hey carln,

There's a video demonstration on Adagio's webpage:

http://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenui...
(click on the green-colored "See It Work NEW VIDEO" button on the top-left =) )

hi all,

I'm thinking of purchasing the ingeuiTEA teapot ( http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/96bb/ ). I know that you can obviously purchase it online, but I was wondering if fellow CH'ers know of anywhere in LA that I can purchase it. I live near West LA / Santa Monica, so the closer the better, but I'll drive a good distance to get it.

Thanks, all! =)

Hi all,

I have a high-school friend from SF - whom I haven't seen for 10 years - who's flying down to Long Beach next Thursday nightand wants to meet up for food after she lands. Problem is, her flight touches down at 8PM and she still needs to pick up luggage, rent a car, blahblahblah...,so I doubt that she'll be available until after 9:30PM. She said that she's willing to drive anywhere from Long Beach to Torrance/Gardena (where I work), so that's nice of her.

Does anybody have any suggestions of relaxed places to go to and catch a bite to eat late at night? Ideally, somewhere chill and not to expensive; a place to have fun eating and chatting and catching up. Stuff like that. :) Thanks, all!

So I think I've been given a task that's literally impossible.

Our company in Torrance is hosting a meeting in January for ~40 people, and I've been asked to come up with recommendations for feeding all our guests. So far, I've been told that I need to find a "nice" lunch caterer (darnit...Seven Susans is too busy) and also recommendations on places to take them out for dinner.

So far I've only come up with the Depot & Restaurant Christine, as well as Sea Empress.

Oh, and here's what makes it impossible: Management would *prefer* if I stayed in the Torrance/Gardena area...which is a nightmare for me.

Do any fellow CH'ers have any advice before I go nuts? If it's outside the Torrance/Gardena area, it's okay. I'll just present them a list of places and tell them that it's impossible to stay in this area.

Thanks, all!

After reading some reviews about Funnel Mill on CH, I decided to stop by this past weekend (10/20/07).

By nature, I'm not a coffee drinker. Really dislike the stuff.
But I *do* like tea. Recently picked it up.

I gotta admit: The owners, JC and Theresa, really know their stuff. JC's expertise is the coffee, and Theresa's expertise is the tea.

After looking at their website, I was really interested in "Cha Dao", as I've never had it before. Theresa was SOOOO helpful. She did the whole ceremony and chatted with me for about 15 minutes, refilling my pot, refilling the cup, etc.

But not only did she merely do the actions of pouring, filling, etc...she even took her time to meticulously explain the characteristics, smell, and even taste of tea. I think she brewed 4 or 5 pots with me. She would ask questions to get me involved with the tea: "What do you taste when you drink this pot?", "Can you sense that the taste of the tea is changing?", etc.

As a somewhat newcomer to drinking tea, I really have to admit that it was not only a blast, but it was pleasure to be around someone who had a real passion of what they do. It's not like those boba places who churn out cup after cup of drinks, shout out your name, and send you on your way. Instead, JC & Theresa really take their time to have you fall in love and deeply appreciate the tea that's in front of you.

Is it a little pricey? Yes and no.
If you're interested in carrying out a cup of tea (which they fill in a styrofoam coffee cup), it's around $3. That's not a bad price.

If you're interested in staying a while and doing work and reading books and you purchase a pot of tea, it's around $10 - 15. And they refill your hot water. So if you sit there for 2 hours or you come with a group of friends, you could seriously crank out 20 or 30 cups of tea out of that $10 - $15. And keep in mind that because they don't use tea bags and they use real high-quality tea leaves, the flavor isn't some kind of wimpy tea that dies out over time, like you get at Denny's or any other place that just throws a generic tea at you.

They do have their own parking underneath the place, but it's somewhat limited. So double-check and cross your fingers and hope that you can grab one of the few spots. Otherwise, it's 25 cents for 20 minutes at the meters.

Note: JC & Theresa love their coffee & tea so much that they're already planning on how to put a mini-museum on the processes of developing tea/coffee and let everyone know how things work. Now that's called real dedication & passion!

All in all: Truly a hidden gem. Go and relax at by yourself or with your friends and support a great place and passionate people!

