I hadn't been disappointed in a restaurant in awhile. I guess I was overdue. After eagerly anticipating DineLA as an opportunity to eat at fine restaurants for reasonable prices, I decided to go with my Twin to Jer-Ne, a blind stab in the dark based on what sounded like a good menu. What I got instead was food that attempted to be "fusion" and eclectic and modern, and instead ended up being cooked oddly, tasting slightly "off", all while sitting in a freezing cold restaurant.

I fought the butternut squash movement for awhile, first scorning the notion of an orange vegetable puree being a cold soup... New York changed that with Gramercy Tavern serving what to this day is still one of the best butternut squash soups I've ever had. So I've been adventurously daring in ordering the butternut squash soup, in hopes that it would replicate the greatness of the Gramercy Tavern experience. Jer-Ne fell miserably short. The butternut squash soup (butternut squash, Frangelico, pumpkin oil) was so bland and slightly bitter that I ended up adding tons of pepper in hopes that it would save it. It did not. The bitterness actually overwhelmed the pepper, creating this very sad aftertaste in my mouth that hardly felt like what I was paying for. I happen to love Frangelico, and theoretically, it should have made the butternut squash a little sweeter, but perhaps the pumpkin oil just overwhelmed it.

For the meal, I ordered a Chilean sea bass, also a favorite of mine. Usually the fish is so tender you don't even need a butter knife, but this time it was seared on one side and soft throughout. The only problem was, it was over-seared. In other words, the bottom of the fish was hard to prod through, even with a knife, and the rest was too soft. It had quite an odd texture to it, too divergent, and I couldn't deal with it.

The dessert was hardly better, with pumpkin creme brulee and maple walnut ice cream. In my general order of preference, I would usually pick the creme over the maple walnut, but this time I enjoyed picking at the walnuts more than I enjoyed the creme brulee. The creme was almost too crispy, and again there was something slightly off about the flavor... Almost as if it lacked sweetness. It was odd, coming from a dessert to lack sweetness, but I suppose it may have also been part of the theme of autumn and dreariness.

Overall, nothing to write home about, though presentation was awarded a few points. Next time I suppose we'll have to gun for something in the Beverly area, since I'm having more and more orgasmic meals from there than anywhere else in the LA area.

Jer-Ne Restaurant + Bar

4375 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292 - (310) 823-1700

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/MarinadelRey/Dining/Jer-NeRestaurantBar/Default.htm

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The second DineLA experience was much better than the first at Jer-Ne. Don't get me wrong--the company was equally enjoyable, but the food was absolutely exquisite and exceeded expectations.

This and Gotham in NYC are among the few times I couldn't finish a meal that was absolutely orgasmic because it was too rich. This and Mario's Peruvian Food were the only two times I have ever regretted having even one piece of bread. Yes, it is that good.

As appetizers, DD and I chose the crispy pork belly and the butternut squash bisque. The crispy pork belly was tender and crispy, cooked to perfection. The meat itself was full of flavor, and it was actually juicy, which is so hard to do with frying. It was seasoned with carmelized apple, quail egg, yukon gold puree, and frisee, a perfect balance of delicate, yet fruity flavors that didn't detract from the fact that pork is a more subtle meat. Quite a success! The butternut squash bisque was an equal success! They created a lobster salad with crisp sage in the middle of the bowl and waited until arriving at the table to pour the exact amount of soup from a perfectly measured container (unlike Gramercy Tavern, NYC, which was also delicious but poured their soup from a larger container, almost as if to say you were sharing that soup with the rest of the restaurant like pigs eating from a trough. Yes, the little things get to me. In all fairness, Gramercy Tavern's soup was delicious!). The lobster salad accentuated the soup and yet also brought its own flair. Unlike Jer-Ne, which left the butternut squash to wallow in its own bitterness, you tasted Dakota's butternut squash light up and flair up, like a dear friend telling an exciting story. In the end, a dense and thick soup ended up being a light, refreshing appetizer.

