Little HongKong Cafe
This little Chinese place in hip and inexpensive Sawtelle and Olympic, never fails. There can be waiting at times, but at 10:00PM, we were able to sit by the window and served within 10 minutes.Our favorites...Fried Rice with Salted Fish and Chicken (with lettuce) and Pork Chops with salt and pepper. Try the eggplant and tofu dish, fish and sauteed veggies over rice or any of the usual chinese dishes. Mention NO MSG when you order unless you want it.Two entrees, soda and tip for $20.00 is a bargain. Get boba a few stores down if you have enough space in your belly.
Barney's Beanery
My friend Kevin and I have been awake since 630AM coz he wanted to see the sunrise. Well, it was overcast until around 830AM and we have been to Malibu Beach, passed by Santa Monica Pier and to Venice Beach when it finally showed up. I have been craving for pancakes since last night when we decided to go, so around 1100AM right next to Sephora that was still closed, we settled at Barney's Beanery right next to it at the Third Street Promenade.Thanks to my friend, I was forced to order within 2 minutes of sitting ourselves at this sports bar. He had 2 pigs in a blanket which was the usual eggs, 3 pancakes, and 2 sausages, while I ordered pastrami on rye with fries, while sipping grapefruit juice. Oh and Kevin had orange juice which he mentioned he loved with anything. Anything!!!We shared our meals, so I got to have my pancake and after the first bite, was glad I had the pastrami. It was the driest pancake I ever had (by the way, I miss your banana walnut pancakes Sam), with prepacked syrup and butter. When I had my pastrami, it was just as I expected, dry too, devoid of fatty juices dripping and soaking the rye bread which normally I would have had at a regular deli. The sausage and eggs were better, and the fries were the saving grace to this sports bar, and probably the free pitcher of beer they were giving away inside as people watched the football game. I have yet to find a decent restaurant at Third Street Promenade. If you're tired of walking along the shops and enjoying the eclectic crowd at this place, go for it. And get some kettle cooked popcorn too at $4/$6 for a small or large bag. 2 Pigs in a Blanket at $7.00 and Pastrami at $9.00...Thanks a lot, Kevin.
Dal Rae Restaurant
My office is located in Commerce, CA. There is nothing in here except factories, the Commerce Casino and the outlet. Now this outlet is extending and should be a welcoming change to the cities reputation of nothingness. Today, our boss took us out for lunch at Dal Rae Restaurant in closeby Montebello and I thought, what is in Montebello.I have been to Del Rae when my recruiter came over for a visit and it is unexpectedly a gem in this forgotten area of Los Angeles. If there was an LA Mafia this is one of those places where they will probably eat for lunch, at a private outdoor patio or the corner room by the bar. We made reservations for 12:30 at 12:00 the same day. So it wasn't a surprise when we were sitted at the bar area, which after some gripes from my colleagues was in fact a better place to be. There was only one older gentleman beside us, and an attentive waitress, with the music playing a bit loud, everyone was happy in no time as we partook the fresh bread and large slabs of butter already on the table. I have previously ordered their signature pepper steak, and that was excellent, so today I had seafood brochette and a side order of salad which I had to share with 4 of my coworkers because of its large portion. The salad with Italian vinagrette was perfect for me..not too sour, not too oily, not overpowering or pouring with the yummy dressing. While each dish was uncovered (it went with a metal cover) and served to each of us, you can almost tell we were all excited about our dishes. Two of us ordered the Monte Cristo, which seemed like a breakfast meal for me, but they said it was delicious especially with the side of cranberries that came with it. The waitress claimed to serve the best carbonara pasta to one, which everyone said YES, while I said its too rich for an office lunch. One had a chicken sandwich which she exclaimed had excellent hollandaise sauce. My boss had medallions of pork which were larger sized medallions and was emptied without further comments. Mine was uncovered last amidst ooohs and ahhhs, but it looked unappetizing. It had that Chinese seafood on rice look and maybe because of my first impression, I started at it the wrong way. There were good portions of salmon, 2 shrimps which were delicious, tuna, a scallop, and probably one more fish, onions, green and yellow bell peppers on a bed of meditteranean brown rice. It was fresh and juicy, but a little too bland for me, again probably because I was expecting the Chinese flavour on this meditteranean dish. Joannie who sat across me had the last few portions of fish I couldn't take anymore and she wished she ordered it too. I wouldn't. Having said that, and where I am at, I see myself entering this dark, unknown secret in Montebello in the near future ordering the peppered steak instead. Especially if someone is paying again at $29.95. My seafood brochette - $15.00.http://www.dalrae.com/
Mishima
Heading to West Hollywood on an empty stomach is not a good idea. There are very few good places to eat, unless you want to go for burgers or pizza. Marvin almost always wants to feel satisfied..meaning he wants rice, so last Friday without much enticement, we ended at Mishima along 3rd Street close by the Beverly Center Connection.
