choctastic's Recent Activity
Chowhound Post
Berkeley chowhound seeks Orange County recs for this wkend
Actually, there are quite a few vegan/vegetarian Vietnamese restaurants in Westminster. I'm sorry if I gave the impression that there are only two. It's just that only two are "amazing", imho.
Chowhound Post
Berkeley chowhound seeks Orange County recs for this wkend
I'll be honest, while I appreciate how great Bulgarini is, I am a Scoops girl at heart. I'm just a sucker for this place and I think you would be too. Scoops is crazy, fabulous, inventive and uber cool. There's also a great vegan restaurant across the street. It's called Pure Luck and they have various beers on tap and this good (I would give it 3 out of 5 stars) barbecue pulled pork sandwich that's actually made from jackfruit.
Chowhound Post
Berkeley chowhound seeks Orange County recs for this wkend
Yeah, Ten Ten is not someplace I would direct a visitor to. I would rather take the extra 45 min to SGV and get a real meal at Elite, or if you'd rather, Seafood Harbour. I hear good things about that place that took over Triumphal Palace's space too. I also had what I thought was an excellent meal at King Hua, but others seem to dislike that place.
Chowhound Post
Berkeley chowhound seeks Orange County recs for this wkend
Double concur.
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Visiting SFer asks: What LA institutions are worth visiting?
Erm, I meant to say I NEVER got to hear those words. Not sure how the most crucial word in that sentence was left out.
Chowhound Post
Visiting SFer asks: What LA institutions are worth visiting?
Jongewaards has good pie. They also have a good red velvet cupcake.
Chowhound Post
Visiting SFer asks: What LA institutions are worth visiting?
Vegge Grill in Irvine made it all possible. That and hot vegan guys. I repeat. Hot. Vegan. Guys.
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Grocery Outlet, November 2009
Those Glutino cookies are absolutely horrible. Thank God I paid 50 cents at Grocery Outlet and not $4 for them at Mother's.
Chowhound Post
Berkeley chowhound seeks Orange County recs for this wkend
I do not think the dim sum in OC is very good, esp compared to what you can get in the San Gabriel Valley. My favorite in the SGV continues to be Elite Restaurant. I like how you can check off what you want on the list, hand it to the waiter, and then get hot food. Chasing cart ladies is overrated, even in the Bay Area. I personally think they have overall the best dim sum around. Go very early though. Very early.
I dunno about lunch but if you're going to be in Pasadena, I think that's close to Bulgarini Gelato. At least close for someone who is very food obsessed. Very small portions at Bulgarini, also quite pricey. But better than any other gelato I've had in California. Ici is okay, but Bulgarini is amazing. Actually another ice cream place I love, that Berkeley just doesn't have an equivalent for is Scoops Ice Cream, in LA proper. The owner is a Berkeley grad so it all ties in. The flavors are always interesting, sometimes spectacular. Avocado pale ale. I'll never forget that one. I also liked Banana Oreo Coffee, that was spectacular. And that was a vegan flavor!
Chowhound Post
Berkeley chowhound seeks Orange County recs for this wkend
While the selection is smaller at Annapoorna, I actually think that the food is better there. Even the desserts are better. I got tired of hard and stale gulab jamuns at Haveli. The gulab jamuns I had at Annapoorna yesterday were fluffy, delicate and basically perfect. Also, the sooji pudding was pretty tasty. By comparison, the ras malais that I had at haveli were quite hard. Also, if you even mention the coupon at Annapoorna, I think you could knock it down to $6.99 for lunch pp, but I guess only the real cheapskates like myself would think of that.
Just my $.02.
Chowhound Post
Berkeley chowhound seeks Orange County recs for this wkend
A visit to Santouka would be good because then you get to see Mitsuwa Market and all the other cool Japanese shops as well, all in one fell swoop. It's also close to Native Foods, and the anti-lab mall, if you're into such stuff.
Chowhound Post
Berkeley chowhound seeks Orange County recs for this wkend
Actually, the vegan scene here is a heck of a lot more vibrant than in the Bay Area. I'm not exactly sure why. I mean, we have vegan fast food! Veggie Grill was voted best restaurant in OC under $25, not just best vegan restaurant. NOTHING like it in the Bay Area, believe me, I've been keeping my radar out since I go up there semi-regularly.
Native Foods is almost as cool, go to the one in Costa Mesa. Mother's Market is right up your alley too. There's one in Irvine. However, the massive Whole Foods in Tustin has more variety.
Chowhound Post
Berkeley chowhound seeks Orange County recs for this wkend
Berkeley has its strengths and weaknesses.
Well, if OP likes Viks, you'll probably like the buffet at Dosa Place or the new Annapoorna in Irvine. I like Annapoorna a lot these days, but only for the lunch buffet ($8.99 without coupon, $6.99 with). I think dinner here is expensive, twice the price of Pioneer Blvd, in Artesia, for the same food. They give you a fresh paper dosa with lunch, and have a surprisingly decent sambar. Also, I like their chutneys. It's a great deal, and better food than Viks, imho, even though it's a buffet. In fact, Berkeley's Indian food scene is pretty weak, imho.