Equally compelling were the entrees. DD picked the beef duo, a coriander crusted grassfed New York and a short rib, paired with poached asparagus and fingerling lyonaise with bordelaise. The meats were filling and heavy from what I tasted, almost as rich as Arcadia's steak rossini (but let's face it--nothing is truly that rich). I had the trout meuniere. Let me just say that to this day, it still leaves me a bit breathless. The trout was so fresh and so rich, a wild trout, I'm told, that it was PINK like a salmon. Not only was it tender and rich, but it was cooked to perfection with lump crab meat, baby parsnips, heirloom carrots, and carmelized salsify. The only thing that could have made it better was the butters.

THE BUTTERS. I still fantasize about those saucy little minxes. Apparently at Dakota, you can order a butter as a side. So for every meal, be it fish or steak, vegetables or soup, the chef recognizes that like bacon, butter tastes good with everything. Of the four choices of butter, DD and I opted for the fine herb and the foie gras butter. You heard me. Foie gras BUTTER. In case you can't tell, I have an inordinate obsession with foie gras, and I love me some butter. So imagine my surprise when the two were wrapped up in one, ready to be eaten with my delicious trout! A-MAZ-ING. I have no other words. You simply haven't lived until you have tried the foie gras butter with the trout. With the meat. With ANYTHING. I want it for my fried rice. I want it in every dish I make. I'll die an early and very happy death.

The desserts were delicious, but nothing to write home about. Honestly, I was still reeling from the ecstasy of having discovered a love of my life. We ordered a chocolate mousse blossom and the warm apple tartin. Since I'm still light-headed from remembering the goodness of the appetizers and entrees, I'll leave you to the pictures. I believe they speak for themselves.

Overall, this was a great experience. Getting there was a disaster since it's located in the heart of touristy Hollywood, and it was in a loud hotel (hotel restaurants kind of irk me), but I'd do it again in a heartbeat to get me some of that foie gras butter with trout. Entirely worth the DineLA experience and still on my list since I'm pretty sure I saw a foie gras on the appetizer list as well... :)

Dakota Restaurant

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA

http://www.dakota-restaurant.com/

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Few things get me more excited than leisure trips. I absolutely love the thrill of exploring new places, eating new foods, planning how to get there, where to stay, how to find the best bargains, and how to maximize every waking second of time I get to escape whatever reality my life is in, and simply enjoy another reality for awhile. So imagine my thrill and surprise when DD decided to take a trip with me, hopefully our first of many together!

We decided to take a trip to Northern California together. Both of us being ambitious and determined people, we decided on several main stops in a span of four short days: San Jose, Napa, San Francisco, Berkeley, and back to San Jose. ...And we decided to drive.

The good news is, with each other's company, the drive went by like a breeze. It felt like a drive, but it felt like a much shorter drive than 5-6 hours. And the further good news is (since with DD I hardly ever have bad news), there was heinously good food on this trip!

Side Stop #1:
Pismo Beach: Mo's SmokeHouse BBQ

Only after looking at the website to research the address and phone number of this place did I discover that this is a chain restaurant with SoCal locations! Woot! I had one of the best Louisiana hot links I have had in my entire life. Well cooked, well seasoned, tender and moist.... I'm salivating just thinking about it! This hot link was a rich shade of red, looking just as appetizing as it tasted. I shared some with DD who also admitted that it was one of the best sausages he'd ever had. I didn't care too much for the ton of onions and peppers they had on top, but I swept it to one side and enjoyed my sausage. The side of coleslaw was pretty good too, though I confess that may at least be in part due to the delirium of happiness upon eating the sausage.

DD had the tri-tip, which was remarkably tender. I confess I don't remember much of it since our trip was at least a month ago and I wasn't eating it as my own main course, but I do recall that in addition to the meat's tenderness, the BBQ sauce made it that much more heavenly.

We ate our food with some beers in one of the outside patio seats, and even though the table was lopsided and annoyed the hell out of us, it was such a beautiful day, sunny with slight winds, that you couldn't help but to just enjoy it and take it all in. So we did, when we walked to the pier on the beach, just a couple storefronts away. Pismo Beach was an amazingly relaxing choice for a pit shop, exactly halfway along the coast, and it fed us well!

