Showing posts with label Hole-in-the-Wall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hole-in-the-Wall. Show all posts
El Tepeyac Nachos
El Tepeyac Takes Down Three
Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa
Our latest restaurant adventure brought us to Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa, where on a Friday of Lent we were restricted against eating meat (I.e. no bun bo hue or pho), though we did get to try banh beo, a steamed rice-based dish with shrimp and often a pork rind on top. This place featured a tortilla chip instead of a pork rind, but it was still delectable enough to convince us we won't have to drive all the way to Little Saigon to get our fix.
Beware the red chili. You have been warned.
Girasole
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Mario's Peruvian Seafood
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Cherrystones & Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop: Great Hawaiian Finds!
I am a Hawaiian food junkie. If there's a Hawaiian restaurant nearby, I will be there, even if it's just a local Aloha Cafe or L&L BBQ. And at the top of the list of items I order: Kahlua pork and loco moco. Very few restaurants can make a good Kahlua pork, and fewer places can make a good loco moco (I've only had two good loco moco's that weren't homemade).
So imagine how happy I was to discover that Gardena is a home to quite a large Japanese-American population that likes Hawaiian restaurants! In addition to the standard L&L BBQ restaurants, I'm happy to have been introduced to Cherrystones and Gardena Bowl.
Cherrystones is a small restaurant in the middle of an industrial district that cooks AMAZING Kahlua pork. Not only is every single bite of the pork tender and soft (without necessarily being fatty), the flavor actually complements the cabbage. I very rarely eat the cabbage, since it always drowns the taste of the pork. In this case, though, the cabbage was cooked al dente, which left it very flavorful for a cabbage. The side salads were even good, but of course I never even touch that until I finish with the pork. So far, probably the best Kahlua pork I've ever had outside of Hawaii itself (at the luau, straight from the underground oven).
The Gardena Bowl is a bowling alley. A bowling alley with a small restaurant not unlike your resident greasy spoon. If there was such thing as a Japanese greasy spoon, this would be it, only the dishes were authentically Japanese and still relatively healthy as the item allows. I, of course, didn't opt for health, satisfying my craving for a loco moco. I figured, if this place is the way it looks, it should make a damn good loco moco. And boy, did it! This loco moco topped a plate of rice with grilled onions, a still-tender and moist ground beef patty, an egg made-to-order (mine was sunny side up), and GRAVY all over the whole thing. Since they were generous on the gravy and tender with the meat, it seemed to make all the difference in the world. This is one of the very few loco moco's I can enjoy without having to cook myself, and I'm so glad it's only a block away from Cherrystones and a couple blocks from where I work! Added perks: apparently Anthony Bourdain visited this episode in a Gardena/Hawthorne episode! Immediate props!
Cherrystones
15501 South Vermont Avenue, Gardena, CA 90247-4100 - (310) 329-8200
http://www.cherrystones.org/
Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop
15707 South Vermont, Gardena, CA 90247 - (310) 324-1244
http://www.gardenabowl.com/
So imagine how happy I was to discover that Gardena is a home to quite a large Japanese-American population that likes Hawaiian restaurants! In addition to the standard L&L BBQ restaurants, I'm happy to have been introduced to Cherrystones and Gardena Bowl.
Cherrystones is a small restaurant in the middle of an industrial district that cooks AMAZING Kahlua pork. Not only is every single bite of the pork tender and soft (without necessarily being fatty), the flavor actually complements the cabbage. I very rarely eat the cabbage, since it always drowns the taste of the pork. In this case, though, the cabbage was cooked al dente, which left it very flavorful for a cabbage. The side salads were even good, but of course I never even touch that until I finish with the pork. So far, probably the best Kahlua pork I've ever had outside of Hawaii itself (at the luau, straight from the underground oven).The Gardena Bowl is a bowling alley. A bowling alley with a small restaurant not unlike your resident greasy spoon. If there was such thing as a Japanese greasy spoon, this would be it, only the dishes were authentically Japanese and still relatively healthy as the item allows. I, of course, didn't opt for health, satisfying my craving for a loco moco. I figured, if this place is the way it looks, it should make a damn good loco moco. And boy, did it! This loco moco topped a plate of rice with grilled onions, a still-tender and moist ground beef patty, an egg made-to-order (mine was sunny side up), and GRAVY all over the whole thing. Since they were generous on the gravy and tender with the meat, it seemed to make all the difference in the world. This is one of the very few loco moco's I can enjoy without having to cook myself, and I'm so glad it's only a block away from Cherrystones and a couple blocks from where I work! Added perks: apparently Anthony Bourdain visited this episode in a Gardena/Hawthorne episode! Immediate props!
Cherrystones
15501 South Vermont Avenue, Gardena, CA 90247-4100 - (310) 329-8200
http://www.cherrystones.org/
Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop
15707 South Vermont, Gardena, CA 90247 - (310) 324-1244
http://www.gardenabowl.com/
Mario's Restaurant: A Hole-in-One Hole-in-the-Wall
In this little hole in the wall restaurant just outside of the Larchmont district, there is a magical Peruvian restaurant that will knock your socks off. The best damn ceviche you will ever have, the best battered fish you will ever have, and the best beef saltado you will ever even dream of. This is Mario's Restaurant.
The wait will be crazy and the parking will be ridiculous, but once you get in and manage to get yourself seated in the very humbly inexpensive tables and chairs, you'll find yourself surrounded by a surprisingly quiet restaurant--because everyone is eating.