Inexpensive, fast, quality Japanese style eats. Decor is modern and do find time to admire their choice of decor and artwork, usually done by Japanese modern artists. Start with cold barley tea and endless choices of Soba, chirashi, tempura, oyako don, fried shitakes, black cod, salmon. The bento boxes can be quite filling. I haven't tried the sushi rolls though, probably won't with all the other entrees in their well chosen menu. Check out the dessert showcase and try the delicate Pyramid or Zenzai if you're into red beans. No salt and pepper on the table, but little cute containers of seaweed seasoning, chili powder, tempura crumbs and soy sauce which I have thought about taking a dozen times, but wouldn't for fear of being barred to enter the wonderful world of Mishima.
Mini-bento for $9.00 comes with miso soup, 4 pcs of california rolls, tuna salad, salmon and rice.
Beverly Hills, Torrance and West L.A. locations open too.
http://www.mishima.com/restaurants/index_restaurants.html
I am not sure if Mishima and Famima is connected, but a trip to Famima is a must for people who love 7-Eleven. Famima finally opened a store along Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood offering sandwiches, lunch boxes, fresh brewed coffee, a wide range of beverages, chinese buns, sweets, japanese groceries and sundries. All premium items at a bit more expensive than the local convenience stores, but well set-up you would have to buy something and come back for more. How about those mini Haagen Daaz cups?
http://www.famima-usa.com/index.html
Joe's Cafe
Bill. Originally from NY, and has been here since last year. We met online last weekend and after exchanging pictures and a few phone calls, we decided to meet yesterday for lunch at Joe's Cafe. Right across the West Hollywood City Hall, it used to be Cash Cow Cafe where my friends go for weekend brunch with no problems, ie no waiting, laid back and one can spend hours just talking. Last year, they renamed it to Joe's Cafe, maybe new management, with almost the same menu and a mini facelift. Instant hit. I had the fried chicken sandwich. The bread and chicken were toasty and crunchy, inside and out. I prefer it lightly toasted and juicy, accordingly. The fries were perfect. My date ordered spicy chicken salad, and he kept saying its good til the last piece of green lettuce, as he munched on my fries. He loved it. I liked it. I think we are better off as friends. Next!The wait on weekends can run for 15-30 minutes. Great for people watching. We split the check at $13.00 each.
Sushi in West Hollywood
That little sushi place that could. Heading home from swimming around 10PM on a Friday nite on labor day weekend, heavy traffic along West Hollywood is expected. We didn't want to drive around all over, with the gas prices hitting $3.00 that day, we ended up having sushi at this little sushi place off Santa Monica Blvd., a stones throw away from weho clubs. Like most sushi places where the owner is the sushi chef, we sat at the bar and were treated like princesses (not that we aren't). We started with cold sake, aptly named Beautiful Boy, smooth and unpretentious, and soon enough Shoie offered us some miso soup to start with. Pencil on hand, I started checking off our dinner, which came as soon as we brought down the soup bowl. Like our personal sushi chef, Shoie began serving us sweet shrimp, succulent and sweet indeed, as he started small talks about weho bartenders, fighting lovers...well, this is West Hollywood. More salmon than skin served as a cutroll was nothing spectacular. The main entree paraded its way to our side, sweet shrimp heads. Not for the squimish, when ordered, the whole head of the shrimps are deep fried with tempura batter. A little oily, but crunchy and simply delicious. The sea urchin sushi cold and melts in the mouth as it should be, its texture noticeable after the last dish. Shoie ended our meal with unagi, again as a cutroll, which I believe should not be done with eel, as its texture is lost amidst the sushi rice and wasabi. Overall food was fine, but everything else compensated for it. Worth another visit. Total bill for the night, for 2 people was $80.00 including tip.
