Category Archives: American Food

Simply San Diego

24 Wednesday Apr 2019

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While life can certainly be filled with many different surprises, the unexpected can at times really throw us off  –  some are good surprises that give us joy, hope, comfort, and happiness, and some…can hurt, really really hurt, and leave you hanging with uncertainties, and disbelief…

The days before, during and after my relatively short trip to San Deigo encompassed a mixture of these surprises which left me to ponder how truly fast and sudden events in life can change from one moment to another.

The month leading up to the trip was the beginning of a revelation, a test of  tolerance, and love. First of all, the trip itself was somewhat unexpected, but very welcomed. I was to accompany my boss who wanted to cheer on her daughter who was going with her school on an athletic competition.

Aside from her attending some of the games, the daily activities were to take photos at scenic locations, and look for good places to eat. The food was of course the best part for me. I searched and read reviews and looked at all the Yelp’s photos to decipher which would be the best choices for her and me.

Most of the ones we did try turned out to be excellent and delightful. The first place we stopped at was lunch at a restaurant named Baci Ristorante.  The restaurant was totally empty when we got there, which made me feel a bit uneasy, but we were told that the reason was because it was the day after Christmas.  Since we were there already, we decided just to stay and try. Being the only customers, the waiter was naturally attentive,  even the owner came over to greet us, and shared with us the history of his restaurant. Later on after the meal, took us on a tour of the whole place and explained to us the stories behind all the artwork, which turned out to have been created by a relative of his who had since passed away. Some of his work were in fact quite distinguished. And after that, he even took us next door to a much more casual restaurant run by his son.

The food turned out to be so much better than expected, in fact, they were excellent in taste and preparations. We started with a white wine reccommended by our waiter. The steamed black mussels in wine and garlic was exceptionally fresh, plentiful and perfect in flavor. My Veal Chop Lamberti topped with roasted garlic, appeared simple, and yet was outstandingly executed, and my boss enjoyed her Swordfish Oregonato, cooked also with white wine and garlic. Everything, the food, the wine, the ambience, the encounter with the owner,  made for a very special and magnificent afternoon.

Elegant yet unrestricted was how I woul describe  Mister A’s, one of San Diego’s finest restaurant on the twelth floor, minutes from downtown offering a spectacular view of San Deigo’s skyline. It had been a while since I felt the sophstication and polished attentiveness of the staff in a restaurant, “classy” would be the suitable word. THe restaurant offers modern American cuisine with influence from the French and the Mediterranean.

My Duck Confit with Fingerling potatoes and sauce Quercynoise was without a doubt the best that I had ever tasted. I usually choose not to eat the potatoes, but the ones on my plate were so different in taste and texture from other potatoes, that I ate them all with glee. There was not one thing that I could criticize about this dish!

The others at the table order the Surf and Turf , which included a Filet Mignon that was truly exceptional, as I was told.

I was again thinking of how very blessed I have been as we dined at George’s at the Cove, Ocean Terrace. The atmosphere and the view would certainly qualify this restaurant to be representational of the sun and fun of a beach town. Situated on the top level of a commercial building admist the bustling shops at the heart of La Jolla, we enjoyed our lunch overlooking the beautiful Pacific ocean with a gentle breeze and warm afternoon sun. I think this was what “being on vacation” is supposed to feel like, all the unpleasantness of life seemed to have disappeared if only for those moments.

The Spaghetti with Clams was an excellent choice for my boss, with ample amount of clams and huge shavings of parmesan. My Prosciutto and Fig Panini, though tasty, was just a tad disappointing because of the heavy bread. However, the ambience and the beauty of being there more than made up for whatever was lacking with the dish.

Foodwise, it definitely ranked amongst the top out of my recent trips, with the exception of Hong Kong. However, because of an incident that happened toward the end before returning to LA, I was reminded that with everything wonderful, there would be things to offset that a bit. The lesson taught me to try to be much more careful in all that I do as I move forward in life’s journey with God’s mercies.

Baci Ristorante – 1955 Morena Blvd. SanDiego, Ca 92110  Phone: 619-275-2094

Mister A’s – 2550 Fifth Ave, 12th Floor, San Diego, CA 92103  Phone: 619-239-1377

George’s at the Cove – 1250 Prospect St. La Jolla, CA 92037  Phone: 858-454-4244

71 Above

09 Wednesday Jan 2019

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Blessings come in many different forms – to have my birthday celebrated in such a georgous setting was certainly one, and to be able to watch the sky changed its colors slowly and leisurely was another.