Mo's SmokeHouse BBQ

221 Pomeroy Street, Pismo Beach, California 93449 - (805) 773-6193

http://www.mosbbq.com/

Side Stop #2:

Napa: Taylor's Automatic Refresher

It's like the resident In-N-Out, with more options! This is the oddest, and yet cutest 50's diner cafe, in a prime location--directly in the middle of the Napa strip. High traffic passes by the location, and there's always a line. But with good reason! The line goes fast, and once you get to the front, you can order anything from garlic fries to a salmon burger.

DD and I had already eaten lunch, but we were determined to have some food here in between Reverie and Hartwell. So stop we did, and we only got a light snack--which in our world is two orders of fries and a drink. Sweet potato fries, garlic fries, and a root beer float! Oh, I'm salivating just thinking about it again! The sweet potato fries were freshly cooked and extra crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the garlic fries were SMOTHERED in garlic. I can't vouch for whether it's better than Dodger fries, since it's been awhile since I've been to Dodger's Stadium, but I can say it comes pretty damn close. And the root beer float? What better way to finish off a wildly unhealthy meal at a 50's diner joint while sitting out in the open on a sunny, beautiful day? The root beer may as well have been wine for how good it was to us.

Taylor's Automatic Refresher

644 First Street, Napa, CA 94559 - 707-224-6900

http://taylorsautomaticrefresher.com/

Side Stop #3:

San Jose: Arcadia

I hardly even need to actually describe them. I just need to say their names.

Foie gras sliders.

Duck fat fries.

Lobster corndogs.

Ahi tuna tartare.

Steak Rossini.

Okay, maybe that last one deserves a fuller description: filet mignon topped with Hudson Valley foie gras and glazed in a pinot noir wine reduction. Toss it on a tower of seared potato and sauteed spinach and you have a recipe for LEGEND. This was not only one of the richest items you will ever eat, but it was also a dish that simply melted in your mouth for as long as you would let it before taking it all in. Yes, it was that good. The filet mignon was tender, the foie gras left nothing to be desired, and the wine reduction was such a flavorful and yet delicate complement to the meal that it brought out all the subtle richness of the filet and foie gras, without making it overbearingly rich. In short, the dish sang perfect harmony at a perfect tempo and a perfect volume. It was magnificent.

Also magnificent was how beautiful the dessert was. It was just a couple of mini doughnuts, but it was arranged so beautifully, with hazelnut ice cream and crushed nuts all around the plate... It was rich and decadent without being too sweet or too salty. A good mix of flavors and textures.

Book a reservation next time you're ever in the San Jose area. You will not regret it. The decor could use a little work, but if you ignore the fact that it's a hotel's continental breakfast bar by day, you can eat a meal that will knock your socks off. Needless to say, I recommend the steak rossini.

Arcadia

Marriott, 100 West San Carlos Street, San Jose, CA 95113 - 408-278-4555

http://www.michaelmina.net/arcadia/

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Kotteri. Kotteri is the magic word.

Before this word, I hardly knew what ramen was. Now, it feels as if my eyes have been opened, and a new ramen has come to rule them all. KOTTERI. You. Are. Beautiful.

It all started after a football game, when we all decided to eat dinner together somewhere near the downtown LA area. Our friend AY recommended this place, describing the food and admitting that it sounded disgusting, but it was amazingly delicious. It was pork simmered in pork with pork fat. I don't know about you, but that kind of gets me going.

After finding street parking and waiting the excruciating hour for one of the maybe 20 seats in the place, we finally sit ourselves down to the real deal. But like Levar Burton said on Reading Rainbow, you don't have to take my word about it--from the menu:

Daikoku Ramen
the process begins the afternoon before it ever reaches your table by boiling pork bones and joints in a large cauldren all throughout the night reducing at an undisclosed location. by the time it reaches the stove behind the counter the next day all the goodness is concentrated in our famous tonkotsu soup base. from the pot the soup goes into bowls (large and half size available upon request) where it is infused with our secret blended soysauce. into the completed broth we add boiled chijire style egg noodles, the firmness of which can be altered upon request. finally the kurobuta pork belly chashu, marinated boiled egg, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, green onions and sprinkle of sesame seeds completes the reason why you're here and why we are still in business. for all tonkotsu fanatics: ask for the richer, kotteri flavor which uses added soup extracted from the back fat

