smiling ed's Profile
Name This Restaurant aka the foolish diner
Rose Champagne can be pricey Don Ruinert and Krug ect I guess $200 at retail. Chinois on
Main has some pricey selections. Years ago at the Scandia I ordered California Lobster and
didn,t notice the lb symbol below the price ouch but it was best and biggest lobster I ever had.
'
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Chinois
2709 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Little Italy Bencotto or Davanti Enoteca
Tks for the comments. Went to Bencotto and had a good time. El Chevere is right on. In general
would return but my wife was really turned off by the pumpkin ravoili. Too sweet and the dough
was gummy. I had black tagliatelle with a shrimp tomato sauce. While the pasta was very good
the sauce with tons of very good shrimp was a little rich. The overall experience service and
vibe was very positive and the prices were fair. I look forward to returning to Bencotto on
our next visit to San Diego. Also tried Craft and Commerce on Friday. I need to return
to this place too to figure it out . ( why no fish except mussels?) Tks all
Little Italy Bencotto or Davanti Enoteca
Visiting Chowhound. From recent posts guessing these are two good choices in Little Italy. Both
seem to have interesting menus please comment its one or the other as within short distance of
our hotel.Tks
Chowtastic Recs for Tarzana/Reseda
Shamshiri Persian on Tampa and Roscoe is very good. I like the whitefish for lunch. Also
BCD tofu on Saticoy and I think Lindley is also very reasonable and the Greenland marketplace on Sherman Way and White Oak has an Korean Restaurant in the plaza. You
have a great epicenter to find numerous small restaurants in the area.
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Shamshiri Restaurant
19249 Roscoe Blvd, Northridge, CA 91324
Visiting LA Chowhound Little Italy
Any good eats in Little Italy? A few weeks ago we visited San Diego for first time in ten years.
Got lucky on recs from this board and went to Hobsons and the Grant Grill and El Pescador
in La Jolla. Would definateley return to all three.
The gaslight district seems to have some interesting wine bars? Any good Italian in the Gaslight?
Where Can We Buy a Few Hundred Pounds of Hatch Chili Cheaply?
I just bought hatch chilies at Jons for 1.00 lb very good and very hot
Tomato sauce HELP!!
Start with sauteing some garlic and onion in olive oil. You can then add sausage, chicken
a nd a pork chop. Add tomatoes spices wine and cook for several hours for a typical
ragu. Some also add puree.
European Deluxe Sausage Kitchen
located in a small storefront on 9109 Olympic in Beverly Hills is a real German smokehouse
with all kinds of sausages and smoked meats. They have an impressive walkin smoker
in back of the store. We bought a german wurst they called summer sausage and some
italian sausage. Located near Beverly on Olympic and on the same side as Vendome any
fan of german food should check it out. Its been there for at least 10 years and not posh
by any means and the prices are very fair.
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European Deluxe Sausage Kitchen
9109 W Olympic Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Where can I find fresh octopus?
Greenland market on Sherman way and white oak has baby octopus very reasonable.also
The mini food court has a Chinese place that I really enjoy for their fresh made noodles in soup.the market is mainly Korean.
SANTA MONICA SEAFOOD- For those with more money than brains
Try Ralphs on Bundy and SM Blvd. My local Ralphs has decent wild caught Red Snapper
from Canada at $6.99 per lb and the Salmon is ok too. But you need to find out the best
days to go. In the past American Fish was Ralphs main seafood supplier but recently that
may have changed. Also a lot depends on the staff maning the fish department and whether
they put the fish directly on the ice or not. I will not buy fish sitting on ice it should be on
a tray or something not on the ice but many at Ralphs don`t bother.
Anything good to eat in Thousand Oaks?
My wife loves Tuscany in Westlake Village also Saddlepeak Lodge in Calabasas for steaks
these are rather expensive but good. For fun and pub grub check out Ladyface Brewery in
Agoura Hills> Stick to fare like burgers and fries the microbrewery has a good vibe and is fun.
