
Map

It was getting a little late at night one day in Pasadena. When I say late here, I don't mean 12 midnight or later. I mean 9 something or 10. My girl and I were having trouble finding a place to eat besides Wokcano. I hadn't updated Club N' Grub for the Pasadena area that much, so we had to drive up and down Colorado Blvd. We passed Mi Piace, but I'm not a huge fan of Italian food, so we considered it a backup if we didn't find anything else. We didn't find anything else.

Fug it. Mi Piace it is. I don't know why I don't like Italian food that much. It's cool, but I never crave it. For me it's sushi, Peruvian, Indian, Caribbean, or Mexican. This place is a little pricey for me-- but I make shit paychecks. It's a trendy spot with outside dining for yuppies. Actually that whole area of Pasadena is largely made of yuppies. Maybe even the whole city itself is. But who am I to judge? My girlfriend's a yuppie. j/k. Inside you'll listen to some dance music while you look at the modern-ish design.

I don't remember much about the menu. Just that if you don't know Italian you better read the descriptions or ask. Oh, if you're hungry and you want something to eat right away, you can order free bread. Free bread is always good when you're hungry or if you don't wanna eat a lot from the menu.

the good things in life are free

For the appetizer we got the torre di tonno ($14.95) which is an ahi tuna tower made with wonton chips and other stuff. I don't know. It was good but I've had similar at other places.

tuna tower

My notes say I ordered the gnocchi di spinaci e ricotta salata. I don't think that was it. I just know I had some juicy salmon with steamed broccoli. The broccoli was good. I think it was cooked with some kind of sauce. Although it was good, I had better salmon at Alpenrose and The Terrace Pointe Cafe at the Wynn. I think it was expensive too.

My girlfriend got the pappardelle con scamponi e gamberi ($19.50). It's a pasta dish with flat, wide noodles with prawns and two large shrimps. Also some celery and carrot slices were included in the mix. The cream sauce was a little sweet for her taste, but I think it was cool with me. It looks small but it could get you full. She said she wouldn't get it again.

pappardelle con scamponi e gamberi. look it up son.

For Italian food lovers, you'll probably like this place if the cost doesn't matter too much. It's not super duper expensive, but like I said, I don't like Italian food that much. It was cool (my homie Marlon hates when I say that) but I would prefer anything else that's cheaper than this place. I would eat sushi that's more expensive than this any day-- when I can afford it.

Sushi Cruise - Claremont

2008-05-04T04:37:00.001-07:00

Sushi Cruise
962 W Foothill Blvd
Claremont, CA 91711
(909) 398-4415
Type: sushi / japanese food / all-you-can-eat
Map

I heard my friends talking about going to some all-you-can-eat sushi place. They said it was fun with $1 sake shots, and they were flirting with the waitress and all that. How was I left out of this trip? Next time they went, I made sure I was with there.

The place they went to was called Sushi Cruise in the city of Claremont near Upland and the 210 freeway. The place outside looks like a big boat-- hence the name. I was pretty excited and hungry when we got there. If you want the all-you-can-eat deal, fork over $24.95 plus tax, drinks, and other stuff. The way it works is that you get 3 rounds of ordering. You can order as much as you want in any single round but you gotta finish it, or do a great job of hiding it. The items in the deal aren't all the items they have on their full menu. I wanted some rolls that weren't part of it, but oh well.

can you read it?

Aight. So good thing the dynamite appetizer is on the list. That one wasn't bad. I ordered two by the end of the night.

dynamite appetizer.

The rainbow roll was not great. I think the hard rice killed it. It wasn't like uncooked-rice-hard. But it was noticeable for a sushi roll fanatic like myself. By the way, I just noticed I haven't been explaining what the rolls consist of. Tough luck. I'm too lazy to explain every single time. Go to Wikipedia and look it up.

Rainbow Roll. No thank you.

The green mussels were whatevers. I had better at Joe's Sushi in Lakewood.

green mussels.

The Pizza Roll had baked scallops and mayo on top of a California Roll. Rice was supbar again. That was the theme for the rolls and sushi for the night. I wasn't feeling it. It looked really good when it came to the table, but forget about it.

Pizza Roll??? looks can be deceiving

The spider roll was good. I don't know if the picture below is it, but it was cool. I think this one missed the hard rice batch.

could be the Spider Roll

I ordered the usual three sushis: salmon, yellowtail, and albacore. They were decent, but again, the rice was just messing up the flow of things.

salmon, albacore, and yellowtail sushis

The Volcano Roll sounded good. I usually order that roll wherever I go. It's either that or Dynamite Rolls, or both. This one I gave an "eh" rating. It was just not close to what I expected or wanted. Plus, I had to eat most of it cuz nobody wanted any more-- which made me hate it even more.

from front to back: Volcano Roll? Spider Roll, 2 hand rolls, my friend's elbow. bad manners Bub.

So that's all the pics I took. I think I got some miso soup too. As for the drinking, the sake shots or bombs are only a dollar or two during their Happy Hours which you'll have to call them for. I think we had to pay full price for them this time.

This place was probably one of the not-so-great all-you-can-eat sushi places I've been to. It's on par with one I had in Fountain Valley or something off Magnolia and the 405. I found the quality of most of their stuff 2nd rate. The rice made it worse, but that can be overlooked. If you're not picky I guess it's a cool spot. I definitely wouldn't want to come here only to eat. So the next time my friends are going to Sushi Cruise to hang out, will I be there? Hmmm. Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know. We'll see.

Taco Factory - Walnut

2008-04-26T10:30:00.001-07:00

Taco Factory
368 N Lemon Ave
Walnut, CA 91789
(909) 595-8331
Type: Mexican food / restaurant
Website
Map

I went here with my girl to eat a quick bite. We thought we were gonna eat somewhere else for a full meal later, but we didn't. I should've ordered more here. Anyways, Taco Factory in Walnut used to be located somewhere else-- but in the same plaza. Now it's a lot bigger and nicer than the old spot. It's located on the corner of La Puente and Lemon in the same plaza as Vons and Blockbuster.

bigger and nicer than before

All we got was one mahi mahi burrito ($5.73). It comes unwrapped so you can put your sauces and stuff in there from the salsa bar. Then you ask them to wrap it for you when you're all done. The burrito was decent sized, although I don't think it was humongous. I shoulda put my hand next to it in the picture for a comparison. Anyways, the burrito was good. Fresh-tasting.

boring picture of a burrito

I would go here again another time. It's just that there's so many Mexican restaurants around, I have to be in the area to come back here. The spot for me right now is still Osuna's with their lobster burritos.

Venni Mac's M&M Soul Food Restaurant - Lakewood

2008-04-24T21:27:00.001-07:00

Venni Mac's M&M Soul Food Restaurant
2500 Carson St
Lakewood, CA 90712
(562) 496-2077
Type: Soul food
Website
Map

Hours:
Mon-Sun 8:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

I don't eat soul food that often. I'm still not exactly sure what it is. I thought this was the first place I tried soul food, but then I heard Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles also fit that category-- and I've eaten there a few times back in the day. Anyways, my co-worker introduced me to Venni Mac's M&M Soul Food Restaurant also known as just M&Ms for short. She brought some in for lunch one day. I wasn't interested in the chicken she got, although that's one of their main dishes. She let me try the sides her meal came with. There was some cornbread, "greens", and yams. I tried all three and all three were bomb. I never liked cornbread before, but this was nice. The collard greens are cooked with chicken, so I didn't try much of it. The yams were sweet, which I imagined would go great with some fried/salty entree.

After that day, I was fiending for some soul food from that place. I finally couldn't stand it, and I told my girl, "We're gonna eat some soul food after work." We ordered the red snapper meal and some fried oysters. I thought it was bomb. I was glad I had some leftovers. My girl thought it was good at first, but after she said it was too salty. She always does that. Kind of a good thing though, cuz she let me have all the leftovers for the next day.