You try to read that and tell me it doesn't sound amazing. The soup base is amazingly rich, so rich that it's almost a pure opaque white color with all of the soup base. After hours of simmering, the soup hardly even splits into miscible layers--it stays one solid rich color and flavor. I've never seen anything like it, and I grew up watching my mother simmer pots of pho that I could swim in. The pho always had oxtail and bone marrow and rich pieces of meat, but it never came out looking as rich as this ramen did. The meats were tender, the sesame seeds added a perfectly faint flair, and the marinated egg is absolutely amazing. It's unlike any egg you've had before. Almost like a seasoned duck egg, but less salty and more flavorful and zesty.

All in all, I was MORE than impressed, and from the time I was introduced a month ago, I have tried to go at least twice since. It's a looooooong wait and parking is annoying, but for a $10 meal, this is absolutely worth it.



Daikokuya
327 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
http://www.daikoku-ten.com/

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Eels are scary creatures. They're slimy and slippery and Flotsam and Jetsam from The Little Mermaid used to make me all scared with their yellow camera eyes and smirking faces. Eels are not the prettiest creatures on earth. They give me nightmares when I watch them swim around.

But cook them up and slather them in teriyaki sauce? Well then they're delicious!

There's nothing quite like a piece of eel, delicately scorched to the perfect warmth and crispiness with a teriyaki glaze on top (if indeed that is the sauce they typically use) lying ever so softly on a piece of sushi rice, wrapped in a slice of seaweed and ready to pick up and eat in one warm bite. Well, nothing like it until you take that same concept and put it in a bowl, multiply the proportions by 30, and add an EGG!

Meet the Eel Egg Bowl at Miyabi Tei, in the Mitsuwa Supermarket food court in Costa Mesa. While this isn't exactly the most romantic date spot in OC, it's the perfect little lunch spot, always with a long line and always smelling like heaven. The eel egg bowl is exactly what it sounds like. Eel and egg, cooked together and slathered in that rich sauce, then served over some sauteed onions and white rice. And while you're deprived of the crunchier or crispier textures, you get a lot of the softer textures in this dish to complement the flavors. It's the soft eel flesh attached to the slightly unyielding eel skin, cooked in an egg that has parts where it's fully yellow and parts where it's soft and white jelly. If you dig deeper, you notice that the rice, soft and sticky, also has some sauce all over it, allowing you to savor the flavors without worrying that the rice will dull it all down. Even with all the sauce, it's not overwhelming, and with all the textures, it makes up for the lack of color and the fact that you're eating Flotsam and Jetsam.

Yes, friends, tonight I sleep well!

Miyabi Tei
665 Paularino Ave., Costa Mesa, CA
http://www.yelp.com/biz/miyabi-tei-costa-mesa

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Oh Prix-Fixe menus! How I will never tire of thee! Who's in for some good food lovin'??
http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?m=6&ref=2954&pid=268

Last week DD and I caught some Ruth's Chris for the Orange County Restaurant Week, and my, was it good! Nothing like the smell of beef roasted in butter... Like Anthony Bourdain said, "Mmmm. Tastes like it died screaming!"

Which brings us to my steak rankings! In a loose order of preference, since, well, all steaks are meat and therefore wonderful, I present to you my top 5 destinations for brilliance:
1. Ruth's Chris - It's all about the butter....
2. Lawry's Prime Rib - So tender and so wonderful. Once the manager walked up to me and saw that I was finishing a Lawry's Cut by myself. He said if I finished it, he'd give me another on the house. I finished it.
3. Mastro's Steakhouse - Classic and tender.
4. Porterhouse Bistro - Well-prepared and well seasoned. Order the 40-oz cut for two.
5. BOA - I think I just really like the roasted garlic.