Having a birthday close to Christmas does have its perks of always being in the midst of festivities and an air of celebration and joyfulness. Even though the days leading up to the dinner had been challenging, soul searching and filled with heart wrenching revelations, life moves ahead and one can only look at the moment and decide how to live that moment, while wondering if ignorance is indeed sometimes better.

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I was told that the food is good here despite the beautiful interior and exquisite view. Skeptical but full of anticipation, I was thankful that the dishes exceeded my expectations. The “Duck”, a roasted breast was done to perfection, with accompaniments and sauce that heightened the dish to the top level. The “Garganelli”, with mascarpone and Pecorino butter was hearty and enjoyable. My grilled Maitake mushroom came out exactly as I asked for, not a least bit charred. The poached “Oyster” with uni and caviar looked incredibly luscious even though I did not try it. The ribeye, though tasty, was the only dish that needed improvement due to a bit of chewiness of the meat.

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Suprisingly, we were somewhat full after the three courses and the amuse-bouche.

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The second blessing took place within two weeks – same location but at different hours of the day. Arrived at around 3pm, the bartender reccommended a riesling from Germany (Weingut Robert Weil), fruity and refreshing, just the way I like my wine. The “Dates” wrapped with bacon, and blue cheese was the star of that afternoon. The photography enthusiasts in us took shots of the still life (the sumptuous bar offerings),  the elegant interior with the best lighting that one could ask for, and the unparalleled view of the sunset that adorned the sky with a multitude of reds, oranges, and yellows. If one can focus only on the simple elements in life – food, beauty, and art…….

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71 Above – 633 W 5th St. 71 Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071  Phone: 213-712-2683

 

Patina

08 Thursday Feb 2018

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Have read some good reviews about this restaurant,  so finally decided to visit since it was DineLA few weeks ago. The five courses that the menu offered seemed enticing enough, especially the course with the maine lobster.

We chose Sunday for the dinner because of the lighter traffic to downtown, and partly because I was determined to find street parking there. I did circled around a few times before landing one of best spot about 1/2 block from the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Was early, got seated at a table near the window. The decor is very simple and casual. I asked for some bread and an elder gentleman came with a tray of about 5 different types of bread. The brioche bread tasted decent even though they were not warm.

The amuse bouche was an artistically presented smoked salmon cone, very light and tasty. The first of 5 courses was a Dungeness crab, delicious. Followed by Hamachi, scallop, octopus crudo which were all extremely fresh and had just the right flavor. Then came a pasta course which was not on the menu, probably one of the best I’ve had. The maine lobster was delightfull. Finally the Wagyu beef, oxtail, potato were all excellently prepared. The oxtail was tender, the beef was just the right size for me, even though some might feel that it was a tad small. The potato looked more like a dessert than a side of potato.

 

The dessert was an “Ivory Chocolate” with persimmon. Again, presentation was exquisite, but because I personally prefer dark chocolate, I found the white chocolate to be bit too sweet.

A tray with some candies came with the bill, however, I found that the candy had the taste of the raw rice since they were sitting on a bed of rice.

Patina – 141 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012  Phone: 213-972-3331

 

 

 

 

Marmalade Cafe

08 Sunday May 2016

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Somehow I have managed to visit this eatery three times already in the past month. Once with my son when they sent us an email for a free entree for his birthday. And the two other times with the Groupon deals that were too good to pass up.

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The atmosphere of this place is casual and relaxed. The outside of the restaurant actually looks more modern than the inside. My son, as well as my dinner companion all had the Filet Mignon and Shrimp all three times that I was there. The filet mignon was executed really well every time, tender and flavorful.  I tried the Lobster and Shrimp Linguine during the first visit, but found the portion size to be small and without much lobster. For the subsequent visit, I had the Braised Petrale Sole which was served in a deep elongated dish covered with a pear tomato sauce. This dish had so much sole inside that I was not able to finish the entire serving.

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The Roasted Mushroom and Bacon Flat bread that we ordered as appetizer was a tad salty for our taste, but quite ample in portion size. We tried the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes during our third visit, and found that to be moist, tasty and not too heavy. Our dinner came with cocktails of our choice so I tried the Cadillac Margarita, and Raspberry Lemon Drop during two of the visits. Being that I am not a frequent drinker, I felt buzzed after just a few sips, and did not finish the drinks.

Marmalade Cafe: 2014 East Park Place, El Segundo, CA 90245  Phone: 310-648-7676

 

 

A Very Filling Afternoon – Ganache and Coffee Zone

25 Monday Apr 2016

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Had a pretty good lunch at Tasty Garden in Alhambra before going to a job.