The ceviche is sliced larger than usual, with pieces of squid and octopus, but like Wilson in Culver City (which is now closed! :( ), it is cooked amazingly tenderly. The result is a ceviche which is not only perfectly tart, but also perfectly tender AND al dente, if you will.
The battered fish is salty and slightly spicy, but the perfect consistency of a high-end fish and chips, without the high-end price tag or the low end breadiness. A treat for future Lenten seasons!
The saltado was my favorite. The fries appeared to be sauteed with the meats for the perfect amount of time, to make them flavorful without losing the crispiness. The seasoning of the meat was the real winner, though, with a rich flavor that only years of history could inspire. Apparently the owners are Chinese, but they are transplants from Peru itself! Way to bring the homeland food to LA--this place is quite a treat at a great price point with the authenticity to boot.
Mario's Peruvian & Seafood Restaurant
5786 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038 - (323) 466-4181
Read more »
The wait will be crazy and the parking will be ridiculous, but once you get in and manage to get yourself seated in the very humbly inexpensive tables and chairs, you'll find yourself surrounded by a surprisingly quiet restaurant--because everyone is eating.
The ceviche is sliced larger than usual, with pieces of squid and octopus, but like Wilson in Culver City (which is now closed! :( ), it is cooked amazingly tenderly. The result is a ceviche which is not only perfectly tart, but also perfectly tender AND al dente, if you will.
The battered fish is salty and slightly spicy, but the perfect consistency of a high-end fish and chips, without the high-end price tag or the low end breadiness. A treat for future Lenten seasons!
The saltado was my favorite. The fries appeared to be sauteed with the meats for the perfect amount of time, to make them flavorful without losing the crispiness. The seasoning of the meat was the real winner, though, with a rich flavor that only years of history could inspire. Apparently the owners are Chinese, but they are transplants from Peru itself! Way to bring the homeland food to LA--this place is quite a treat at a great price point with the authenticity to boot.Mario's Peruvian & Seafood Restaurant
5786 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038 - (323) 466-4181
The Most Important - and Delicious - Meal of the Day
I have always been a fan of breakfast. Any meal that inherently requires frying foods, using oil and butter, and sizzling on flat griddles is automatically BOMB in my book. The smell of eggs reminds me of Saturday mornings at home, when Mom used to make scrambled eggs with any variety of breakfast foods. Some days it was taco meat for breakfast burritos. Some days it was egg-battered toast with powdered sugar for French toast. Other days it was simply eggs and bacon. But through it all, the Asian in her always served it with RICE.
Meet the Kenny's Special. The inspired creation at Kenny's Coffee Shop, located on the corner of Grand and 28th Street. This non-descript building in the middle of run-down South Central is an oasis of flavors and home-made loving. Inside, you'll see bright green walls, adorned with pictures of past guests and fellow bons vivants who have cherished this hallowed haven of good greasy food.
The Kenny's Special consists of one to two pieces of beef steak, adorned with their homemade teriyaki sauce--a thick mix of brown sugar and soy sauce. On the other side, you'll receive a generous helping of fried slices of kielbasa sausage, fit for a king. Perfectly cooked, these tender morsels of love are fully cooked and yet not burned--so as to retain the moisture and that small dose of sausage oils that splash out when you take a bite. Genius. In the last corner, a fried egg--a necessity for any breakfast. Think you're drooling yet? The whole thing tops a huge mound of FRIED RICE. Off to the side, they provide an extra helping of teriyaki sauce and some pickled onions, which I hardly touch because I'm too busy devouring every bit of fried goodness in front of me. "Impressive" was the word used when someone heard I had finished every last bit of food and grain of rice in the Kenny's Special. Yes, it was that good.
And while the occasional excursion to Kenny's is entirely worth it, sometimes you just want that homecooked loving in the privacy of your own home. Sunday mornings were born for this sort of loving. Breakfasts at my place include sausage and bacon and spam and Chinese sausage, with eggs sunny side up and sometimes a mimosa to kick things up. Each dish, of course, is always served over a generous helping of rice.
Read more »
Meet the Kenny's Special. The inspired creation at Kenny's Coffee Shop, located on the corner of Grand and 28th Street. This non-descript building in the middle of run-down South Central is an oasis of flavors and home-made loving. Inside, you'll see bright green walls, adorned with pictures of past guests and fellow bons vivants who have cherished this hallowed haven of good greasy food.The Kenny's Special consists of one to two pieces of beef steak, adorned with their homemade teriyaki sauce--a thick mix of brown sugar and soy sauce. On the other side, you'll receive a generous helping of fried slices of kielbasa sausage, fit for a king. Perfectly cooked, these tender morsels of love are fully cooked and yet not burned--so as to retain the moisture and that small dose of sausage oils that splash out when you take a bite. Genius. In the last corner, a fried egg--a necessity for any breakfast. Think you're drooling yet? The whole thing tops a huge mound of FRIED RICE. Off to the side, they provide an extra helping of teriyaki sauce and some pickled onions, which I hardly touch because I'm too busy devouring every bit of fried goodness in front of me. "Impressive" was the word used when someone heard I had finished every last bit of food and grain of rice in the Kenny's Special. Yes, it was that good.
And while the occasional excursion to Kenny's is entirely worth it, sometimes you just want that homecooked loving in the privacy of your own home. Sunday mornings were born for this sort of loving. Breakfasts at my place include sausage and bacon and spam and Chinese sausage, with eggs sunny side up and sometimes a mimosa to kick things up. Each dish, of course, is always served over a generous helping of rice.
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