Best Chinese Restaurant in Southern California?
Sea Harbour is clearly in a class by itself when it comes to Dim Sum and I would venture the
guess its one of the best in the USA. I once asked the manager if his food was as good as his
sister restaurants in China which I believe are in Peking and he said the Restaurant in Peking
was much larger seating 500 and had a much bigger selection of DimSum as they could employ
more people. I found Sea Harbour by accident when driving down Rosemead and saw a parking
lot overflowing with expensive cars and checked it out and have been a happy customer ever
since then and by the way the service is terrific too and the prices also beyond fair.
Sushi question - with a few stipulations.
Sushi Go 55 is outstanding and they have a few cooked dishes like spider roll and fried oysters
while not in the same league I like Noshi Sushi on Beverly and they have Tempura and the prices
are very reasonable. The rolls are huge its like a family style sushi place that has been there
foreever ,warning cash only. Regarding Mori this place is in my opinion overpriced with attitude.
It really has snob appeal although I must say the fish quality is good but the portions so small you
can hardly see them. My Japanese friend an expert says Sushi in LA is in serious decline with
only 4 or 5 being worthwhile. He says the orginal owner of Katsu is one of the people to follow.
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Sushi Go 55
333 S Alameda St Ste 317, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Noshi Sushi
4430 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004
Katsu
306 Rosecrans Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Oysters stir fried with ginger garlic and green onion.
My addition of sugar was about 1tsp per pot maybe 2 at most for about a quart of tea so this is not
coca cola sweet but seemed to refresh my palate during the meal. However being from Italian
parents I will never accept the idea of pineapple on pizza so I know where your coming from.
Oysters stir fried with ginger garlic and green onion.
Thanks for the info on the oysters,salmon and adding sugar to tea. Regarding adding milk to Chardonnay you might be surprised that skim milk or casein is a fining agent that is added
to Chardonnay in Burgundy to reduce bitterness before bottling. Gelatin along with some
tannin is also used depending on the wine. Personally I only recently had the nerve to ask
for sugar in a good Chinese Restaurant like Sea Harbour but their Jasmine tea is a little harsh
and the sugar rounds it out a liitle.
Oysters stir fried with ginger garlic and green onion.
I have always enjoyed this dish at Full House Seafood in Chinatown but wonder if there are
places in SGV I might check out. Also I have never seen Salmon in Chinese Restaurant and I
assume its not popular?Another question for the experts why don`t the Chinese add sugar to the
tea while I`m told the Chinese don`t like really dry wine. A lifetime fan of most things Chinese.
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Full House Seafood Restaurant
1220 S Golden West Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007
Salt Alternatives...Salternatives?
In my case I tried to go the same route to get my blood pressure down by reducing salt intake.
Finally I ended up taking a beta blocker and a another drug and the blood pressure dropped like
a rock. That being said I still avoid processed meats and also cut back on fermented products
like soy sauce. Spicy condiments like tabasco sauce have tons of flavor but are low in sodium
and they are claimed to be good for weight loss. I also have to watch what I eat because of gout.
Still I`ve discovered new things like buckwheat kasha which is yummy and the old standbys like
whole wheat pasta, homemade paella make life interesting not to mention good wine, beer ect.
MSG and ramen: Particularly high levels or no?
re kmcarr yes I had in mind the amines in general caused by bacterial conversion of
amino acids. the level of amines produced is very dependent on the strain of bacteria
prevelent. I understand pedioccus is a spoilage bacteria while lactic acid bacteria less
so. By proper food preparation the amine levels can be kept at low safe levels. All fermented
foods and beverages have some levels of amines. In my case I must avoid soy sauces
which is semi tragic because we have some of the best chinese and korean restauants
here in LA.
MSG and ramen: Particularly high levels or no?