The next time I had M&M's, my co-worker got a new job and she wanted to celebrate by buying me some food there. I was like, "I was gonna pay for it, but aight." I got the same damn meal. Some fried red snapper for me please. They have some lunch special where you get one entree and 2 sides for $9.99. It comes with cornbread and a drink already. For the sides, I got some yams and mac n' cheese. Bomb. As always, they give you a good amount, so..... I'm trying to remember if I finished it. If I didn't finish it, there surely wasn't much left.

makes your soul happy, but not necessarily your body. all good though.

I would definitely go back here. I love their sides. The main entrees were always bomb. My co-worker said she likes it better than Roscoe's. As long as I'm working nearby, I'm hitting this place up again.

The Buffet at the Wynn - Las Vegas, NV

2008-04-20T10:50:00.001-07:00

The Buffet (at the Wynn)
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 770-9966
Type: American dining / buffet
Website
Map

I'll finish off my Vegas trip reviews here. The last place we ate was The Buffet at the Wynn. We wouldn't have eaten here if they weren't having a gambling special. The deal was you get a player's card, and when you get 50 points on the card, you get two complimentary buffets at The Buffet. I think if you gamble 3 dollars, you get one point. Something like that. The price per person might have been $35 - $50 since it was a holiday weekend.

So we were like, "Tight. Let's do this. " My girl got us our points quickly and we made our way there. When we got there, there was an hour and a half wait to get seated. You can't just put your name down either, and come back later. You gotta wait in line for this bitch like you do at Knott's Berry Farm to ride the log ride or something (that's one of my favorite rides for some reason).

So after the long ass wait, there was a little complication with the player's cards, and we had to go back to the card center and get the redemptions there. We got to cut in line at least when we got back.

After we got our seats, we made our way straight to the crab legs. What do we have here? Another freakin line! Probably 15 - 20 people waiting for the crabs. I ain't about to wait right now. I need to eat. So I skip the crabs for now. I get some other stuff which I don't remember. All I remember was everything was pretty good. My girl liked all her stuff, and I liked all mine. We eventually waited in line for the crabs when we weren't starving anymore.

I forgot to take a picture of Crab Leg Mountain til I was done.

The Buffet at the Wynn is waaaay better than Mandalay Bay's in every aspect besides price. For me, I'll spend the money to eat here. I wouldn't mind going back here with friends, but I personally wouldn't request it if I had the choice. I think I'm kind of done with buffets. I'll try the Green Valley Ranch one, but after that, I stick to regular places.

Bayside at the Mandalay Bay - Las Vegas, NV

2008-04-20T10:22:00.001-07:00

Bayside - Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(877) 632-7800
Type: buffet / American food
Website
Map

Freakin lazy man! I got a backlog of about 25 restaurants I still have to review and it's hard to get myself to do one a week! It's not like I'm a super busy guy either. Alright. Time to man up and do this. I'll make these quick cuz I wanna mention some restauraunts that I've been wanting to put up.

So I was still in Vegas and it was getting late again. After Sumo Sushi, standards are pretty damn high. I wanted to go to the Green Valley Ranch Buffet in Henderson, but we called and they said they charge for crab legs. What the hell is that? I think we called the wrong place cuz I told my friends who recommended it, and they're like, "What the eff? Nah. Wrong place." Supposedly that place got the bombest crab legs. We were kind of at the south end of the strip, so we called Mandalay Bay to see if they had a buffet with crab legs. They did, so we went. No shopping around that time cuz things were closing and we were hungry.

The place was inside next to the casino. Since it was a holiday that weekend, the price per head was $26.99. I got two, but they don't count the one down below (the bigger one). haha. Now that I said that you know it ain't big. So anyways, I'm not gonna build any suspense and I'm just gonna say this place was wack for me. If you're vegetarian or you just eat seafood, forget this place. There's just not much you can get, and whatever you can get, ain't that great. My family thought it was okay, but not great.

some freakin rice, salmon, and a slice of meat. It's been a while and I don't know the name of meats anymore.

freakin white rice and some steak

freakin crab legs already cut in half

some freakin shrimp cocktail

custom made pasta. The pasta chef was on something or something. He just started talking to us about people stealing food, then he said he's seen a lot of things, then some other stuff, and more random stuff. We didn't know how to politely escape, so we stood there trying to listen to him for about 10 minutes. It was some Asian-looking guy. He wasn't that fat, but not fit. If you read this, and you know who you are.... WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT????!!!!!!!

looks like this was mine. some corn (gotta have the corn for me), mac n cheese, some fish, and maybe there's fried oysters there. The fried oysters were alright. I think that thing in the back is fish.

broccoli and cheese soup?

dry ass steamed crab legs. maybe it was cuz it was late. ....but still

I've eaten here before and that's when I was pure vegetarian. This post is my reminder to myself not to eat here again. Give it for free and of course I'll go. When I say free, I don't mean that somebody else pays for it, cuz that's just a waste of gambling money. Comps, that cool.

Sumo Sushi Bar - Henderson, NV

2008-04-02T20:11:00.001-07:00

Sumo Sushi Bar
2861 N Green Valley Pkwy
Henderson, NV 89014
(702) 451-7866
Type: Japanese food / sushi / restaurant
Map

Second day in Vegas and you know I gotta have some sushi. I tried calling my good friend who lives there to see what's some good spots, but he didn't answer his phone. So I had to take matters into my own hands and use the slow ass internet on my slow ass phone. After some researching and debating, I decide the family should go to Sumo. It's in a city called Henderson which is next to Vegas. I think the drive was maybe 10 to 15 miles from the strip. This better be worth it.

I read that this place was where many of the locals go. If that's the case, it should be decent. Sumo is located in a shopping plaza with a Stater Bros. or some kind of large grocery store. It looks like any run of the mill sushi bar in a strip mall. For those in the know though, there's a little bit more to it than that.

The inside of the place has a little bit of a Japanese theme to it. Japanese partitions and those lights with the Japanese characters are scattered here and there. Actually, I might just be imagining things cuz I'm not totally sure how the place was decorated. I know there was an aquarium for sure.

Their menu is what I remember. This place is a sushi roll lover's dream. There's soooo many special rolls that I just took pictures of some of the menu items instead of having to describe them. Fortunately and unfortunately, I didn't pay so I don't know the prices of the items. They didn't have them on the picture menus. I'm not gonna go into too much detail about the food we ordered. All I'm gonna say is that 95% of the stuff we got was really good.

The Cherry Blossom was good. There was crunchy soft shell crab inside the ball of avocados. I probably wouldn't order it again though. I thought it was a roll, but it's one of those special appetizers.

Cherry Blossom

This next item looks like a rainbow roll with a ponzu sauce or something. I think it was good too.

rainbow roll?

My sister ordered the Tuna Karai sashimi. This was really good. It's like the hawaiian poke, but this one's spicy. My sister liked it so much that she ordered another one.

Tuna Karai sashimi(2)

This looks like a volcano roll. Sorry. I was just too busy grubbing that I didn't even want to take notes. I took notes at the end after I was full and sleepy from all the bomb food.

Volcano Roll?

I don't think we ordered this

this one was eh

I think this last one was the stuffed tomato. It's raw salmon wrapped around some crab meat and scallops. It was spicy but very good. It was one of the first things to arrive at the table, and the first to be finished. We couldn't help it.

stuffed tomato without the tomato

we ordered this, but it never came. all good. we were full anyways

My mom also got the teriyaki salmon meal cuz she's not really into all these rolls. I tried some of the dish, and it was good fish. I was also hungry at the time. After all the food arrived and I started getting full, the food was still tasty. That's when you know something is really good. If you don't need anymore but it still "forces" you to keep eating. Holy crap. I just realized how much stuff we ordered, but we didn't need any doggy bags. Fat asses!

The next time I'm in Vegas, I'm likely to hit up this spot if we can't think of anything else. Sumo, in my humble opinion was a very great find. We got lucky and hit gold here. I wish I had that luck at the Bingo games we went to. Oh shut up. Bingo is cheap gambling, okay.

Terrace Pointe Cafe - Las Vegas

2008-03-29T13:30:00.001-07:00

Terrace Pointe Cafe (at the Wynn)
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 770-9966
Type: American dining / restaurant
Website
Map

Open 24 Hours/7 days a week

Took a Vegas trip for my birthday with my family and girl. There's pretty much one main reason why I like going to Vegas: the food. The gambling and all the other stuff is cool too, but Vegas is known for the top chefs they recruit from around the world. My dad got a free room at the Wynn for that weekend. The regular rooms were cool, but I was expecting more from them. I like the rooms at the Rio cuz I heard they're all suites and they're pretty big.