Funnel Mill
930 Broadway
Suite A (next door to a Karate place)
Santa Monica, 90401

M - F: 9AM - 9PM
Sat - Sun: 10AM - 7PM

-----
Funnel Mill
930 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA

Yeah, that coupon thing is really quite shady.

I went there last night with 6 friends. We had gone to LA Weekly's online page and printed out the coupon. But when we showed them the coupon, they said that they only accepted the newspaper coupon, not the online coupon.

Sort of shady, if you ask me. =P

Their food was...okay. But we didn't sit down until 9PM because everybody was running late, so to be fair, I'm not sure if the meat wasn't as tasty because it was sitting out for so long because we came in so late.

All in all...it's a nice place. But I probably won't go back for dinner.

I think that the only place that sells Vietnamese sandwiches on the west side is Pho 99 (On Wilshire Blvd, near Wilshire & Granville, in the same plaza as Buffet City).

But to be fair: I've never actually ordered their banh mi there, so I can't comment on how good or bad it is.

I know I'm a little late, but yup...this place has been sold and turned into a boba place called "Boba Time"

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/428303

On top of that, I heard that Chef Jamie Gwen will be broadcasting life from Melissa's Produce this Saturday (8/11) on KABC790 (11AM - 12:45PM), so I guess people can call in and have her ask Melissa's, to see when they might be getting the mangosteens:

http://www.chefjamie.com/ (White box on right-hand side)

oh, thank GOODNESS. I live right around the block from the WLA Vons and I always cringe when I walk in there. From the icy cold blast that hits you when you first walk in there, to the bright glaring lights throughout the store to the sometimes dirty and dusty overall environment of the place. I'm really looking forward to this remodeling!

Thanks, everybody, for your suggestions!! These recs are awesome, and I'll be printing them out before I get on my flight tomorrow!

(I had no idea that in Toronto, you can't serve alcohol after 2AM. Seems foreign to a LA native like me. Then again, maybe that just shows how weird us Los Angelenos are. heheh...)

"after hours"??

hi all,

I'll be going to Toronto later this week for a business conference and will be staying in the Sheraton right behind the Toronto City Hall, from Thursday --> early Sunday morning.

I've looked at the maps and know that Chinatown is really nearby and was wondering if I could ask for some advice from some fellow CH'ers in Toronto:

Our meetings are going to be really busy and really long, so I'd really appreciate recommendations of any Chinese eateries that are open really, really late and rather cheap? I'll probably be going by myself, so there's no need to go to any luxurious restaurants or banquet places. I'd be willing to go anywhere, even if it means going to any dirty "hole in the wall's"!!

And preferably, if it's in walking distance, that would be really extra bonus!

Thanks, all!

(P.S. With our beloved "Heavy Noodling" restaurant closing in Los Angeles, we have a severe lack of restaurants that serve "dao xiao mian" (knife-cut noodles). Do any restaurants serve this?)

And now...MP is a much poorer place (no more Heavy Noodling).

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/414131

Oh, for crying out loud!!! I live in the West-side and would always try to stop by Heavy Noodling if I was in the MPK area.

*Now* where's a West-sider like me going to go get some dao-xiao mien (knife-cut noodles)??!?!

I always like Siam Chan, on the corner of Colby & Santa Monica Blvd. But like everybody will say: Their pad thai is annoyingly sweet and pink-colored.

But I really like their food, overall. Their praram dish is good, if you like peanut-sauced dishes. Their junpu noodles are good, if you like a sour taste. Their eggplant isn't anything special, though. Their orange chicken is surprisingly good. Their BBQ chicken is pretty good, as well.

On top of that, any 99 Ranch will pork jerky, either dried or barbecued, and either in spicy or sweet, as well.

I find that the price of fruit at 168 (corner of Valley Blvd & New Ave) is darn good, as well.

Yup, I live around the block from them. I, too, believe that they're Iranian Jews, but I...too...haven't had the guts to ask. They close early on Fridays and are closed on Saturdays (Shabbat/Sabbath), but open from Sunday - Friday

Parking's a nightmare in that tiny lot, so if I'm driving from somewhere else, I either park in their back lot, or somewhere on the street. But the price of their produce is definitely worth the hassle.