On the list to try:
1. Cut (LA)
2. Jar (LA)
3. Peter Luger's (NYC)

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Don't be fooled by this adorable smiley face with his chef's hat and a huge, almost phallic, loaf of bread. Behind this chipper exterior is the face of a beast. A fat-mongering, grease-loving evil mastermind. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to brilliance. Brilliance has a name, and it is Mr. Baguette.

The fact that he's not named Monsieur Baguette (to continue the French theme) only adds to his rebellious nature. The crime? The rebellion? The absolute anarchy masked in a smiley face and a quiet, small restaurant in Rosemead, CA? Fried EGG! Sesame! In a banh mi sandwich!

DD and I were foraging for something to munch on, when he remembered a place that he swore would put Lee's Sandwiches to shame. Now, having grown up with Banh Mi Cali Sandwiches and Lee's Sandwiches, I was leery of anyone who tried to intrude on my already comfortable niche market. If I wanted lots of meat and a full loaf of bread, I went to Banh Mi Cali. If I wanted crunch bread and a quick fix in a rapidly expanding franchise, I went to Lee's Sandwiches. And if I couldn't get to one of those, I would go without.

So needless to say, I was a little reluctant to try out this intruding sandwich shop in the middle of the asian capital of Los Angeles, Rosemead/Alhambra/Monterey Park. The outside was unassuming, which is bonus points in my book. Once inside, it looked remarkably like a Lee's Sandwich, clean, well designed menus with color pictures of each item, everything clearly labeled, and a front counter displaying foods you could buy to make your own at home.

And then I saw it. There, in the refrigerated counter, food-saver sealed with their own meat-market looking label, was a chunk of pate--5" in diameter and 2" thick. Lucious, savory, and delicious looking.

SOLD.

While looking at the menu of sandwiches, I decided on the "Dac Biet" Special sandwich. And then, from the mouth of the love of my life came the magical words: "You have breakfast sandwiches. Is there any way we can have an egg in the Dac Biet sandwich?" "Yes." (The counter clerk may as well have said "I Do", the word was so magical.) So there we went on our way, to wait for the sandwiches we ordered and a couple more we ordered to go. When we got them, they gave us the pickled veggies on the side, which is an added perk--the sandwich won't get soggy later and you can reheat the whole thing without ruining the fresh, cold flavors of the veggies. Once combined, I realized what made this place a mecca for Vietnamese sandwich lovers--the combinations of flavors. It wasn't just the meat, which was tender and present in relative abundance, but it was also the toasted sesame seeds on the bun that added a rich toasted flavor. The egg was just icing on the cake! While the pate was sporadic at best, when you got a rich spread of it in one bite, it was that much better--like you'd been waiting for it your whole life!

And thus, I concede defeat. Yes, Mr. Baguette, you can come play with my other banh mi favorites. And somewhere in my head, the scene plays:

"Do you expect me to talk?"
"No, Mr. Baguette, I expect you to feeeeeed me!"

Mr. Baguette
8702 Valley Blvd., Rosemead, CA, (626) 288-9166
www.mrbaguettesandwiches.com

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"Are you feeling safe or adventurous?"

Even as DD asked those words, I was trying to balance whether he would be tired, or whether I was feeling introverted. This particular evening, I was open to anything. Those are usually the evenings that end up with the most potential, because really, anything can happen. So despite the fact that a home-delivered pizza and a Vietnamese roast duck was on the table, I opted for adventurous. Who knows what the night would bring?

So to Roy's we went, a place DD had not been to in something on the order of 6 years, and a place I had never been to. I always walked by the Roy's in downtown Los Angeles, but I never went in. Looking back at it now, I should have stopped in at least once a week, if only to savor the glory of The Lakanilau. The Lakanilau is a sushi roll described in the menu as: Seared Kobe Beef Wrapped Around Yuzu Crab, Tempura Asparagus & Avocado. The Lakanilau is nothing like your everyday sushi roll. Whereas you would typically eat a sushi roll for freshness and a delicate flavor intermingled with a soft texture, this roll was an explosion of both flavors and textures. It's almost hard to describe, and I'm not usually at a loss for words... It was like the texture of the rarest of meats combined with a mildly crispy tempura asparagus surrounded by the warm, almost sticky rice. Delicious!