So we got to Vegas pretty late on Friday night. Even though it's Vegas, many of the stores and restuarants are closed by 12 midnight, so we had to find a place to eat that still had the stoves burning. We were all pretty tired and lazy from the drive there, so we found a place inside the Wynn itself. The place is called Terrace Pointe Cafe. It's open 24 hours. Even at 1 in the morning, we still had to wait a few minutes to get our table. The decor inside the place is I'm guessing French or Italian-themed. I have no idea. I just know there was a lot of detail put everywhere, there were high ceilings, big spaces, and it was nice.

From 10pm - 6am, they serve a limited menu. The prices aren't that cheap either. This ain't no Denny's for sure. I'm guessing this place would be 2 or 3 dollar signs at Citysearch. Then again, this is the Wynn. There's a Ferrari/Maserati dealership inside the hotel!

After deciding what we wanted, we ordered our food. Our waitress was cool, but the food took pretty damn long to arrive. We're patient people, so when we have to ask about the status of our meals, you know you done effed up.

So anyways, my dad didn't know what he wanted, so the waitress told him to get the pasta penne ($14). This came in a bowl with some large shrimps and pesto sauce. It was really good. So good, the next day we ordered the same dish.

pasta penne in pesto sauce with shrimps

Once I saw my menu item, I knew I was ordering it. I got the teriyaki glazed Scottish salmon at a whopping $23! I didn't know what to expect. Even though it's the Wynn, it's a 24 hour joint. How good can it be? ...pretty damn good! It's a very close second to the salmon I got at Alpenrose in Mammoth Lakes. Now I know why they took so long. You can't rush some great foods. The fish was cooked nicely, the teriyaki sauce was perfect. The rice was, rice. The veggies were a nice touch. I'd get that again if I won some money at the slot machine.

second to one teriyaki glazed Scottish Salmon

My girlfriend for some reason didn't eat much. All she wanted was the French onion soup ($9). This thing was so thick full of cheese. She liked it. It was all gooey and everything. It was good she said. I don't know what French onion soup is really supposed to taste like, but that was pretty good. I myself wouldn't really get that if I had the choice though.

cheesy French onion soup

I didn't get a picture of the N.Y. Steak ($30) my mom ordered. I also didn't taste it. She said it was good, so it must have been okay. I think she knows steak pretty well so she got some credibility.

If it's late, late night, and you're looking for some fine dining, Terrace Pointe Cafe may be the right spot for you. The quality of all the food we got was very good. Even if it's not late night, this may still be a good place to eat. I personally would only want to go here at night cuz there's so much more out there in the day time. For some of us, it might be helpful to get lucky at the craps table right before you go so you can eat whatever your heart desires. Good luck!

Taquisa - West Covina

2008-03-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

Taquisa
1001 E. Amar Rd.
West Covina, CA 91792
626-336-7987
Type: Mexican food
Map

I went to Taquisa because it just opened up near my house. It's about 5 minutes walking distance but my lazy ass drove. Taquisa is a Mexican food place. The inside is about as bare you can get in terms of design. There's maybe a painting or a few pictures up on the walls excluding their menu. My girlfriend and I didn't order much from there cuz we were gonna go eat somewhere else in a couple hours. We just wanted something to snack on.

they also serve juice here

As a semi-vegetarian, I couldn't find many things on the menu for me. There's fish tacos (which are $0.99 on Tuesdays-- I believe), cheese enchiladas, huevos rancheros, and possibly a veggie burrito. We ended up ordering a fish taco and a cheese quesadilla. I don't remember what each cost, but the total was $5.56; the bulk of the price belonging to the quesadilla. Prices aren't that bad here. Nothing special though.

The cheese quesadilla was a good size. As you can see, they weren't sheisty with the guacamole. They also put some pico de gallo or some kind of salsa on top. It was also sprinkled with a few tortilla chips. The taste was okay. Like the prices, nothing special. Not horrible, but not great. I probably wouldn't get that again if I came here.

looks like Perez Hilton tampered with my food

The fish taco also came with more than enough guacamole. Chips and salsa were on the side. I remember commenting that they tasted different from most of the fish tacos I've tasted. It wasn't that bad. Remember, they have a special for dollar fish tacos on Tuesday. Call them to make sure-- if that's why you wanna eat there.

fish taco

Taquisa will likely get my business again just for proximity's sake. It's so close that I'll eventually go there some time. There's another Mexican restaurant in the same plaza called Osuna's (not to be confused with the Osuna's in Walnut which is far superior IMO). I've been there a couple times, and I just don't wanna go there again. I only tried their cheese enchiladas, so that's where my judgement is coming from. So Taquisa, if you stay open for business for a while, you'll see me again. Lucky mothers.

***Updated 5/18/08
I went here again and ordered a fish burrito ($4.95?) and a cheese quesadilla. I'm not ordering the quesadilla again, but the fish burrito was a sort of pleasant surprise. It was pretty damn big. The taste was cool, but the size was the big plus here. I'll definitely get the fish burrito again. I don't know if that's how their other burritos are though.

JJ Cafe - Monterey Park

2008-03-21T22:50:00.001-07:00

JJ Cafe
447 W Garvey Ave # 102
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 280-3833
Type: Chinese food / restaurant
Map

Finally back staying in West Covina, in the San Gabriel Valley. The SGV isn't SGV without Monterey Park. I don't know too much about the city, but I do know there's a lot of Asian businesses-- specifically Chinese. For some reason, it seems like the Chinese areas have many restaurants that stay open til late night. I know Rowland Heights has some places, along with El Monte, Alhambra, and of course, Monterey Park. Maybe they know that the youth stay out late partying all the time and they wanna make sure they got somewhere to balance out their alcohol-filled stomachs.

JJ Cafe is one of these restaurants. They're open from 7am - 4am 7 days a week. I think it was a Thursday night when my friends and I decided to hit this place up. I've never been, so I wanted to try it. We aren't exactly the youth in this country (we're mostly in our mid twenties) but we ain't old either. Although most of JJ Cafe's late night customers I would presume, are party/club-goers, we just came from home hanging out, fixing my friend's car.

We got there at about 12 something at night, just before the after-club rush. If you don't want to deal with drunk, rowdy, and sometimes hostile fools, I'd suggest you come earlier than 12 midnight. The place wasn't packed, but there was a good amount of people there already. Maybe those guys got kicked out of the clubs or something. The restaurant is bright with somewhat modern design. The place has a "C" rating on their window. I don't really care. I'm hungry. And I don't usually care even if I wasn't.

Looking at their menu, it reminded me of Maxim Cafe's in Rowland Heights. Once I noticed the similarities, I already knew I was getting the fish porridge. Yeah, yeah. Say what you want. I know fish porridge isn't the coolest thing to order, but it's nice, simple, and filling. My friends were clowning on me once they heard me tell the waiter what I wanted. After everyone ordered their food we were served some free vegetable soup. I don't think I ate it all.

free soup is always cool even if it ain't great.

One of my friends ordered the Sizzling Seafood Udon ($8.00). She ordered that cuz she said it was technically Friday already and she couldn't eat meat. My other friends didn't go by that rule. The seafood udon came in a sizzling hot plate like the ones they have at Korean BBQ places. They gave a good amount of food. She said it was alright.

technically it's Friday, so sizzling seafood udon

Ah yes. My porridge came quickly. This one seemed a little smaller than the one at Maxim. What can you do? So I get to pouring the soy sauce and tasting, and pouring and tasting til it's perfect. I wouldn't say it's perfect at all. There was probably some ingredient that was different from this one, from Maxim's. Maxim's is better.

average fish porridge.

My other friends ordered some deep fried wontons. I think they liked it.

deep fried wontons

Most of my friends ordered the Mix Grill ($11.00). Maybe this is what most people in general order here. It just comes with all these meats. I'm guessing there's pork chops, steak, chicken, and bacon. along with steamed veggies. You can choose what sauce you want. I think there's mushroom sauce, some kind of garlic sauce, and I don't know the other one. My friends really liked it. One of the sauces tasted better though. I don't think it was the one with mushroom though.