The job finished quite a bit earlier than expected so I had some time before my other assignment in Chinatown. So I decided to have some coffee at the Coffee Zone in Monterey Park. I wanted a quiet place to sit and relax, and I remembered that Coffee Zone offers such an option. I ordered the Cappuccino while my friend ordered an Americano.

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The cappuccino came with a little frozen cream puff on the side. I must say that the cappuccino was one of the best that I have had for a long time. Even though the espresso was not very strong, I found that the overall presentation and taste to be excellent, especially with the fine chocolate powder sprinkled on top.

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Although the time was around 5:00pm, we decided that perhaps we should have an early dinner. We chose a place called Ganache Patisserie and Cafe by Nicol on Atlantic since it was close by, and one that I have not tried before.

The restaurant is small and empty since it was not quite dinner time yet. The menu has numerous pasta options. The wall had photos of delicious looking desserts even though the waitress said that some of the desserts were not available, and that some did not really look like the photos.

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I chose the Vegetarian Pasta with a tomato base sauce, while my companion ordered the Seafood Pasta. The servings of the pasta were not huge, but given that I was not that hungry, it was just the right size.

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The chef did a good job on the pasta itself since it was still al dente. The taste was a tad sweeter than I would have preferred. The pasta came with sun dried tomatoes and mushroom, but I did not get too many mushrooms.

I wanted to try the desserts but was too full to do so. Overall, it was a decent place to try if one is not in the mood for Chinese food in that area.

Coffee Zone: 328 S. Atlantic Blvd. Ste. 107, Monterery Park, CA 91754  Phone: 626-521-5880

Ganache Patisserie and Cafe by Nicol:  141 N. Atlantic Blvd. Ste 102, Monterey Park, CA 91754  Phone: 626-943-8688

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Special Brunch at Tres

16 Tuesday Feb 2016

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Last year on New Year’s Day, there was a special brunch at Tres with the best roasted pig. I was so looking forward to that at the beginning of this year. To my dismay, there was nothing special on New Year’s Day, in fact, there was not even a brunch, just a regular breakfast buffet.

So when it was suggested that we go to Tres for V-Day, I was really ready for a special brunch buffet.

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Tres did not disappoint on this occasion, there was a special Roasted Lamb in addition to the regular Roasted Prime Rib. The Smoked Salmon was great as usual, and I enjoyed the small, but fine selection of cheeses, and caviar.

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I finally tried their Aguas Frescas, which was truly refreshing and tasty, and not too sweet. I especially liked the little plates of salads with beets and varieties of root vegetables. The Greek Yogurt Parfait was my number one favorite of everything in the buffet – so creamy, and amazingly delicious.

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There were also the freshest shrimp and crab claws in addition to the regular items. The croissants were not as incredible as I remembered them to be, but the desserts were still the best among all the buffets that I had tried in the LA area.

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Tres:  465 S. La Cienaga Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048   Phone:310-247-0400

 

Great Maple – The best in this town

13 Wednesday Jan 2016

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After not having been successful in finding a parking space on the opening day of the new section of the Del Amo Mall back in October, I did not really try to go back. But a friend mentioned to me over lunch that both the restaurant inside Nordstrom as well as the one right next to Nordstrom were really good, and that got me interested in trying them out.

I did my usual research online before going, and found the menu to be quite enticing. Made a reservation for a Saturday night dinner and plans to visit some of the shops afterwards.

Fortunately parking was not as difficult as I anticipated – got a space right outside the restaurant. I did a little bit of shopping around Nordstrom and other stores, and got quite hungry, so we went a little earlier to the restaurant.

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The decor and the ambiance of the place felt more like a restaurant on the west side rather than one in Torrance. The waiters were tall, young and handsome, while one of the hostess looked like she could be an actress or a model working part-time here.

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We ordered the Salted Caramel Pork Ribs, Baked Curry Cauliflower, Great Maple French Dip, and the Mushroom Pasta.

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The pork ribs were cooked perfectly and tasted incredible, easily the best. The baked cauliflower was huge and so flavorful. The beef in the french dip was tender and delicious, and my mushroom pasta had plenty of mushroom, rich yet not heavy.

I really wanted to try the Maple Bacon Doughnuts, but was rather full. I am sure I will be ordering that next time, and the next time will be very soon.

Great Maple: 21434 Hawthrone Blvd. Torrance, CA 90503  Phone: 310-542-1001

Sage Bistro

03 Tuesday Nov 2015

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A friend and his daughter decided to try this place called Sage Bistro on Main Street in Alhambra. Once inside, they realized that the owner and chef were once their neighbors from way back when the kids were still small.

It was a happy reunion, but what made it even better was the fact that he thought that the food was really great! Though the chef is Chinese, the cooking and the menu is western style with the stellar dishes being the Roasted Duck Breast, and Duck Leg Confit.

