RacerX's Profile
Peking Duck?
I'm visiting tomorrow and I usually hit one of my usual stops for chinese in the Spring Mountain Road, but one dish I haven't yet sampled in Sin City is Peking duck - any places worth checking out?
No limits as to location and price.
TIA!
PRIME RIB
When I was working out in Torrance, I stumbled upon some great prime rib at The San Franciscan, and old school pub/restarurant. Definitely not Lawrys in terms of ambience; its a dark, but comfortable locals place, with a somewhat older clientele.
Prime rib portions were very generously sized and perfectly cooked and tender. And a half pound dinner is less than 20 bucks and includes soup or salad, and choice of potato. Plus they're also open for lunch.
I've been trying to find something similar in my neck of the woods in the SFV with little success.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-san-franciscan-torrance
Awesome news for ramen lovers in the Valley!!
Well I just had dinner at Yamadaya Sherman Oaks last night. The waitress said this was only the second day they were open. They only had a "soft opening menu" but all my fav dishes were available: the assorted versions of ramen, the melt in your mouth kakuni, and the karaage. And all the dishes compared well to the versions I've had in Torrance and Culver City.
The place isn't very big - maybe 8 to 10 two top tables. As Jwsel mentioned, the parking lot isn't large but I was able to get in and out pretty easily; not sure how its going to be when all the neighboring store fronts are occupied. But on the other hand, I don't recall the Torrance or Culver City locations having great parking situations either.
Awesome news for ramen lovers in the Valley!!
I'm so glad my favorite ramen establishiment, Yamadaya has decided to expand into the Valley! Between Yamadaya and Jinya I can finally stay on this side of the hill to get my noodle fix!
http://la.eater.com/tags/ramen-yamadaya
Doing Jury Duty in San Fernando and Need Lunch Recs
Hey all,
I'm in San Fernando courthouse this week and while there's lots of dining options within walking distance, I was wondering what my fellow Hounds would recommend in the area.
I'm open to all cuisines; would love to find a good Italian option, and would be blown away if there's good Asian/chinese food to be had.
TIA
Top Five L.A. Sandwiches?
I recently found my new favorite LA area sandwich at Mario's Deli on Broadway in Glendale. IMO, they have sandwiches that rival Bay Cities, my favorite being a roast pork sandwich that is seriously tasty. The pork reminds me of the kind you find in cuban restaurants - very juicy and very flavorful.
Mario's is a italian market very similar to Bay Cities but without the crowds and the hassle.
Art's Subs in Woodland Hills
Agree with brwencino, Art's Subs is meh.
If you want a good sandwich, there are a few better options in the area, including Dan's Subs on Ventura and Shoup which has good hot and cold sandwiches.
Two other good options are actually italian markets with a sandwich counter. One is Cavaretta's Italian Groceries on Sherman Way near Topanga, and the other is Cricca's Italian Deli on Topanga south of Ventura Blvd.
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Art's Subs
20855 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Uni...great places for it (not only for sushi)
A great casual option I found if you're ever in the South Bay is Spoon House in Gardena. Its a small japanese pasta place that had an amazing dish of spaghetti with cod roe and uni.
Very reasonably priced and great asian/italian fusion. And best of all, you can get a lunch for around $10 plus tax and tip.
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Spoon House
1601 W Redondo Beach Blvd, Gardena, CA 90247
Good beet salad?
Wow, lots of promising places to check out! I didn't realize the Westside had so many beet worthy salad options!
Question regarding Lemonade - I noticed there are several locations; are they all the same or are some branches better than others?
Good beet salad?
I love beets and I've been craving a good beet salad.
The best version I had so far was at Zelos Pizza in Arcadia of all places. I'm a big fan of their thick, corn meal crust pizzas and try to stop by whenever I'm in the area. A few months ago I saw they had a beet salad on the menu and it was awesome. Generous amount of sliced, roasted beets and lettuce, sprinkled with goat cheese and nuts..
Arcadia's too far to make it a regular stop for me so I'm looking for other options, preferably in the SFV or the Westside.
PLEASE POST YOUR VOTES HERE: Ultimate Los Angeles Restaurants 2010
Over 25
Mastro's steakhouse
Lawry's
Westside Tavern
Waterloo and City
Lucques
Under 25
Sushi Gen
Din Tai Fung
Bay Cities Italian Deli
Langer's
Umami Burger
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Lucques
8474 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Umami Burger
850 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Westside Tavern
10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Mastros Restaurant
2087 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Waterloo and City
12517 W Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90066
Short ribs????
Lucques' short ribs are excellent.
Another option is the short rib pot roast at Weside Tavern - massive portion and quite tasty. Very tender, served on a bed of mashed potatoes and veggies.
http://www.westsidetavernla.com/
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Lucques
8474 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Duck confit
If you want to buy Saint Amour's duck confit to go, he sells them in a vaccum sealed bag, $8 for two leg/thigh pieces.
I bought a pack after reading Will's glowing review and they were delicious. I simply heated them up in a cast iron skillet to warm them and crisp up the skin. And while its definitely not low cal, it wasn't as fatty as I expected.
Cuban roast pork with crispy skin?
While visiting Miami earlier this year, I sampled several Cuban eateries, but the dish that blew me away the most during my visit was a roast pork dish that came with some crispy skin attached. The skin was reminiscent of what you would find in a chinese roast pork.
Are there any cuban eateries that have something comparable? I know pork is big in Cuban cooking but I want the crispy skin as well and so far I haven't seen anything. Bonus points if its in the SFV.
