One Time...

Two times...

Clementine is so good that I'm featuring it yet again. The food there is fresh, simple, and "comfortable."

Pictured: Grilled shrimp and calamari salad (I highly recommend it), cauliflower and broccoli with almonds and shallots, the most delicious meatloaf I've ever had the pleasure of eating (another dish I highly recommend), Mrs. Miller's cookie (a coconut oatmeal raisin cookie offering just the right amount of chewiness), and ginger-limeades.

Love, love, love this place.

Clementine

Reunited...

... and it feels, so good...

Grubbed with with le cougar cub and my cousin, Albert and his fiance, Marie a couple weekends ago. (The power couple - Albert, a doctor-in-training, and Marie a recent U.Chicago law school graduate - has moved back to Cali!)

Marie suggested a cute Thai restaurant in Pasadena. A good call, as Josh and I hadn't left the west side in ages. Pity that the ambience at Saladang Song outshined the food.

Pictured: Soft shell crab...

Saladang Song
363 S. Fairoaks Avenue
Pasadena

浪人 - Ronin

Josh and I were typing up reviews for Ronin at the same.

This is what Josh had to say:

Prior to a riveting performance by Maya Rudolph and Fred Armison at the Largo, Debra and I had dinner with our friends Casey, Dianne, and Kathy at an izakaya joint called Ronin.

We were delighted by the pleasant selection of both hot and cold tapas. Of course, the ladies enjoyed the complementary warm chocolate cake dessert served with a shot of homemade milkshakes.

And this is what I had to say:

Before catching Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisine's show at the Largo Theater, fellow foodie Kathy, le cougar cub, Casey, Dianne, and I dined across the street at Ronin. Though located next to a sketchy strip club with a blazing neon NUDE NUDE NUDE GIRLS sign, Ronin ROCKS!

The plates here are meant to be shared. With five people in our party, we tried pretty much everything!

Highlights?
The taco shimi (ahi tuna sashimi, avocado, and grilled shitake served on cumin-seasoned flour tortilla chips that come stacked like a napoleon... delish!), the curry fried chicken (yum, yummy, yum), Ronin fried rice (sticky rice topped with a fried egg!), and decadent chocolate cake served with berries and a mini (shot-glass-sized) vanilla smoothie (it was served complimentary, which made it all the more delightful!)...


Whereas most restaurants located on La Cienega are pretentious, over-priced, and outright crappy, Ronin defies the norm. The plates were beautiful, fresh and delicious, service was incredibly friendly, and the restaurant was clean and perfectly lit... gosh, I can't stop raving about this place.

I'll definitely be back.

Pictured: Ronin fried rice. The other photos I took didn't come out due to the dim lighting. Boo.

Ronin Izakaya Bistro
359 N. La Cienega Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 289-8404

Clementine

If it's good enough for Reese Witherspoon, it's good enough for us!

Josh and I were finally able to dine at upscale neighborhood cafe, Clementine yesterday. Tucked away in a random location, the restaurant comes highly recommended by Pulitzer Prize winning food critic, Jonathan Gold. But more importantly, my classmate, Robby had mentioned it various times as well. Josh and I had tried popping in on two other occasions, but the place was always closed! We admittingly dropped in on two straight Sundays... but yesterday, on a Wednesday, in the company of our dear friend, Jeannine, we were fortunate enough to finally enjoy lunch there.

The sandwich Josh ordered had him wondering, "How'd they do that?!" (the answer was "butter") and the refreshing summer salad I'd ordered had me thinking, "I could eat this for every meal!" (But of course I could. The "healthy" salad I'd ordered came tossed with amaaaazing bacon!) Overall? The ingredients were simple, but the combination of fresh farmers market faire made for uber-happy customers.

I look forward to returning.

Pictured: Josh's Clementine Combo consisting of "today's sandwich" (a turkey melt), a mixed green salad, and choice of cookie or drink. Also pictured is my summer salad.

Clementine
1751 Ensley Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 552-1080

Spanish Sushi

I love, love, love tapas. That said, when Josh told me that our b-school Spaniard, Daniel recommended Bar Pintxo, I just had to go.

The tapas served at this cozy, tiny tapas bar were like none that I'd had during my visit to Barcelona. Sitting atop a high stool, I consumed some of the largest tapas I'd ever seen. Check out the photos. I liken them to mega nigiri sushi.

Pictured (from left to right):

TOP: Simple and classic grilled bread rubbed with fresh tomato and topped with serrano ham, the same simple and classic grilled bread topped with foie gras, caramelized onions and apple, and once again, the same bread topped with smoked salmon wrapped around a hearty serving of dungeness crab.

MIDDLE: The special. Homemade flatbread topped with olive oil, figs, caramelized onions, and arugula.

BOTTOM: mushroom, jamon, and diced veggies

Detailed review to come.

Bar Pintxo
109 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 458-2012

Piece of Greece

May not look like much, but yuuuuum.
Le cougar cub's gyro.

Gulen's at the Century City Mall
aka Westfield Shopping Center
10250 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90067

On My Short List

Of all-time favorite desserts...
A bowl of "Xiao Nan Men" or "South Gate"'s "Hua sen, Do Hua, Huen Gui" (peanut, silky tofu, gelatin". The best way to describe it would be heaven in a bowl. I love, love, love this Asian sweet soup.

Xiao Nan Men
Basement of Taipei 101

An Oldie But Goodie

If you’re visiting Taiwan for the first time, you must pay a visit to this classic joint for what may arguably be the tastiest handmade soup dumplings available. This restaurant is best known for its "xiao long bao" (soupy pork dumplings), but my mom and I dig their minimalist fried rice—-flavored only by eggs, scallions, and lard. Mmm… lard. Their eight-treasure sticky rice dessert is also a treat. A must-eat for Taiwan tourists as well as natives.

Din Tai Fong
Sogo III

(There's also one in Arcadia, California!)

Innovation

Round toast. I didn't have any, so I can't tell you if the stuff tastes as good as it looks. Was reprimanded by the bakery for taking this photo...
Flavorfield Bakery
Basement of Taipei 101

And They Lived Happily Ever After

Dinner with my mom led us to one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Taipei, Sumie. Though I was tempted to order sashimi off the ala carte menu, I opted for the more economical option, the predetermined assorted sashimi meal. As expected, I enjoyed the meal immensely. Sumie not only offers gorgeously presented dishes, but also some of THE freshest sashimi I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. Aside from the tuna, all other pieces of fish I bit into were perfection. Not one with a liking for raw fish, my mom ordered the Beef and Onion rice bowl—which she enjoyed.

To top everything off, the waitress brought our meal to a close with complementary dessert, tiramisu mochi. Talk about a happy ending.

Sumie
Sant Wan Hotel

Itadakimasu!

Grubbed with my old friend, Judy today. I had her choose the location of our meeting and, “Jude” (as I like to call her), selected Daikanyama, a new restaurant on the 5th floor of Taipei tourist hot spot, Taipei 101. We ordered two lunch specials—grilled salted mackerel and assorted sashimi (6 pieces)—and then “upgraded” them to include a beverage and dessert. The lunch special came with the expected starter salad, miso soup, pickled daikon and white rice, but better yet, it also came accessorized with chawan mushi (egg-seafood custard) and braised eggplant. Dessert was black-sesame tofu soup. We wanted red-bean, but they were out.
In summary, lunch was decent, but I think the company was better than the meal.

Daikanyama
Fifth Floor of Taipei 101

Average Joe

A typical Taiwanese "bian dang" (lunch-box). Your's for under four bucks.