For my entree, I could not resist the mahi mahi: "Roy’s Classic Roasted Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi", a tender filet of mahi mahi, covered in crushed macadamia nuts and seasoned in a lobster cognac butter sauce. Oh yeah, you heard me. Lobster. Cognac. Butter. That's almost all I need to say! The fish was cooked to perfection, nice and tender, flaky to the point where that knife on the edge of your place settings looked on with envy. Each time you dipped it into the sauce, which was a full, thick glaze, you felt like you were going to have a heart attack, and it was going to be worth it!

As part of the prix fixe menu, DD had the crispy shrimp lumpia, which was lightly crispy on the outside (not overcooked or too oily, as many lumpia tend to be), and soft and tender on the inside. The flavors were a mix of salty and sweet and sour all at once. Not your everyday lumpia! The entree was the "Pulehu" sirloin, with truffled fries and roasted shallot jus. The sirloin was prepared rare, though still a little tough on the outside. It was very tender on the outside and very richly marinated, almost like a red wine reduction. When you mixed this with the truffled fries, which were more like truffled potato fritters, it was yet another mix of textures and flavors, salty and sweet, tender and tough and crunchy, fully roasted and fried. It seemed like the theme of the evening was "multi-pronged approach", with both rich flavors and textures, and being a huge fan of textures, especially crispy/crunchy textures, this was quite a treat!

The finisher on the prix fixe menu was the "Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle", which was so very rich and thick. The top surface was crisp, almost like a brownie, but the inside was flowing out chocolate like molten magma--the way every chocolate souffle was born to disperse. And while I didn't like the crispy texture of the top, since I usually like my souffle's soft and tender, I loved the richness of the flavor. DD and I got through maybe half of it, as opposed to my usual one or two bites. (My favorites, for the record, are still the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at Paris, Paris, Las Vegas, NV, and Ten Restaurant, Costa Mesa, CA. This does come a close third!)

Without adventure, we cannot discover potential new #1's, new options, new taste explosions... And while the dessert that drew us to this restaurant wasn't the absolute best I've ever had, everything else was so decadent, so full and rich, that I couldn't help but feel absolutely content and happy. It was delicious. And all was well.

Maybe I should have taken that lobster cognac butter sauce to go.

Roy's Restaurant
453 Newport Center Dr, Newport Beach, (949) 640-7697
http://www.roysrestaurant.com/

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What to cook, what to cook? I always ask myself what I want to cook, and every time I brainstorm, I come up with all sorts of new options I (1) haven't tried before, or (2) tried before, loved, and want to repeat. So last Saturday, when I tried coming up with ideas, I thought of a few items I wanted to cook, and then realized a theme: Faux Breakfast!

The appetizer was the start of the inspiration. I love creating cheese plates with meats and cheeses and sauces and toppings, often creating brie and gruyere and sunflower seed and whole grain mustard combinations to wash down with great wines. But by far, my favorite flavor combination is smoked prosciutto with brie and whole grain mustard. After years of experimenting, it still remains my favorite, though some French and sheep cheese combinations with fruit jams have given it a run for its money. So Saturday, I decided to do something creative--put them in a roll form, with the prosciutto wrapping slices of brie and the whole grain mustard. I had to get the combinations of each one just right, but when I did, it took all the work out of the actual enjoyment of the flavors. This was my "bacon and cheese". (It looks like bacon, doesnt' it?)

For my entree, I wanted to cook Korean BBQ, but if I was having rice, I wanted the egg on top. (I'll always want an egg on top of my rice. My cholesterol levels are normal, thank you very much!) So here came the inspiration for "Asian steak and eggs". I found a couple choice pieces of tri-tip, and remembering them to be tender, I wanted to try a Korean BBQ marinade on them. I broiled them for 10-15 minutes, as instructed on the Trader Joes label, but they still came out a little overcooked and only mildly pink. I sliced it in advance so I wouldn't have to slice at the table, then I realized this was a critical mistake. Apparently tri tip dries out very quickly, and regardless of how tender the meat was when it was first sliced, when pieces with fat marbling would turn out to be dry and flavorless. I tried brushing on more of the marinade and meat juices, only to realize it would dry out a couple minutes later. Note to self: ALWAYS go for the rib meat or leave the slicing to the dinner table right before you eat it.