Mix Grill plate. One way trip to Heart Attack with a stop-over in Obese City.

I would not go out of my way to go here from West Covina just to eat. For people who live around there, JJ Cafe might be a good spot, but I suspect there's a lot better places you can choose from when everything else is open. JJ Cafe does have very decent food for a place open til 4 in the morning. I'd go after a long night of wall-flowering at the local clubs any time.

Mosun (Club M) - Laguna Beach

2008-03-18T22:35:00.001-07:00

Mosun / Club M
680 S Pacific Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Phone: (949) 497-5646
Type: Japanese food / sushi / restaurant / club
Website
Map

This particular night was kind of my last night for a while in the land of Botox and Breast augmentations (I saw a lot of ads in the local papers). So I wanted to eat something pretty darn good. We researched some possible spots for some good sushi-- preferably with a happy hour or specials. The two we decided between was Mosun in Laguna Beach, and Mahe in Sunset Beach (or Seal Beach). Mosun had a deal where on Wednesdays O.C. locals get 50% off all menu items. Mahe on the other hand has something on Wednesdays where it's all you can eat for $25. Hmmm... Those are some pretty damn good deals. I think Mosun was closer, so we decided on that.

Mosun is on PCH, and it's very easy to miss if you don't know what it looks like. It looks just like a regular place with no fancy decorations outside. Parking is a mother too. They don't have their own parking lot that I know of. Make sure you come kind of early if you don't wanna search for a spot.

Inside is like a night club/lounge. It's dark with nice decorations. They had some house-type clubbing music playing. We got seated quickly. The place isn't that intimate cuz there's a lot of people and there's a bar where a lot of people just hang out.

The prices of the items aren't cheap, but it's not that expensive for a sushi place either. I would've probably gone to a place like this even without the deal, but the half off thing really helps. By the way, you O.C. locals gotta show your driver's license to get the deal-- and the person paying is the only one that has to be from O.C.

Note: The prices I mention here are before the 50% discount.

So we started with some appetizers. The crispy lobster wonton ($11.75) sounded good. When it came, it looked nice, but the taste was whatevers. Only 5 pieces?! When something is $12 and it comes with only 5 pieces, it better be pretty bomb. Not this one. It was just okay.

crispy lobster wonton for about $2.40 each.

Next up was the Albacore Special with crispy onions and ponzu sauce ($12.50). In my relatively short endeavor into the sushi/rolls world, I've become a little wary of ponzu sauce. I don't like the tanginess. This one was a breath of fresh air. I was expecting the sauce to make my taste buds cringe once it touched my tongue, but they became instant friends. I would definitely order that again.

Albacore Special with (thank god) not too tangy ponzu sauce

For the neutralizers, we got the salmon sashimi ($9) and the yellowtail sashimi ($10). Bomb. The taste was fresh and the pieces were thinly sliced.

salmon & yellowtail sashimi

Hand rolls (HR) are a beautiful thing (when they taste good) cuz you're not stuck with 6-8 pieces of a roll. If it doesn't taste good, oh well, it was only a few bucks. To me, they're like samplers. If you like them and you're still hungry, get the cut roll version, or another hand roll. We decided to try the Crunchy HR($4), Spicy Scallop HR ($5), and Soft Shell Crab HR ($6). Those are relatively expensive for hand rolls, but not in actuality on Wednesdays! All of them were good. No complaints about any of em. They were good enough that we ordered two more. I think it was the... I forgot.

Crunchy HR, Spicy Scallop HR, and Soft Shell Crab HR

Then came our special cut rolls. First thing was the Kamikaze Roll ($11.75). It has crab meat and spicy tuna topped with seared salmon and limes. *sigh* I was hoping it was gonna be good, but I wasn't feeling it at all. My first bite, I ate it with the lime (even the skin) and I knew we made a mistake in ordering it. It reminded me of Mexican food. I love Mexican food, but this thing just wasn't right. There was too much rice and stuff, and I just wasn't having it. We barely finished it.

Kamikaze Roll. I'll pass next time.

Last up was the Hurricane Roll ($11.75). It was good. It had some raw salmon on top with crunchy flakes and some sweet sauce.

Hurricane Roll. cool

I think the best thing that night was the Albacore Special. Mostly everything was good. There's other things I wanna try next time. I would definitely come back here-- on a Wednesday. The service was cool. Best part: Total bill $103.65; bill after discount: $51.81. Cha-ching!!!

Yotopia - Costa Mesa

2008-03-17T01:40:00.001-07:00

Yotopia
3033 Bristol Ste R.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 432-8897
Type: frozen yogurt / dessert
Website
Map

So right after Hashigo, we go to this frozen yogurt shop called Yotopia. We went to Yogurtland a few days before, so we'd see how this place stacked up. Sorry to say it Yotopia, but you got your work cut out for you. When you walk in, the place seemed a little dimmer than Pinkberry's and Yogurtland, and it seemed like they tried to design the place to be similar to those places. They fell a little short on that. Even I noticed and my eyes suck. But you can't judge on looks alone.

The yogurt choices they have weren't that great. If you think 3 different types of flavors is enough variety, this place might be cool for you. All of them were tart flavors. We got the green tea just to try something different. I think the other choices weren't that great, so we didn't feel like we were losing anything.

On to the toppings. "Are there any mochi balls?" "No. Sorry." Damn. My favorite yogurt topping. Non-existent. Eff it. Just give me Cap N' Crunch and some Oreos and let me get outta here (I didn't actually say that). The total was maybe $3 or $4 something. No cash on either of us, so I whip out the card. "Oh, sorry. There's a $5 min charge for credit/debit cards." Aye-yay-yay. "Alright gimme some blueberries." The total came to $5.12.

I don't know. The taste was whatevers to me. I need the mochi balls man. Without it, it's just some sour dessert. Sorry for the bad picture. I just wanted to take it and get it over with.

there's no hope with Yotop(ia)

So I'm not going there again if I have a choice. It's probably not bad for some people. I guess Yogurtland just spoiled me. The guy that helped us with our order was cool, so the service wasn't bad. It's just a sad fact that there's a place superior to it in almost every aspect. Their only advantage I would say is that they're located not near any Yogurtland or Pinkberry. Sorry Yotopia. I wish you well.

Hashigo Tofu - Costa Mesa

2008-03-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hashigo Korean Kitchen
3033 Bristol St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 557-4911
Type: Korean food / tofu / restaurant
Map

redundant info.

Heard good reviews about this place on the internet. It's located kind of near the South Coast Plaza, but closer to the Active Rideshop and Urban Outfitters stores. If you don't know where those are at, then I can't really explain how to get there. I didn't drive and I'm not familiar with that area too much. Hashigo is in a small shopping plaza right next to an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) store and a sushi place I believe.

For the non-observant, we got there at night. The place wasn't packed but there were enough people in there that you weren't really worried if the place was gonna suck. It was pretty dark inside. Almost like a club or lounge kind of lighting. The place is kind of small with modern Asian fusion-looking design. There looked like a bar at the end of the restaurant.

We got seated right away and looking at their menu, I noticed it's different from most of the other tofu spots we've been to. This place serves more than the usual tofu soups, bbq short ribs, and bulgogi. If I can recall correctly, they had some sushi items. They also had other stuff which I always forget or are too lazy to jot down in my notes. Since we came here for tofu, that's just what we ordered.

I got the seafood tofu ($8.95) which comes with the usual shrimps, clams, and oysters. My girlfriend got the-- I forgot. It's mostly all the same anyways. All the soups are the same price. Before we got the soup though, comes the moment of truth. The maker or breaker of tofu restaurants for me. The sides i.e., banchan. So first comes the pickled cucumbers and sweetened potatoes. And then come the.... and then come the.... ahem... and then come the!!! What the freak man?! That's it? Two sides? I was so shocked and appalled. This was not gonna be a good meal for me I thought. Oh well. Just gotta make due with what you got. So we dug into the measly sides, and they actually weren't bad. The pickled cucumbers weren't too tangy and sour. The sweetened potatoes tasted just right. The two went together nicely.

pickled cucumbers and potatoes... and that's it.