I've been to Casa Don Rolondo in North Hills based on other board recs and they had a great arroz con pollo but no pork with crispy skin, and I've called El Ciroillo in Van Nuys and they said they didin't do it with the roast skin on.
TIA!
Amber's Broasted Chicken?
My go to choice for broasted or fried chicken in the SFV is My Brother's BBQ in Woodland Hills. The bbq itself wouldn't past muster for a true que afficionado (although its more than passable for me) but the chicken is excellent.
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My Brothers Bar-B-Q
21150 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Steve Doggie-Dogg (moved from L.A. board)
So glad to see you posting here Steve!! Your voice has been missed.
Steve Doggie-Dogg (moved from L.A. board)
No indications from either of the web sites Steve Doggie-Dogg (real name Stephen Worth) maintains. His other pet project, the Animation Archive still lists him as Director, and there are recent posts with his byline.
http://hotdogspot.com/
http://www.animationarchive.org/
Hopefully this is just a false rumor. I'd seen him in the past at the Toluca Lake Bob's Big Boy.
Any Good Peking duck to be found in the SFV?
I know this may be a bit futile considering there's not much in the way of good Chinese eats to start with here in the SFV but Peking duck is one of my favorites and I'm wondering if there's any decent versions available in the Valley? I've tried it at Sam Woo in Van Nuys and it was alright, but nothing spectacular.
I know if I drive a bit I can be in duck heaven in the SGV but I'm feeling lazy and am crossing my fingers.
TIA
Found - Excellent XLB in Chinatown Las Vegas
Thanks estone!
Will try New Shanghai, and J&J too!!
Found - Excellent XLB in Chinatown Las Vegas
Thanks estone for the heads up! I was just gonna post to see if there were any decent XLB's to be found in Vegas.
How does New Shanghai's version compare with Din Tai Fung, my standard reference point?
Pioneer Chicken Sunset near Fountain
Oh man, say it isn't so!! The branch just a mile away on Echo Park Ave. closed last year. I heard that there was supposed to be a location somewhere on Olympic and another in Bell Gardens.
I know Pioneer has a lot of detractors but I'm so bummed that they're gone.
PLEASE POST YOUR VOTES HERE: Ultimate Los Angeles Restaurants 2009
I'm guessing one of them has to be Casa Bianca.
As for the other, maybe Joe's??
Corned beef hash??? ANyone??!
In the valley, I've found the hash at Cici's Cafe in Tarzana to be very good. Definitely a different animal from the typical canned version.
Other than the hash, Cici's has a great breakfast menu - its always busy on the weekends.
http://ciciscafe.com/
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Cici's Cafe
18912 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91356
PLEASE POST YOUR VOTES HERE: Ultimate Los Angeles Restaurants 2009
Thanks for taking the time to do this Max!
Over $25
1 Mastros Steakhouse
2 Lawry's Prime rib
3 Lucques
4 Westside Tavern
5 Orris
Under $25
1 Langer's
2 Philippe the French dip
3 Bay Cities deli
4 Sam Woo (I know its a chain but the Van Nuys branch is the best chinese greasy spoon in the SFV)
5 Swan Restaurant (great Thai in North Hollywood)
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Sam Woo Cafe
727 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Mastros Restaurant
2087 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
A Quick Look at Mazzarino's
Great write up ReelMike!
Can I ask how big the bill came to?
And do they do lunch?
TIA
Moving to West Hills. Need suggestions.
For really good, but pricey sushi, there's Go's Market on Sherman Way and Shoup Ave. Its located in a mini mall and its really just a tiny market with a small sushi bar.
Also on that corner near Go's is Nico's Family Retaurant, decent option for breakfast and light lunch.
Lastly, across the street from Nico's, in the mall next to Ralphs is a decent deli, Weiler's. Good breakfasts, soups and sandwiches there. It's not Brent's, but its more conveinent if you're in the neighborhood, and I actually find it to be pretty solid. Also there's not the long wait that Brent's often has.
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Nico's Family Restaurant
7166 Shoup Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91307
Go's Mart
22330 Sherman Way # C12, Canoga Park, CA
Weiler's Deli Restaurant
22323 Sherman Way Ste 25, Canoga Park, CA 91303
any good food that isn't a chain in calabasas or woodland hills
A couple of casual spots I like are California Pita Grill and California Chicken Cafe. Both are technically mini-chains, with a few locations, but both are decent choices for a casual lunch.
For sushi, I like Sushi Ichiban Kan, on the border between Woodland Hills and Tarzana. Not as good as Shibuya, but quite a bit cheaper.
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California Pita & Grill
21753 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Sushi Ichiban Kan
19723 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA
California Chicken Cafe
22333 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Inexpensive Sushi in Sherman Oaks for Birthday Monday Night
link
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Sushi Ichiban Kan
19723 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA
Inexpensive Sushi in Sherman Oaks for Birthday Monday Night
Hey Emme,
Not in Sherman Oaks, but a bit further west in Tarzana/Woodland Hils is Sushi Ichiban Kan.
Very solid menu - they offer cookd dishes but their stand out items for me are the sashimi,chirashi, and nigiri sushi. Very reasonable priced and a nice room, good for a small group.
http://sushiichiban-kan.com/default.aspx
Any Suggestions for Late Nite DIning in the Bay Area?
We're a group of SoCal 'hounds coming up for 4 or 5 days at the end of the month. We're staying in SF proper but are willing to venture out beyond the city.
We're planning on sampling as much as we can of the Bay Area's best dining, but I was wondering if there are any late nite options? We're all pretty flexible in terms of price and types of cuisine.
TIA!