We don't really have anything like Ici here, not that I know of. If you want phenomenal gelato, you have to go to Bulgarini in Alta Dena, up near L.A. That place is amazing, better than Ici, in many respects. When I drive up to SF, I sometimes stop here.
The closest thing to Tartine is in LA (Huckleberry, opened by Tartine ex-employee, iirc). Cream Pan is a great Japanese style bakery, though not in the Tartine style. I haven't found a really excellent croissant in OC yet, though in its beginning stages, Pierre Patisserie et Boulangerie (Viet/French bakery) came damn close.
Fukada is right up your alley. Very busy though. Get there early. Handmade, organic soba noodles. The udon is pretty good too. Actually, the rice is good here, which sounds weird. I used to get the unagi don for lunch, with brown rice.
What you really can't get in Berkeley is Au Lac. It is one of two amazing vegan Vietnamese restaurants in Westminster. Their cooked food is great (go for lunch when it's cheaper) but their raw food is supposed to be amazing. I've only had one of the raw soups and it was decent, but I wasn't used to the idea of lukewarm soup. I think you would like this place. The other place I like is Thuyen Vien, but that is more out of the way. Very good food there, small portions though.
Actually, in Berkeley, you can't get good Vietnamese, period. I am not up on Vietnamese food, but surely someone will help you out here.
You can't get good Korean food either, but I can't really help you here either, even though I'm Korean. Haven't been out much lately.
Chowhound Post
Visiting SFer asks: What LA institutions are worth visiting?
If you get to Langer's, make sure you ask them to hand-slice it for you. I know, I know. Everyone says they do it anyway. But apparently they are special and I am not, because when I did not ask, I did not receive. Instead, I got machine-sliced. I did not like machine sliced. It was not as soft and luscious as hand-sliced. It was not as thickly sliced, either.
Chowhound Post
Visiting SFer asks: What LA institutions are worth visiting?
Yeah, if you don't get there right when they say they're going to be at a location, it could be a two hour wait for a relatively mediocre taco.
Chowhound Post
Visiting SFer asks: What LA institutions are worth visiting?
Even though I agree with Mr. Taster (I can't remember when that parking lot was full, but I don't go to Langer's anymore as a vegan), the fact that you go to such lengths to get a Langer's sandwich earns my respect. I'll utter words that I myself got to hear in high school, "U R 2 cool".
Chowhound Post
Place to find Eggless Cake in OC
This restaurant is entirely vegan so yes everything is meat-free, dairy-free and egg-free. I really like their carrot cake, which is the one they usually have. I heard they had chocolate cake too, but I've never seen it.
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Your tried and true Cook's illustrated Best recipes.
Definitely the vodka crust. A revelation.
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Why do my brownies always turn out this way?
Use a bigger pan.
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Best Pizza in Los Angeles (& surrounding)????!!
Since this thread says LA and surroundings, I'll say that in OC, the best I've had so far is at Pizza e Vino, in Rancho Santa Margarita of all places. Very good.
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Good dim sum near downtown SF? (other than Yank Sing)
I think City View is underrated on this board. Hugh Lipton is the only big fan I think. It's not Koi Palace, but in the Chinatown area, it's probably my favorite.
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Best chocolate chip cookie in LA?
Where do you get these? I tried Veggie Grill's chocolate chip cookie ($2) and it didn't have enough chocolate chips in it, though it was definitely moist and chewy.
Chowhound Post
Berkeley: Chocolatier Blue Fall flavors - Apple ice cream and Candy Cap mushroom bon bons
thank you for the updates on this place. It is a definite must-try for the next time i am in town.
Chowhound Post
Grocery Outlet, November 2009
Oh that roasted pear ice cream is sooo awesome. Too awesome.
I also am loving the Dagoba chai bar. However, it is very sweet. I personally love very sweet things, but most people would pass on this one.
Chowhound Post
October 2009 Grocery Outlet
Exactly. I've had chocolate bars for a couple of years and they were just fine. My palate isn't refined enough to detect much, if any, deterioration.
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Diners, Drive-Ins and Dive Type Places Around Newport Beach
Okay, okay, I take it back. It's not a crappy strip mall. Jeesh.
Servorg, I have not been to to the restaurant, however I have heard very good things about it and seen lots of great-looking pictures of the food. In my response to the previous poster, I was just pointing out the location, since i pass by it all the time.
Chowhound Post
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dive Type Places Around Newport Beach
The Break of Dawn isn't in Newport Beach though. It's in a crappy little strip mall in Laguna Hills, no view unless you count cars.
Chowhound Post
Food Network's Sandra Lee ... contrarian? Sandra Lee says "NO WAY!" to generics.
Well, if you browse through her cookbooks (I wouldn't recommend actually buying them), you'll see that every ingredient called for in her recipes is associated with a brand name. Every single ingredient.
Chowhound Post
Best Vegan Desserts?
Actually Oreos, not just the TJ ones but the real ones, are vegan as well.
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Best Chocolate
I've tried the vegan flavors. I want to support my vegan peeps but from what I've had of the vegan flavors, I am not very happy at all. These things are $2 a pop and they're relatively poor quality chocolate, poorly executed, and the fillings are almost sickly sweet.