The soups came soon after the sides. A pleasant surprise was that the soup pot/bowl seemed bigger than most other places. Another point for Hashigo. It tasted like most other good tofu places so that's a good thing. Like I said before, most tofu spots usually know how to make their soups consistent. They all taste pretty similar to me. You gotta be having an off day or you got rotten ingredients to have bad tofu. That's just me though.

larger than most tofu soup portion?

So I was disappointed in the amount of sides we got. Luckily for them-- and us, the two sides we got were perfect compliments to the soup. My girl said she wouldn't want to go here again. I say it's better than BCD and I wouldn't mind going here if I'm in the neighborhood. It's a good place to go if you're fiending for some soon tofu and your companions want something else. They got other options available at Hashigo for them. For me, I'll stick with the tofu here.

Curry House - Irvine

2008-03-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

Curry House
14407 Culver Dr
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 654-1449
Type: Japanese curry / restaurant
Website
Map

Stillll in the OC... Man I'm getting tired of writing about this place. Just kidding. I like it here. Irvine has a lot of food places-- that is, until 10pm. Then you gotta either know your stuff, or do some research. Is there some kind of zoning law that makes most restaurants close at a certain time, or does everybody in Orange County just sleep freakin early?

So I got this gift card again. This time, it's for the Curry House restaurants. They have a few branches around Southern Cali. The first one I went to was in Torrance. They have one near my area in Rowland Heights. I can't really say what stores the one in Irvine is near. I forgot. I know there was a Wendy's across the street. For some reason, I still can't find my way around Irvine. I think it's because all the streets and plazas look the same. I'm a guy, so I use landmarks for directions.

We got to the Curry House kind of late, but there were still some people in there, so we didn't feel rushed. It's been a while since I've been here, and that was when I didn't even eat seafood. I was vegan for a few months, then I slowly started back-sliding back to other foods. I remember I ate the vegetarian spaghetti my first time there. I don't remember if I liked it. I think it was okay. This time I wanted something with shrimp at least. I decided on the deluxe shrimp plate ($10.65). It came 3 breaded shrimps, and rice pilaf wrapped in egg, with the signature curry sauce on the side. On a side note, I forgot to mention that Curry House is owned by House Foods America Corp. They make household foods you can buy at Asian supermarkets like tofu and of course, curry. I used to eat the curry so much til I got tired of it. I guess eating it at a restaurant is different. So yeah. The shrimp plate... It was good. The sauce was real good. I wish they put more. I don't think I got full off of it though. I mean 3 shrimps? ...please. But it's something I wouldn't mind getting again.

shrimp deluxe was cool

I forgot about the calamari and shrimp($8.50) we ordered for an appetizer. The calamari was okay. The batter came off really easily. I had to eat the batter separately from the actual squid. The fried shrimp was good. The amount they gave was just right. The sauce it came with made everything just taste better. I forgot what it was though. My notes aren't helping me much.

shrimp and calamari with yummy sauce

My girlfriend didn't know what to order so she asked for a suggestion from our waitress. She suggested the seafood tofu fetuccini ($10+). Oh man. Has she actually tasted it? That thing was pretty bland. Blah! Salt couldn't even save it. It looks 30 times better than it tasted. My poor baby's always trying new stuff and gets stuck with the wack grub, while I'm there chowing down on some fried shrimp and curry sauce-covered rice pilaf. Of course I offered to split my dish with her, but she wanted me to enjoy my meal. Thanks honey. She didn't finish hers, and I'm not sure if she ended up finishing it at all. Did you?

10 dollars of blandness

What's the verdict? The calamari was good. My food was good. The seafood pasta sucked. Service was good. They were very nice there. Maybe the pasta sucked just that one time. Oh well. No matter. I'm going here again for sure. A place doesn't need to be that great for me to go to if I have another gift card in hand. Thanks Mommy!

China Garden - Irvine

2008-03-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

China Garden
14825 Jeffrey Rd
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 653-9988
Type: Chinese restaurant / dim sum
Map

Still in the OC. My girl wanted some dim sum, and although I'm not a fan of it myself, I agreed. I told her to find one on the internet, and she found China Garden. We went during lunch time, so it was a little busy. Most of the tables were occupied, but we got seated next to the aquarium. I'm not talking about the happy-looking, decorated, well-lit aquariums. You know the one I'm talking about. The one where the water's not too clear. The crabs or lobsters or what have you, look like they might either be sleeping or dead. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little. It's just that I feel bad for them, even though I'll end up eating them later. They gotta just sit there and wait til it's their turn. Have mercy on your souls.

After feeling bad for a little, we start getting offers from the food cart ladies. Turnip cake was first. My girl mixed chili and soy sauce together which made the cake taste pretty good.

Turnip Cake

We also got some shrimp shumai and some other shrimp stuff. For me, it tasted like any other dim sum place I've been to.

shrimp shumai and other shrimp stuff

There was this thing that my girl asked the waiter for cuz we didn't see anybody with it. It's like a thick noodle wrapped around some shrimp... again. There was some light sauce it was surrounded in. This thing was okay.

Not being totally satisfied with the various shrimps we were ordering, we got the honey walnut shrimp order ($8.50). This one wasn't part of the dim sum carts. You gotta actually order it from your waiter. The shrimps were good sized, and had a little crunch to them. The sauce was just right. For the price, it was a decent deal.

Honey walnut shrimps

I think you might've been able to tell how I feel about this place just by reading this blog. I'm still not a fan of dim sum. I know it's because I don't eat meat-- just seafood. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with this place, but you might get tired of shrimp after a while if you ate like me. A lot of people go during the lunch hours, and I've read how many love going here. If you like dim sum, and you're in Irvine, you might wanna check this place out. As for me, I gave up shrimp for Lent.

Peruvian or Carribean Restaurants?

2008-03-07T10:27:00.000-08:00

Does anybody have any suggestions on some good Peruvian or Carribean restaurants? They can be pretty much anywhere, but a 30 mile radius from West Covina would be helpful. I've only been to a few. My favorite Carribean place nearby is called Carribean Gardens in La Verne. It's a Guyanese place. Somebody, please help! I've been craving Peruvian/Carribean for a while now.

Breakfast Club - Mammoth Lakes

2008-03-04T22:46:00.001-08:00

Breakfast Club
2987 Main St
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
760) 934-6944
Type: Coffee shop / restaurant
Map

I wasn't ready to go home from this short vacation but we had to check out of the condo on Sunday morning. We woke up pretty early thinking we were gonna beat the rush. Well, we did wake up early and we would've beat the rush if the main highway to Southern Cali wasn't closed! We couldn't see $#!+!!! It was the same white-out conditions we had at the ski resort the day before. So we had to find a place to hang out for a bit and kill some time. The Breakfast Club was the first place we saw. It's in the same plaza as the Shell gas station on Main St.

Luckily, we found good parking right in front of the door. I think it was a handicap spot but there was no sign and if the spot was painted blue, you couldn't tell cuz it was covered in snow. The place was packed-- probably from stranded vacationers like us, and locals too. While we were waiting, I thought I saw a familiar face walk in. He was kind of rushing to the bathroom and he stumbled over somebody's foot. "Was that Tony Hawk?" I thought to myself. "I think that guy was Tony Hawk." Nobody else recognized him in the packed restaurant. Only true posers like me would know it was him. On his way out, we all looked at him, and sure enough, it was The Birdman himself. We didn't bother asking for his autograph or anything cuz he looked like he was in a rush, and it was a packed restaurant, and it might've started a commotion. You're welcome Mr. Hawk. My shoe size is 10.5 and I'll take any skateboard you got lying around.

So anyways, after waiting for maybe 5 minutes, we got our table and checked out their one page menu. We weren't that hungry cuz we ate breakfast before we checked out. I think they had the usual stuff similar to any Mom and Pop breakfast menu. Eggs, pancakes, steaks, yada, yada, and yada. My girl and I split a huevos rancheros $8.99. Her sister and brother just got a muffin or something. Although I ended up paying in the end, I didn't know they were just gonna get a muffin between them. I would've gladly paid even if they got a full meal each, with dessert, and juice. I mean c'mon, they paid for Alpenrose.