Dessert was simplest, with very little preparation. I had "toast and chocolate". For this, I sliced up a couple pieces of Sara Lee pound cake (forever a classic!) and a piece of chocolate chocolate mochi. Mochi, for those of you who are unfamiliar with it, is a flavored tapioca wrapped around a morsel of chocolate, so you can hold it with your fingers and bite into it. The chocolate chocolate is my favorite because not only do you get the two different textures, the tapioca and the ice cream, but you also get chocolate chips in the ice cream! Mmmm! It served as a sugary counterpart to the pound cake, which is typically sweet enough on its own. I don't have a picture of this, but you know how Sara Lee pound cake looks--like a loaf of bread and slices of toast!

The whole meal made me miss having people over for dinner and reminded me I need to invite more people over to entertain as guests. I was born to be a hostess in my home!

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Orochon Ramen. From my early college days, pre Man vs. Food, this place was my santuary, making such a delicious version of what is otherwise considered 25 cent college food. As the years went by, I honed in on how spicy I liked my ramen, how much noodle I wanted, which flavor I liked best, and exactly why no other ramen place I've tried has compared to the deliciousness of this bowl of spicy goodness.

The concept is simple enough. Egg noodles in a broth of your choice--miso, soy sauce or salt. The bowl, by the way, is exactly as large as it seems in this picture. It eats up half the table, and it can fit your head.

The fun part, though, comes when you order your level of spiciness. Unlike Thai places that have arbitrary scales of spiciness depending on who's cooking, this place is pretty consistent: a 3 will always be a 3, and a 5 will always be a 5.

Super Orochon 2
Super Orochon 1

1. Extreme Orochon
2. Hyper Orochon
3. Impact Orochon
4. Orochon
5. Osae Orochon
6. Osae - Osae Orochon
7. Non - Spicy Orochon

So not only are you deciding between 1-7, but if you're a superstar, you have the additional options of Super 1 and Super 2. This restaurant's claim to fame is that if you finish the Super Orochon 2 in half an hour (including the broth), you get your picture on the wall. So of course, this became a visit for Man vs. Food. The preparation didn't seem as spicy as other foods Adam has tried (like the Indian food episode where the cook had to use a gas mask to cook the peppers), but it was enough to get him sweating and fully appreciative of the zest and zeal of this legend of LA. Yes, he even finished the broth!

And while the appetizers are good (especially the gyoza), don't bother ordering them if you're not really hungry because (1) they'll fill you up, and (2) they won't arrive before the food. My sister KN didn't enjoy the gyoza because they were pan fried, so if you like the soft boiled gyoza better than the pan fried ones, don't bother either.

Every time I go, I order the Number 5 soy sauce bowl (I know, weak sauce), with extra noodle so I can savor more of the broth... And I'm never disappointed. I can always count on this meal to warm me up, fill me up, and make me happy I chose to come to this place, even on the hottest of days. Like a Japanese bowl of pho, there's simply never a bad time for it, because it's just that good.

I'm on the hunt for a better tasting ramen place, but after years of tasting places in Orange County, I think I'll need to pursue my mission in LA. Suggestions? Send them on by! In the meantime, I'm perfectly content with this as my "safe" spot, especially since they added more tables and kept the food exactly the same: spicy, zesty, and delish!

Orochon Ramen
123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St., Los Angeles, CA
http://www.yelp.com/biz/orochon-ramen-los-angeles

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It was like a HOME. And maybe it wasn't really my home, it felt so welcoming and so loving and so delicious that it may as well have been.

Yesterday I was invited to join DD to friends' JT and JT's house. They had a cozy house in Chatsworth, CA, and while the drive on the 405 N during rush hour was agonizing, I would do it twice over again if I'd known what was in store.

