Monthly Archives: July 2015

IL GRANO – A Most Enjoyable Evening

14 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Food, Italian Food

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We purchased yet another deal at Travelzoo a little while back, it was for a restaurant named Il Grano on Santa Monica Blvd near Sawtelle. I made a reservation for the past Saturday and off we went.

As usual, I was just a bit anxious, not knowing whether the food and everything else will turn out satisfactory. The drive was quite fast and we were able to find meter parking just outside the restaurant.

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The inside of the place is modern, clean and relaxing. The waiting staff was very courteous, and appropriately attentive. The little round dome shape bread served with olive oil was warm and had a crunchy outer crust, and the server came and replenished with new ones whenever we were done with one.

There were two choices for the each of the five courses for dinner, so we just made it easy by taking one of each.

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We started off with The Crudo and Heirloom Tomatoes w/Mozzarella
as appetizers. The Crudo included five different type of raw fish and a different sauce for each fish. And all the different varieties of heirloom tomatoes were sweet and complimented well with the mozzarella.

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The second course included Grilled Octopus and Ricotta and Marjoram filled zucchini blossoms. I found the octopus to be very tender, unlike some that can be rubbery. And the lightly fried zucchini blossoms(tempura style) were crunchy on the outside and delicious inside with a soft, luscious center.

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The third course with the Squid Ink Pasta with Uni Sauce, and the Porcini Risotto were both creamy and tasty. All the portions so far had been very decent and not just the one-bite portion as in some of the other fancy places, which I thought were not as satisfying.

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The entree included Wild Alaskan King Salmon and Duck Breast. My companion said the fish tasted very fresh and the serving was quite large in size. The duck breast was thinly sliced and flavorful, however, it was just a tad undercooked, so some of the them were a little chewy.

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The desserts –  a trio of three different house made gelato and sorbets were extremely refreshing, while my layered dark, milk, white chocolate bar was extra rich, totally sweet and decadent.

Travelzoo 5 course dinner: $89 for two

IL GRANO – 11359 Santa Monica Blvd. West Los Angeles, CA 90025   Phone: 310477-7886

 

 

 

 

 

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Soba Sojibo – Fresh Soba Made In-House

10 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by in Food, Japanese Food

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Originally, we were heading to Umenoya, a tiny ramen restaurant that serves a Jiro Ramen that comes with a humongous amount of vegetables atop the ramen (which is rather rare since most ramen comes with just a few slices of pork and almost no vegetables).

However, at the last minute, I found out that it was closed on Tuesdays. So I had to quickly come up with another place near by since my companion was already on his way, hungry after an early morning fishing trip.

Soba Sojibo came to mind right away. The last time I was there was probably about 2 years ago. The place is not too big, but it is really comfortable and spacious inside. The waitress that was taking the order was sincerely helpful and refreshingly pleasant. She explained the menu to me in details, and I was delightfully satisfied with all my selections.

I ordered the special Bento Box with Sashimi for my companion while I chose the Cold Sansai Tororo Soba with a side of Pork Belly Don, and some fried mochi.

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The Sashimi Bento Special had everything that one would want to eat at a Japanese restaurant. It came with probably the best and lightest tempura – with an extra thin, yet crispy and delicate batter, a small piece of cooked mackerel, at least 5 slices of sashimi, a side of salad, rice, a good size bowl of either hot or cold house-made soba, and a cup of Japanese steamed egg custard. It was a definitely a good variety for around $16.

My Sansai Soba was as good as I remembered it to be since the last time I had it. The cold soba tasted extremely fresh, and it balanced very well with the slightly salty mountain vegetables. The side of pork belly over rice was simple but totally delicious. I also enjoyed the texture of the fried mochi.

I was still a little hungry after my meal, and my waitress informed me that I could ordered extra soba next time, so that is what I intend to do the next time around.

Soba Sojibo – 1757 W. Carson St. Torrance, CA 90501  Phone: 310-782-7356