The huevos rancheros was decent. It was prepared differently from the Mexican way. If you know your huevos rancheros, you can see how it's different in the picture below. I don't remember there being rice. Just some huge tortilla under it. My girl's always reading my reviews, and she says I need to expand my vocabulary, specifically adjectives. Sorry honey. I'm sticking to the basics. This meal was not bad, but not super great. How's that?

So the meal wasn't that bad. I would certainly go here again if I don't have time to research other places. Just make sure you bring cash cuz you might end up having to use those dreaded ATM machines that know you're in a desperate situation, and their fees let you know they know.

BTW. The highway finally opened around noon time, so we were able to make it home the same day. Too bad.

Alpenrose Sierra Grill - Mammoth Lakes

2008-02-29T02:24:00.001-08:00

Alpenrose Sierra Grill
343 Old Mammoth Rd
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
(760) 934-3077
Type: "Pacific Rim - French Fusion" restaurant
Map

Took a trip to Mammoth Lakes in late January for some world-class snowboarding. Unfortunately, we didn't get to experience much of that world-classiness cuz the weather was so horrible. There were whiteout conditions and 50 or so mph winds. It was so bad the snow was blowing not only sideways, but going upwards! They received about 3 feet of snow in that short weekend which is good if you went riding right after the storm, but we were figuratively and literally knee-deep in it. So was there anything good that came out of that trip you ask? Sure. I got to spend quality time with my girlfriend and some of her family, we had fun playing in the snow in back of the condo, and we got lucky and stumbled upon a great restaurant in the middle of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The place was Alpenrose located off the main street in Mammoth on Old Mammoth Road. There's a good amount of restaurants and bars surrounding it, and there's a pretty big plaza with a Vons just down the street. From one website we saw while we were looking for a place to eat, they said Alpenrose is a Swiss restaurant. I had no idea what kind of food that was. The menu though, reflected a lot of European/Asian fusion dishes. These dishes were also not on the cheaper side. If you spent all your money on the pricey cabin and the almost-as-pricey lift tickets, this might not be the best place for you. Expect to be shelling out about $20 - $40 per person here. Also, at the bottom of the menu, they mentioned something about turning off your cell phones. In other words, yuppies only. Just kidding.

So we got there on a Saturday night. The weather still wasn't great, and we had to put chains on the tires. The parking lot didn't seem that big to me, but I think there was another side besides the one adjacent to the main entrance. We got in and had to wait probably 5 minutes to get seated. Good thing too, cuz we were all starving. The place looked kind of like a cabin inside, but with not so much logs. It was kind of country-ish. I'm not the best at describing or even remembering the decor of any place. All I worry about is the food and if it tastes good, and how much it costs.

So after some browsing through their relatively small menu (only 2 pages worth of food), we decide what we're getting. So we started off with the 5 Mushroom Soup. That was good. They had lots of little mushroom pieces in it. I think one bowl is good enough for two people.

5 mushroom soup

My girl's sister ordered some soft shell crab cakes ($15). Did it only come with two? I think so. But it was really good. Not something I would order often cuz of quantity and price.

The main dishes took a while to arrive, but probably because it was busy. My girl ordered the Portabella Mushroom Pasta ($14). It had a goat cheese cream sauce with white truffle oil using farfalle pasta (obviously, I had to copy these descriptions). It was good too. Luckily there were some leftovers for the next day.

Portabella Mushroom Pasta

I ordered the salmon dish ($30). This one was sake glazed with wasabi mashed potatoes with assorted steamed veggies. Holy crap. This one was bomb. Everything about it was just quality eating. I don't like wasabi, but the mashed taters were mmm-mmm good. The salmon was cooked just right, and the sweet sauce it was served with was the perfect combination. My only complaint is that I wanted more sauce.

sake-glazed salmon. wow.

My girl's brother in-law ordered the ribeye meal which I think cost about $30. He said it was okay, but overpriced.

To make the meal even yuppier than it was already, we ordered a bottle of wine called Los Vascos or something. There's just two types of red wine for me: tastes okay, and tastes not so great. This one tasted okay. I haven't been accustomed to actually liking the taste of wine yet.

winin' and dinin'

Oh, but wait. The yuppie rituals aren't finished until you have your chocolate fondue with fruits. By this time, I was already full. Plus, the chocolate was dark chocolate, so I wasn't exactly excited about it. But I had to try it anyways. After dipping a strawberry in, I realized it wasn't that bad. I ended up eating quite a few fruits, with bananas being the best ones. I still prefer milk chocolate, but this was cool.

fond of fondue

In the end, we got the best surprise of all. My girl's sister and her husband paid for the whole bill! I felt bad getting the salmon cuz it was one of the most expensive dishes, but I didn't know. I thought I was paying for our meals. Thanks again Tina and Tamer!

I would definitely go back to Alpenrose when I take another trip up to Mammoth. Although, I wanna try the sushi restaurant first. Even if I had to pay for our meal, I would still go back. The food was really tasty. I'm sure there's better places; possibly for even less. But this is a mountain community a few thousand feet above sea level. This is as close to Heaven as you can get. Ok, maybe not really, but it was a witty thing to say.

Chowhound.com - website

2008-02-29T02:11:00.001-08:00

www.chowhound.com

I'm sure 90% of you probably know of this place already, but for those that don't it's a great website where you can talk to other food lovers to find out where the great restaurants are at.

Yogurtland - Irive

2008-02-26T00:42:00.001-08:00

Yogurtland
14775 Jeffrey Rd
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 857-0884
Type: Yogurt / dessert
Website
Map

"Don't believe the hype!!" were the words of Public Enemy in one of their famous songs. I'm sure everybody's experienced or have themselves, been caught up in the hype. From Furbies, to The Da Vinci Code movie, to all-over printed hoodies. We bought into these things only to be let down in the end. What the hell did you expect from a half-rodent, half-bird stuffed animal?

Til this day until the end of capitalism, we'll be bombarded by hype. So this particular day was no different. I had dinner with my girlfriend and her sisters one night. Her sister had a place in Irvine with her husband. After dinner, one of my girl's sisters said, "Let's go to Yogurtland! It's so bomb!" Something like that. She was so excited and she kept saying it's so good and this and that. *sigh* This reminds me of the Pinkberry revolution, and everybody just had to have it. I've only been to Pinkberry's once or twice at the most-- and that's on purpose. I didn't see what the big deal was. Oh well. Jump in the car.

This is the sight we saw when we pulled up in the parking lot. The dark blue sign all the way on the left is Yogurtland, and the people you see hanging out, are in line.

What the?! Yogurtland must've recruited an army of hype beasts just like my girl's sis cuz the line was ridiculous. This place didn't just open in the last month neither. I think it opened last May in 2007. The interior design is I guess what you call modern. It's very bright and similar to that of Pinkberry but I don't think there were all those toys on the shelves. So after waiting in line for maybe 15 minutes or so, we get to the back of the place where you grab a cup for your yogurt. This place is a self-serve yogurt joint where you can mix and match different flavors from vanilla, to Kahlua, to mango, to blueberry tart. I got mango, cheesecake, and strawberry with cookies n' cream. You can also put your own ingredients on top. To top it off I put bananas, strawberries, cheesecake, cookie dough, graham crackers, kiwis, and mochi balls. For me personally, I could just put the basic bananas, strawberries and lots and lots of mochi balls and I'll be fine. After loading up on all your necessities, you put your cup on a scale where they weigh it and figure out how much you owe. The going rate is 30 cents an ounce. My girl's brother-in-law paid, so thank you again Tamer. The other times I've been here, I usually end up paying 5 something, so that comes out to about a pound of sweetness.

Okay, so I like the control thing and not leaving it up to "The Man" to decide how much toppings I get. After passing through the still-growing line, we stand outside for a quick second for our first bite. Hmm. Not bad. Another bite. Not bad. After getting everything mixed together, the bites were actually getting to pretty good status. By the time we got back home, my girl's sis and her husband had already finished their cups. Dang.

a cup of pretty good hype

I eventually finished mine and was like, "Wow. That wasn't too bad." My girl liked it as well, but she had to freeze some leftovers.