DD and his brother and friends chartered a boat this weekend and caught some pretty amazing tuna. The jackpot fish (the largest fish that won the pool of money) was 47 lbs. and quite large. I haven't seen pictures yet, but I can imagine it's a handful! (EDIT: I was provided some pictures of the trip. Check out how many fish there are here! Pic courtesy of H.) So in honor of all of this fresh fish, they had a fish dinner with 10-20 people that turned out to be quite the smorgasbord!

On the menu:
- Albacore sashimi
- Yellowfin sashimi
- Tuna poke
- Seared albacore
- Grilled squid
- Seaweed salad (purchased)
- Deep-fried wings, spicy and non-spicy (purchased)
- Shrimp tempura (purchased)
- Roasted tuna collar
- Roasted calico bass
- Sauteed mushrooms
- Home-made sauces
- Sesame-lotus balls (purchased)
- Melon ice cream bars (purchased)

I told the chef he was doing a Dinner: Impossible meal. And it truly was quite a feat! The fish arrived at around 6:30 p.m., and by 8:00 p.m., everything was on the table, ready to go! And everything tasted amazing. There's nothing quite like fresh sashimi--the texture practically melts in your mouth, and the flavors aren't nearly as fishy as they get when they've been sitting around for awhile. Of course fresh fish is the best start to a good tuna poke, with crushed macadamia nuts and sliced green onions. (*bite* "Oh, it's tuna, so soft and so firm." *bite* "Oh my! It's a crunchy macadamia nut--so crunchy and yet full-bodied!") The rich mix of textures makes this dish totally worthwhile, and so easy to make at home with crushed macadamia nuts and pre-made mix for the onions and fixings.

On the hot-cooked side, you know when I neglect the sauteed mushrooms and the shrimp tempura, typically two of my most cherished and beloved items on any menu, that the dinner is delicious! The roasted collar and calico bass were so tender, and so well prepared, like the first time DD cooked it for me. The seasoning is simple enough, with sea salt and some soy sauce, but when you bite into a tender, moist, warm and rich piece of fish and then bite into a small taste explosion of sea salt, at first it seems shocking, but after awhile, you realize it's the perfect complement and it's simply HEAVEN. Toss in a fork full of rice, and you're all set to be full and dying to go back for seconds and thirds.

I put down two plates and I wish I had room for more, since there was still more food to be had. DD and I talked on the way home about how wonderful the calico bass would taste over a bowl of ramen, and I couldn't help but to thank God for blessing me with so many people who love FOOD. Bons vivants forever!

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I confess, I don't remember the egregious offense. Maybe it was him blowing into my face while he was almost drunk, but I can't quite remember exactly what it was that PP did to cause him to ask, "How can I make it up to you?" Before thinking, I kicked off the smart-ass auto-response. Of course! "Be my slave."

Before I knew it, we were negotiating the terms, deciding that yesterday at noon was too late to start for a whole day, and that he would start the next day. He even text messaged me to ask what I wanted for breakfast. And when offered money, he politely declined. (I would have left money at his desk, but he moved desks and I don't know where he sits anymore.) This is how I was greeted this morning at my desk:

Okay, I admit, that's pretty damn cute. LOL. PP and I are both the resident OCD people in the office, providing Tide detergent sticks, hand sanitizer, 409 spray, and computer air cans to the rest of the people in the office, in vague hopes that everyone else will live as cleanly as we do... (We fail in an office of people who can barely shower, no less keep their desks clean.) That aside, this is such an OCD thing to do. Four packets of ketchup, a packet of salt and pepper, a container of salsa, a stack of napkins, and a knife and fork, all aligned at proper 90 degree angles, except the salt and pepper, which were delicately angled for effect. What could possibly warrant all of these bells and whistles, you ask?

A sausage and egg muffin. Mmmmmmm.... The cafe downstairs from where I work, Cafe 201, serves this grilled work of art every morning, sometimes with more eggs, sometimes with more cheese, and each time a heart-stopping (literally) stack of fatty goodness. Their sausage Chipotle burrito is also amazing. It's not much to look at and it's a disaster to try to eat without getting your hands all oily and greasy, but it's far worth the walk to the bathroom to wash your hands (and, let's face it--burn off some of that fat you just ate).

Again, I guess I'm just a sucker for breakfast.

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