MSG is a worth avoiding but recently learned that many oriental foods like soy and fish sauces
have very high levels of histamines. One article mentioned scombroid poisoning which has the
typical msg symptoms face flushing shorthness of breath ect. There is lots of info on the net
about biogenic amines. Perhaps msg gets the bum wrap when the real problem is histamines. In my
case I had to greatly curtail my outings to Korean ,Chinese and Vietanese Restaurants.
Fermented fish sauce
Fish Sauce tks for the info . Several articles say the fish sauce from a small island phu quoc
called nuoc man in Viet Nam is very good. The internet has very interesting info under
fermented fish sauce.One article from Taiwan mentioned almost all fermented fish products
they analized had more than 50 ppm the fda limit for histamine and one had 1000ppm. This can
cause scombroid poisoning. The amines are a bi product of fermentation and are found in
most fermented products. No wonder this stuff is cheap but it does taste good.
Fermented fish sauce
Roughly commercial low end sauces use extracts of anchovies ect while the authentic is made from
a barrel of fermented anchovies and other small fish and lots of salt and after the fish breakdown
the liquid is drawn off and bottled. I beleive this is similar to garum which the ancient Romens
used with many of their foods
Fermented fish sauce
Looking for high quality fish sauce made from fermented whole fish and available inLA area.
I have read that the standard items found in markets like 99 ranch for around $5 is not the
real thing. Thanks
Boulder - October 8-10
We recently visited Boulder for first time and tried several resaurants listed by chowhound.
My pick is Salt, then Ten Ten Brasserie.The Med is fun while the kitchen is very uneven. In
fact the Pasta dish and the roasted vegetable with Harrissa was so salty we had to send it back.
However their French Fries are very good. And the staff were very nice too. I`m guessing
we picked the wrong dishes on the wrong night. Boulder is a great town and I was surprised
how knowledgeable the staff were about the vast beer selections available.
Noshi Sushi.....anyone been lately?
Noshi is in a time warp. Cash only ,same decor and the prices are the same. I still enjoy going there
and they stay open all afternoon throught dinner. I usually order the salmon uni albacore salad and
yellowtail rolls. Large portions and fair prices. I always sit at a table and order from the sushi list. I
have learned to avoid the miso soup. I also like their green tea. Where can you get Chirashi for $9.00?
Not for sushi snobs you know who you are!
Tomatoes in LA Ventura County
Need good source for Roma and Heirloom Tomatoes at reasonable prices.Are there any outlets for
Heirlooms in produce market in downtown LA?
Micro-Brewery & Gastropub
Nope I`ve only had the fries but all the foods look good and the prices are low and the
portions huge. Wish I found it 20 years ago.
Micro-Brewery & Gastropub
The Micro-Brewery is on the junction of Kanan and Agoura Rd in Agoura Hills. I find the
IPA (India Pale Ale?) very tasty very hoppy and slightly bitter. On Wednesdays they
tap a small keg every week. The happy hour prices start at 3.00 and the prices are a great
value $3.00 a pint for the IPA and $3.00 for their Belgium Fries a huge portion. Other items
are $3.00 to $5.00. The fries are just ok something missing, but not greasy. The place
has a young Brewmaster, Dave and the wait staff is very friendly and overall it has a very
good laid back vibe.
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Ladyface Alehouse & Brasserie
29281 Agoura Rd, Agoura Hills, CA 91301
You would have a hard time finding _________in Los Angeles...
Wise Potato Chips I have not seen them in LA . The orginal version from the fifties were
the ones most people bought in NJ. They were extra thin and crispy with lots of salt and
oil. Now I buy the costco brand. Wise has a website that outlines their history.
You would have a hard time finding _________in Los Angeles...
You would have a hard time finding Blue Fish in LA.
Restaurant in Marina to watch Laker game
LA Chowhound will be in Marina area and would like to watch Laker game and have dinner too.
Someplace like Perry's or Balboa Cafe .Pls comment tks.