So in the end, did Yogurtland live up to the hype? For the most part, yes. I say "for the most part," because it's not super super great. Some of my friends were just whatevers to it. It's good. Good enough that I went to the one in Fullerton twice ever since. It's not great for everybody, and so I won't hype it up for you, my lovely reader. If you have a sweet tooth, then go ahead and feel free to believe some of the hype.

Kaju Tofu - Irvine

2008-02-24T18:49:00.000-08:00

Kaju Tofu Restaurant
5408 Walnut Ave
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 653-2849
Map

Most tofu spots are pretty much the same, so it doesn't matter that I lost the pictures I took here. I'll make this pretty quick. Their tofu soups are $8.99. A good sign is that they get packed during peak hours. Their banchan (free side dishes) are like BCD's which isn't really a good thing. Call me a spoiled brat, but I'm used to having the servers scoop my rice for me, and crack the eggs into the pots. It was all done by my lazy hands here. The soups weren't bad. You gotta be a pretty bad tofu spot to have bad soup. All in all, this place was nothing special to me. I'm still calling Tofu Village in Garden Grove and Jeun Tong Tofu House in West Covina the top tofu spots on my list.

Fatburger - Irvine

2008-02-22T20:58:00.001-08:00

Fatburger
3021 Michelson Dr
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 474-5060
Type: Hamburger joint
Website
Map

This particular night, my girl was having burger cravings. She had to have Fatburger. You're not pregnant are you? No. Whew. Okay, let's go then.

We hit up the Fatburger on Michelson in Irvine on a late night. (I think there's another one on Jeffrey) Nobody else was there except the two workers.

She got the Fat Deal ($7.99) which comes with a 1/3 lb. hamburger, fries and a drink. She said she likes In N' Out's burgers better. I already knew what I was getting. The Fat Fish Sandwich ($4.69). It was cool. I haven't really had a fish sandwich that's really been awesome. If you know a place, feel free to recommend it.

Fat Deal & Fat Fish Sandwich

Sorry for the uninspiring review. Fatburger's good, and I would go here again if I had to. I wanna try The Counter next though.

Clay Oven - Irvine

2008-02-22T12:49:00.001-08:00

Clay Oven Cuisine of India
15435 Jeffrey Rd # 116
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 552-2851
Type: Indian food
Website
Map

I skipped out on work one day cuz I had some Indian food cravings. My girl looked on the internet for good Indian restaurants and found Clay Oven. Their website says that CitySearch voted them best Indian cuisine in Orange County. Of course we were going there. First, we had to make sure they had an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, cuz that's usually when I go to eat Indian food. We called and they did. The buffet costs $9.99 per head.

Clay Oven is located somewhere on Jeffrey Road with a Thai place and a Japanese restaurant in the same plaza. Helpful, I know. This ain't my town man. Parking is a mother during their peak hours cuz we barely found a spot as someone was leaving. The restaurant is pretty small, but looked bigger at first with their mirrored walls.

I couldn't wait to eat. We got our seat, and then headed straight to the buffet line. Oh man I was excited. I grabbed my plate and surveyed my veggie selections. Grabbed some veggie fritters which are like vegetable tempura but with a thicker crust, some basmati rice, some stew of some sort with potoatoes and cauliflower I think, some mushroom peas, and some spin..... Wait. Wait, hold up. Wh-whe. Where the? WHERE THE HELL IS THE SPINACH (palak paneer)? I was really kind of panicking a little inside. I looked at my girlfriend, and she was a little worried too. I stood around a little at the end of the food trays, looked around helplessly, and made our way back to the table. Maybe they'll put some out soon. Calm down, and eat.

So we began eating. The mushroom peas were pretty good. The potato stew was okay. The veggie fritters were as good as veggie fritters can get I guess. I'm not really a fan of these, that's why I only got one. The rice was cool, but it was different from the other Indian places I've had. These were more fluffy and moist-- almost Jasmine rice-like. I like the other Indian rices better. The naan came. I think it was just regular naan. This also was lighter and fluffier than their competitors'. Again, I like their competitor's naan better. This was not what I was hoping for. I miss my spinach.

My veggie plate sans spinach.

My girl felt the same about the rice, fritters, and everything else. To add to my dish, she got the tandoori chicken. She said it was good, but she's had better.

We were not enjoying our meal so much, that we finally asked, I think it was the owner or manager, "Are you guys gonna have spinach out?" "Oh, no. Not today. We change up our dishes everyday," were his similar words. "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" was what I said in my head. After he left, we got into a huddle, and discussed out situation. A few seconds later, we ended up ordering our beloved spinach. So we put our food on hold for our green savior.

A few minutes later, it came served in a little bowl thingy. Yes!! It's here. Now we can enjoy our meal. EHHH!!! Wrong! One bite of the spinach, and I knew we were in trouble. That thing was so sour and tangy. Jeez. I've only had one other tangy palak paneer, and that was some place in Covina that we never would go back to. I guess it's just their style of making it, but it doesn't fit mine. I was literally dreading every bite of it. I couldn't finish it, so we just took the rest home.

palak paneer of tangy death

The only thing that made this place bearable was the service. The owner or manager was really, really nice. I feel bad saying all these negative things about this place because it might hurt his business a little. Hopefully we're the only ones who had a bad experience here. But even though we like the owner/manager, we're not gonna be back. Sorry.

Mochilato - Irvine

2008-02-22T12:19:00.001-08:00

Mochilato
Ste E
14310 Culver Dr, Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 559-1116
Type: dessert shop
Map

Still been hangin out in Orange County, and this is new territory still when it comes to food. My guide: Elmomonster's Monster Munching blog. This is the place I always look first when I want to find a good place to eat in Irvine or nearby areas. At the time, I was getting some sweet cravings. I read about his blog about Mochilato in Irvine. The pictures he took convinced me to go.

I wanted to get the contraption that Elmomonster did not recommend. "The shop called it the 'Mochilato Way' ($5.95). I just called it 'Blech!'," were his exact words. I asked for that, but since we got there about 5 minutes before closing time, they said they didn't serve it anymore. Damn.

I had to settle for the mochilato ($1.25 each), which is pretty much the same as mochi ice cream you can buy at certain grocery stores. They have a bunch of flavors instead of your regular strawberry, green tea, mango, etc.-- but they have those as well. We got one each of the tiramisu, cookies n' cream, peaches n' cream, strawberry, and I think mango. To say the least, I was disappointed. I don't know if it was just us two (me and my girlfriend), but I didn't like the "weird" flavors." The tiramisu tasted like rum. The peaches n' cream tasted like gummy peach rings which I'm not a fan of. The cookies n' cream was okay. So was the strawberry and mango. I guess I was expecting more from them since the place was named after these little guys.

taste the mochi rainbow... but don't go overboard

I'm down to still go here again. I'm just making sure I'm getting that Mochilato Way just to see if my tastes differ from Elmomonster's. If I can't have this for some reason, I'm sticking to the basics of strawberry, mango, probably vanilla if they have it. I heard their shave ice is good too.

Garlic Jo's - Newport Beach

2008-02-14T10:36:00.001-08:00

Garlic Jo's
2332 West Coast Hwy.
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Tel. (949) 673 - 8444
Type: International restaurant
Website
Map

For a quick second, I was getting tired of all the sushi, tofu, Thai, and Mexican food that we were eating. I wanted something new. Something different. While thinking of a new place to eat, my girl blurted out Garlic Jo's. Instantly, I wanted to go, just from hearing the name. I love garlic. So we checked the directions and made our way there on a late Sunday night.

This place stays open somewhat late. They close at 11pm - 12am depending on the day. Upon entering, I was expecting to be overwhelmed with the smell of garlic, but there was only just a hint. It could be that there was only 2 other parties eating, and they were already almost done with their food. I'm assuming this place is like the Stinking Rose in L.A. where they make everything with garlic. The prices are on the high side for me, but for the people in Newport, I'm sure it's just chump change McDonald's to them.