Santa Monica Glatt Kosher Market
11540 Santa Monica Blvd
(corner of Santa Monica Blvd & Colby Ave.)
(West) Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 473-4435

Wow, that sounds great! I'll have to check it out some time.

Do you happen to know the hours that they're open?

Too bad that there's that teeny, tiny parking lot, where it's a nightmare to park your car...=P

Not definite if they do take-out or not, but I'm pretty sure that they do:

DJ Bibingkahan
840 B Carson St.
Carson, CA 90745
(310) 835-9190
[Here's a recent write-up on it: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/37169...

Tita Celia's
241 W. Carson St.
Carson, CA 90745
(310) 834-6289

What's the Address/Phone #?

There was a brief discussion about this maybe 2 months ago. Sadly...there's not much supply.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/371533

Yeah, it's convenient that such a tiny plaza has so many different stores there, including some great places to eat. You could order a cell phone upstairs, eat some xiao long bao downstairs at J&J, go over 3 stores to Lollicup for some drinks and then get a foot massage...and any one of the THREE foot massage stores in the plaza...

On a side note, if you want a good foot massage, you should go to the place across the street from JJ Cafe. It's quite nice to eat curry at JJ Cafe and then cross the street for a foot massage...

I agree.

Ranch 99
1340 W. Artesia Blvd.
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 323-3399

I like the Squid brand (green colored bottle, with a squid as its logo). It's not too harsh on the tongue. I've seen the Tiparos brand sold as well, but it's really concentrated, so I'd recommend buying it if you want a really strong fish sauce flavor. I'm supposed to stop by that market in the afternoon, so I can repost which brands are sold there.

I went there today (3/23/07) for lunch with a few of my co-workers. Some tips to keep in mind:

(1) Their Item # 1 (Beef Noodle Soup [niu rou mian] ) is what they're famous for. It's slightly burns in the back of your throat when you drink the first spoonful, but it's really, really good...and really addicting. 3 of us ordered this dish; 1 of us ordered the # 2 (Beef Noodle Soup with glass noodles); 1 of us ordered # 1 with flat, thick noodles; and 1 of us ordered # 1 with thin/"normal" noodles. We all agreed that the soup was really quite good. I would recommend not getting the glass noddles, because it's really nice to be have the flour-based noodles soak up some of the flavors from the soup.

(2) Their side dishes aren't spectacular; they're just okay. I ordered the green onion pancakes [cong you bing]. They were fresh and quite hot, but rather small and somewhat tasteless (needed a bit more saltiness).

(3) They also have a side bar, where you can order a side dish, like in most Taiwanese eateries. I think if you order 1 plate with only 1 item, it's $1.50, and if you order 1 plate with 3 items, it's $3.50. (I *think*...because I didn't order a side dish.) They offer a few different things, from mao er, to marinated thin slices of beef (the kind that you get in beef rolls [niu rou juan] to the long tofu strands that are cut like noodles (forgot what they're called)

(4) The place is really, really quite tiny. So our group of 5 had to wait a good 10 - 15 minutes before a table opened up.

(5) Most Importantly: They don't speak a word of English. Everybody that goes either needs to: (a) speak Mandarin, (b) bring someone who speaks Mandarin, or (c) eat food knowing that only pointing at things are as far as communication goes. Just an idea of what I mean: When you say the words, "Diet Coke," all they recognize is the word "Coke," and are going to bring you the red-colored can until you physically point to the silver-colored cans. Fortunately, I speak Mandarin, but I had to help out a table of non-Mandarin speakers figure out what to order.

All in all, if you're up for good food and up for a little fun with the language issue, it's really an awesome place to eat for beef noodle soup. One of my other (pregnant) co-workers asked us to bring back an order of pork-chopped steamed rice. When she dug into it, all I could hear was her munching and then, "Ohmygooooddddd....this is ssssooooo goooood...." and then more munching... So, apparently, their other dishes must be pretty good, too.

J R Seafood got bought out by Hop Li, so there's a name change and a slight change in their dishes.

My company has decided to have a lunch catered next week, and they want Chinese food. I've had it with them ordering repeated lunches from Panda Express or Hong Kong Express. Any Chowhounder's know of any places near the 405/110 that serve authentic Chinese food?