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Since the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, it took a while before I was out there on the right day to try the place. I got there rather early so the place was still empty. The lady owner asked if this was my 1st time there, and I said “yes, but my friend who is on his way was your former neighbor.” I told her the name, and she exclaimed “what a small world!”, and started to tell me how the daughters from the two families were good friends when they were younger.

I was torn between the Roasted Duck Breast and the Duck Leg Confit, but chose the duck breast since it was highly recommended, while my friend ordered the Pork Chop Casserole.

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The duck meat was extremely tender and flavorful, indeed as good as my friend had described. While  I did enjoy my plate, I wished that there were more food since I was still hungry afterwards. The Pork Chop Casserole, on the other hand, was definitely substantial and came with 2 huge pieces of chops.

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If I were to go back, I would probably order the Duck Leg with another dish such as the Cajun Seafood Pasta in order to get filled.

Sage Bistro – 521 Main St. Alhambra, CA 91801  Phone: 626-289-8713

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spaghettini – Dinner and Live Music

04 Friday Sep 2015

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Dinner with live music sounded like a good combination for an evening out. The fact that the restaurant is located in Beverly Hills made it even more appealing. So we purchased yet another Travelzoo coupon to try out the place.

Turned out that the restaurant is right next to Spago, and being that it was a Saturday evening, there were quite a bit of people and fancy sports cars everywhere as expected.

The inside of the restaurant was busy, and the atmosphere was lively and festive. The waiter was a nice gentleman with a very personable persona.

We started off with a nice glass of Prosecco, slightly sweet and bubbly. Dinner menu consisted of 2 appetizers and entrees with a dessert to share.

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The Scallop Cerviche was really fresh according to my dinner companion, while my Farro wtih various vegetables was hearty and light on flavor which was just perfect for my taste.

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My Maine Scallops arrived really late, almost after my friend was finishing up his Lamb Chops. The scallops appeared to have been carelessly overcooked since the top of the scallops were dark brown. I had to cut off the brown part since I do not like my food too burned. However, the mashed potato that came in the middle was perfectly executed and delicious.

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The waiter highly recommended the Flourless Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream, and it seemed that almost every table was ordering that as well. I found the cake to be extremely sweet with a rather unusual taste, so I only ate a tiny portion of it.

The waiter was nice enough to notice that, and asked me if I wanted to try another dessert. I picked the Butterscotch pudding and it turned out to be the best tasting offering for the evening. I was enjoying my dessert together with the cup of black coffee, while the band played various jazz rendition of favorites such as La Vie en Rose, …

Spahettini & the Dav Kov Lounge: 184 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210  Tel: 310-424-4600

 

 

Craft – Birthday Luncheon

07 Friday Aug 2015

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Despite the abundance of restaurants in Los Angeles, sometimes it does take a bit of research to find the right restaurant to go for different occasions. Being that it was DineLA week, we were able to narrow down to a place where it seemed worthwhile to try for a friend’s Birthday luncheon.

With the restaurant located in Century City, I knew parking would not be easy, and I would not have gone if there was no validated parking ($3 with validation). The place was not that easy to find even with the driving instructions from Mapquest.

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Despite the fact it was a friend’s B-day and that I had made reservation, I was told that there was no table for us in the main dining room since I was 1/2 hr late. The best she could do was to give us a table in the bar area. To tell the truth, the table was not bad, it was next to a window, the main difference was that the table itself was a bit lower than the ones in the regular dining area.

The waiter was not exactly attentive, nonchalant would be a good description. The busboy (busman – he was an older gentleman), however, was quite nice and smiled at me often. He brought some bread in a box with butter, of which I devoured promptly due to my hunger.

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I guess there are lots of lawyers working in all those high rise buildings in Century City, because there sure were quite a few of them sitting all around us.

My birthday friend arrived even later than I did after having problem finding the garage. We chose from the DineLA menu: Mixed Lettuce w/Yogurt, Herbs, & Pickles, and Tomato Gazpacho for appetizers, and Mugifuji Pork for both of us for the main course.

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I enjoyed very much the mixed salad, very fresh and tasty, with large lettuce leaves. The gazpacho tasted rather unique, with unusual flavor. We both thought the Mugifuji Pork was really delicious, and the portion size was bigger than we had anticipated, so we were able to get filled.

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After we asked for the check, the waiter brought my friend a round piece of chocolate cake with a candle in the middle for his birthday. We were not expecting that so it was nice gesture on the part of the management (after not giving us a table in the regular dining area).

Craft – 10100 Constellation Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90067  Phone: 310-279-4180