We decided to order the dinner for two combination. We got the grilled fish dinner ($50.80). With it, we chose the ahi tuna, scallop carpaccio, shrimp mayo pizza, and garlic fried rice. The first thing we got was the scallop carpaccio. When it came, I was like, "oooohhh." It looked really good. I apologize for the horrible pics. I never put the flash on, on my camera. So yeah, it came in 4 shells stuffed with all these salsa kinds of things. Now I wanna say "tangy" to describe this, but I'll use zesty this time. I did not like this one bit. After eating my first one, I offered mine to my girl, but she intelligently declined. The little drops of sauces on the side couldn't help for sh... This thing had too much zest for me. I don't know if they're supposed to taste like that, but I'm never ordering carpaccio again. Scarred for life.

Scallop carpaccio... more like scallop carpacci-NO

Next up was the shrimp and mayonnaise pizza which you have to add $2.00 to the price of the combo. When it came I thought, "That's it?." Don't be deceived. This was a tasty pizza. I wish pizza places would make this dish everywhere. Make sure you eat it right away, cuz it's so thin, that it gets cold pretty fast. If not, save some for later and microwave it.

shrimp mayonnaise pizza... bombizzle

Then the main course came. It looked really good. But it looked a little small for 2 people and the price we paid. Oh well, they had deep fried onion strips!!! The ahi tuna for the most part was good. It was served with some creamy garlic sauce. It was good, but the onions really helped it out. I probably won't get the ahi next time, although I'm not saying it was bad. I just wanna try other things instead. The shrimp fried rice (add $3.00) was good, but like hell it was for 2 people. It came with 4 pieces of shrimp which covered the all the rice. I would still be disappointed if that fried rice was meant for one. Bastards. We had to take baby bites of rice just to have enough for the whole meal. Bastards.

Ahi tuna with deep fried onions

Shrimp fried rice for 2? You're effin kidding me

In the end, I wasn't as full as I expected to be. I mean, paying $60 or more for a meal for 2 should, in theory, make me full. It was good though. The service was fast and friendly. I would possibly go back if we can't think of any other new place to try out, and we have some money to spend, and we don't feel like sushi. Or if we just feel like some garlic.

Sankai - Costa Mesa

2008-02-14T09:47:00.001-08:00

Sankai
3940 S. Bristol St.
Santa Ana, CA 92704
714-241-7115
Map

Sankai is my girlfriend's favorite local spot. It's located a block or so from the South Coast Plaza in a little shopping area where there's a Marshall's or Ross. If you don't know where to look, you might not find the place, but it's there. Anyways, she lives in Newport Coast, and she makes the little drive to this sushi place, sometimes just to order take out.

Sankai's menu is very small and simple. I didn't see any baked dynamite appetizers or a list of crazy baked rolls that I love.... Uh oh. I'm in trouble. Luckily, I've been honing my sushi tastebuds, so I can now survive these kinds of places without much complaint-- if the food is good.

For the raw stuff, we ordered the salmon skin hand roll ($3.50). On my notes here, I wrote "whatevers" for this order. This means that I didn't think much of it; I probably won't order it again; and I don't have an extensive vocabulary of describing my food. Moving on, there's the spicy yellowtail hand roll also $3.50. I don't have any trusty notes for this one, but I'm sure it was better than the salmon skin. We also got an order of salmon sushi ($3.20). Again, I failed to put any notes about it, but I think it was good. I mean, this is why my girl goes to this place. For the sushi.

salmon sushi, spicy yellowtail hand roll, salmon skin hand roll

I realized I can't have a full, satisfying meal if I just eat sushi. Since their rolls are pretty basic with not much to choose from, I had to go with my first love-- Crunchy Roll ($7.50). That one I put "good" on my notes. I can't describe it any other way. It surprises me after all the crazy fusion rolls I've tasted, a well made Crunchy/Crunch Roll can still hang with the big boys. Sankai has a well-made, basic Crunch Roll.

my first love... Crunch Roll

I saved the best dish of the day for last. You won't find this one on the regular sushi menu. Only us regulars know it (I've been here twice). It's their volcano roll. I don't even know the price and I was too lazy to figure it out when we got the bill. I believe it's just a plain California Roll, topped with scallops, some cream sauce, and asparagus. Two things first: I'm not a fan of scallops and it didn't look as great as I was told. I was coming at it with hesistance. My girl said it was good, but I'm like, "I've been around the block baby." So I tried it, and it was very good. *Note to self: add "very good" to notes vocab* It was so good, I wanted to eat it all at once. Too bad my girl was there to take some of it away from me... just kidding honey. I didn't think a relatively basic roll like this could satisfy my high expectations.

Volcano Roll. LOCALS ONLY!!!!! just kidding

So would I go back to Sankai? Even if I didn't like it, I think I'd have to come back cuz my girl would drag me here anyways. But fortunately for her, I did like the place. It's a good place for basic sushi and rolls. The price to quality ratio is very appealing. She said one time she saw Dennis Rodman eating here. Now you know there's something to this place, when such a crazy or interesting guy as he is, goes to a basic, simple restaurant as this.

Oh yeah, this place gets packed during peak lunch and dinner times. So either come early, or eat here during the slower hours.

Sushi Zone - Mission Viejo

2008-02-12T21:15:00.001-08:00

Sushi Zone
28251 Marguerite Pkwy
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
(949) 364-2878
Map

I ate all the way in Mission Viejo cuz I picked up a good friend from The Bay, who was staying with her cousin. We got in the area pretty late (late being 8 or 9 at night) and we tried going to Rockin Sushi which is like Chomp in Fullerton, but the wait was too long. Time was running out and we needed to find a sushi place fast. We used the good ol' navigation in the car, and it brought us to this place.

The place closed at 10pm that day, so we had about an hour or less to eat. Upon browsing the menu, I noticed that their items and the way they were presented was very similar to that of Niko Niko. Their rolls are similar and the names were changed just a little bit. I don't know if Niko Niko owns this place, or if this place just straight up bit their style. Oh well, I think Niko Niko's pretty good, so I wasn't sad.

One of the first thing's we ordered was the stuffed tomato appetizer ($7.00). It's just raw scallops with some sauce wrapped in raw tuna. That was actually pretty good. I would get that again. Bad thing is it only comes with two pieces.

stuffed "tomato"

Another appetizer we got was the baked dynamite ($7.50). For those that don't know, dynamite usually a bunch of seafood and mushrooms and onions all mixed together in a special sauce. I like Niko Niko's dynamite, so I decided to give this one a try. Very big mistake. At first, it looked and smelled good, so I couldn't wait to dig in. Good Lord! That thing was tangy. I hate tangy when it shouldn't be tangy. And this was tangy. After a few bites I didn't want anymore and nobody else did either. I thought it would go good with other rolls.... nope. It just messed up the taste of whatever else I ate. But, I hate to waste food, so I eventually finished it-- literally dreading each bite.

baked dyna-mite not ever, ever order this again!

Next up... The Snow Heaven Roll ($10.50). I believe it's albacore lobster-- whatever that is, with creamy sauce on top. The main roll is I'm guessing California. Anyways, it's just like the Niko Niko Snow Cone Roll except Niko Niko's tastes better. This one was just lacking in quality and umph and kick. It was kind of bland in a way.

Snow Heaven Roll can go to he...... just kidding.

The ultra sushi combo ($14.95) came last. Whatever you see on the plate below is what it comes with. We didn't want shrimp sushi so we paid a dollar extra for 2 more pieces of salmon for a grand total of 4. It also comes with 2 pieces each of tuna, albacore and yellowtail. I don't remember much from the sushi, but I think it was just okay. Not bad for me. My girl is a little more picky. There's also 4 pieces of California roll and 4 pieces of Crunchy Roll. The Crunchy Roll was cool. I was gonna order some more if I wasn't full.

Ultra Sushi Combo... good bargain I'd say

Ah... Mission Viejo. I wish you had more late night sushi restaurants open. Or somebody at least fill me in on a good spot just in case I'm back down there. Sushi Zone had its highs and lows. I'd go back, but I'd rather see what else is around town before I eat there again.