Please save me from the bland places that pretend that they know what Chinese food is!!
(Hopefully I'm not doomed anymore to seeing large pieces of chicken, with the breading falling off, smothered with a sauce of yellow-colored quasi "lemon-sauce" dripping over it...)

thanks, all!

Hmmm...I seem to be on a buffet craze recently...

Has anybody tried Angara Indian Restaurant in Torrance? They have a sign hanging that says that their lunch buffet is $7.95. Not sure if I should try it or not, so some friendly tips of advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Angara Indian Restaurant
2170 Torrance Blvd
(between Crenshaw & Western; about 3 blocks east of the railroad tracks)
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 320-9090

Intrigued by a co-worker's comment on seeing long lines at Grand World Buffet, I decided to go check them out last Friday. I went in around 2PM and finished lunch around 2:30PM.

FOOD VARIETY: (6/10)
There's about 7 "stations," offering (1) salad/appetizers/desserts, (2) potstickers, wontons, bao's, etc., (3 - 5) and about 3 stations offering hot food. They also have (6) a tiny sushi bar, and finally, (7) a Mongolian we-cook-the-food-you-pick BBQ station (which, apparently, wasn't in operation when I went.) And, oh...they have a generic ice cream machine, too.

DECOR: (7/10)
There's definitely ample amount of seating. They're definitely prepared for large groups of people, in case people want to celebrate parties or company lunches.

Okay...onto what really matters...

QUALITY OF FOOD: (4/10)

(1) Salad/appetizers/desserts: Ehhh...notice too spectacular. They had potato salad, seafood salad, kimchee, blahblahblah. Notice really outstanding. (5/10)

(2) Potstickers, wontons, bao's, etc.: Surprisingly, this was my favorite station...but perhaps for the wrong reasons. Letting food sit under a heat lamp obviously makes the food unsurprisingly dry and brittle...which is not what you'd expect potstickers to be. Crunchy?...yes. Crispy?...yes. Brittle?...No. But their potsticker sauce is quite good, and I found myself getting more potstickers, in order to look civil and not end up just drinking bowls of their sauce. (7/10)

(3 - 5) Hot food: This ended up being a smorgasbord of different food. Eggplant, General Tso's Chicken, Orange Chicken, Fried Rice, Chow Mein, Soup, Green Beans, Fries, Fried Crab Claws, Tofu, etc. Of course, being a Chinese-owned buffet place, most of the hot food was Chinese. And honestly...nothing really stood out. In fact, nothing really made me say, "Mmm...I'd like to get another serving of _____." It was just, "Eh." (4/10)

(6) Sushi: Geez...I know that Chinese-run buffets aren't known for their sushi, but come on, now...at least they could try?? They had about 8 different varieties of sushi, but the most authentic sushi roll that they had was the California Roll. 'Nuff said? No? Okay, well...they had rolls with carrots and daikon or something like that. They were just some really weird sushi rolls there... (2/10)

(7) Mongolian BBQ: I honestly have no idea, since no cook was there, so I couldn't test it out. (???/10)

So all in all, I really don't think I'd go back.

If I compare it to the Chinese-run buffets that sprouted up all over the place in Northern California (Uncle Sam's, Happy Buffet, Super Buffet, Crazy Buffet), I'd have to say that the quality is definitely lower by a notch or two. At least with Happy Buffet, with not-that-good-quality food, they had the special Fuzhou Fish Balls, that nowhere else had.

But Grand World just didn't have anything that stood out. Maybe their Mongolian BBQ might have been special...but I didn't have the chance to check it out.

My conclusion: If you're just in it for a cheap price and you want to have an unlimited amount of food, just go to Bamboo Garden on Hawthorne Blvd. The quality is barely better than Grand World Buffet, but at least you're paying $2 less for not-so-great food.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that my situation was an anomaly. Maybe I'll give it a 2nd chance...maybe...

Grand World Buffet
21577 Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 328-8533

Lunch: Mon - F = $7.49
Dinner: Mon - Th = $9.99; F = $11.49
Weekend Price: Ummm...I'm not sure...

Bamboo Garden
20535 Hawthorne Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90503
(310) 793-0811

Lunch: M - F = $5.99
(Not sure about other prices)