2018

199 posts

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December 12 posts
November 13 posts
October 9 posts
Hainan Chicken Rice in the OC, Orange County
Chinese

Hainan Chicken Rice in the OC, Orange County

Hainan Chicken Rice in the OC. But they ran out of the rice. 海南雞飯 usually comes with flavor rice - which is steamed with ginger, herbs, and sometimes chicken broth. But this time they said they ran out and had to substitute it with white rice. WTF. Another thing, there was no option for us to pick white or dark meat. /SMH. I wanted to like this place. . . Heck I had pressure to impress my coworkers with one of my favorite dishes. . . . .

September 10 posts
August 15 posts
July 17 posts
The PuLi Hotel and Spa (璞丽酒店), Shanghai
Chinese

The PuLi Hotel and Spa (璞丽酒店), Shanghai

The meat of the meal. To many too mention - standouts include braised pork belly 紅燒肉 which was decadent, luscious, and rich all in one bite. The roast duck might have been too dry with the steamed buns. The fried fish was gobbled up so fast by everyone. Unfortunately the crab was not too popular. And the tang yuan rice Ball soup dessert was good except for the slightly too sour broth. And the friend dumplings 生煎包 almost had a breading to meat ratio that skewed too much toward the wrong side. And happy 100 days - Troy! . . . . .

June 21 posts
JiouDing Hot Pot, Los Angeles
Chinese

JiouDing Hot Pot, Los Angeles

Chuan Chuan in LA at JiouDing Hot Pot. Spicy as hell. One of the most uncomfortable meals, but I can’t wait to try it again. 🤪 imagine this - you go pick a bunch of skewers of meats and vegetables. Then they take them and return them in a cauldron of hot spicy flavorful oil. Then you snack on each of the skewers after a quick dip in garlic oil. We had 52 skewers at $0.39 a skewer. Make sure you get the plum juice. Yum! Unlike anything I’ve ever had. Even in China! . . . . .

May 29 posts
Babbo, Shanghai
Italian

Babbo, Shanghai

Dinner with an old friend from Shanghai. Got a same day reservation at Babbo. Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich’s Italian restaurant. We started off by sharing a baby wild arugula salad. Then I had the linguine with clams, pancetta, and hot chilies. Wife had the black spaghetti with rock shrimp, spicy salami, calabrese, and green chilies. And our friend got the cavatelli with Costolettr di maiale. Unfortunately I can re-pronounce, nor remember what some of these dishes are unless I look at the picture. But I know they tasted good and had great texture. We also shared a whole grilled branzino - light flakey and just right. Might have been too much food. But it was good. I wasn’t really looking for anything high end on this trip, but Babbo’s availability opened up - and I couldn’t refuse. Pricey, but well worth it. . . .

Pine & Crane, Silver Lake
Taiwanese

Pine & Crane, Silver Lake

Lunch at Pine & Crane. Taiwanese fare in Silver Lake, minutes from DTLA. Couldn’t order in Taiwanese, was skeptical. But was slightly surprised. Shrimp dumplings had good sauce. Noodle texture was right on the Jia Jiang Mian and Dan Dan mian, but wasn’t the right noodle for me - but that’s just me. The luo ruo fan (braised pork over rice) was ok - preferred diced pork belly instead of ground pork. Sausage, cold sides, and drinks is good for the authentic experience, especially the Taiwan Apple Sidra. And enjoyed the scallion pancake 蔥油餅. Yes, I am Taiwanese and I have set a high bar and should. I’m glad to see so many non-Asians discovering, trying, and accepting Taiwanese food. I dig it. . .

Bavel, Downtown LA
Mediterranean

Bavel, Downtown LA

Wonderful dinner at Bavel, sister restaurant of Bestia. Unexpectedly refreshing Middle Eastern cuisine that we usually don’t have. We had foie gras halva and olives to start. Then we had my favorite - the Malawach flat bread. The grilled oyster mushrooms and grilled octopus was yummy. I want to reproduce the mushrooms at home, seriously. And finished off with the grilled lamb saddle chop - never had that before. Yum! Can’t wait to visit again. . .

April 9 posts
March 9 posts
Majordomo, Downtown LA
Fusion

Majordomo, Downtown LA

2nd time at Majordomo. Started with the Bread Bing with Benton’s Reserve Ham to go with a couple of drinks. Next up was the Tapioca Lo Mein - which was the standout of the night. The humongous Spicy Bo Ssäm (for 4-6 people) arrived. Though it was flavorful - it wasn’t as moist (fatty) as we would have liked. Then the requisite veggie dish came (finally) - the Marinated Mushrooms - which was better than expected. Then they stuffed us with the Japanese shaved ice dessert kakigöri, which was the only repeat from our first visit. Yummy but so full. 謝謝 to FYI pork butt = pork shoulder.

February 23 posts
Majordomo, Downtown LA
Fusion

Majordomo, Downtown LA

Dinner at David Chang’s Majordomo. We had 2 Bings - a smoked pork neck & fried egg and a eggs & smoked roe. Both were better than expected. Then had fried butter ball potatoes which had salsa seca and peanuts with interesting texture mix. The Jumeokbap - a DIY rice ball was a crowd pleaser. The black cod in paper, unfortunately not photogenic, had familiar and like-able Chinese or Asian flavors. We also mixed in some yummy fried onion rings. And we finished off the entrees with the popular crispy pork belly with lettuce leaves. We finished off this feast with the two desserts - the only ones available. A shaved ice with fruit - my favorite - that literally melted in your mouth (as soon as you touch it). And had an interesting cinnamon sweet bing (forgot the name) that was also memorable. We need another visit to try the other dishes, like the meats and noodles. Yummy and Yay!

January 32 posts
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Uncategorized

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Saving the best for last. saw amazing art all the while getting lost. David Hockney’s exhibit was especially interesting with his different art phases, including his LA images. Saw ancient Egyptian artifacts and art from 2500+ BC, with the 2 hippos and the huge mummy tomb. Got to see the “Thinker” from the sculptures from Rodin exhibit. And I believe the Met has more French Impressionist painting than MOMA, especially Monet. And went the American Wing and saw the great Washington Crossing the Potomac from history books.

dzine it, New York
Japanese

dzine it, New York

I can’t believe how cold it is in NYC. This is the fourth ramen shop we’ve tried. I had the Triple Pork Triple Garlic Mazemen and wifey had the spicy red chili ramen. We started with the Japanese Fried Chicken. All three had big bold flavors, which I believe is the “go big or go home” thought. The chicken felt Americanized, along the lines of something orange with the sweet crust. I liked the spicy red chili ramen more than my selection with the hearty broth. I did like the big chunk of pork and the soft boiled egg. Next time, I’d like to try the more traditional ramens.