agarose2000's Profile
Sam Wo's
Those rice noodle rolls (cheong fun) run for $4.50 on the peninsula just south of SF.
Best cheong fun in the peninsula?
Anybody got recs for best cheong fun on the peninsula?
Best value also wins!
I've liked cooking papa in santa clara
Cheong fun - Anybody making it at home?
Anybody making chinese Cheong Fun (rice noodle rolls, often served at dim sum) at home?
I've been dissatisfied with my home-made versions, and am looking for tips to improve it.
Cooking Papa Restaurant (HK-style food), Santa Clara
I went here yesterday on a neighbor's suggestion.
This place is excellent, and "authentic." Not expensive, and very ethnic. Might be too ethnic for those looking for Americanized food, but for people looking for the real deal, this place is fabulous.
But don't take my word for it - just go for lunch on any weekday - I went on a Monday, arrived 10:55AM, which is 5 minutes before the doors open, and there were already 8-10 people waiting outside. By 11:05AM, the parking lot was nearly full. As well, the people packing this place aren't yuppies looking for the next hidden exotic gem - most of them are staunch regulars, and mostly Chinese.
Service is minimal, and prepare to flag down waiters for anything you need. Not a problem, though - they responded to my requests rapidly.
I had a preserved egg congee here which I don't think could be done any better for its simplicity, an excellent rice noodle around a you-tiau asian donut, and a fantastic noodle dish. Even better is looking at the neighboring tables food - there's some awesome stuff here!
The website is actually very helpful - they have photos of most of the delectables that you can order, along with their prices.
Help me plan a group event with my limited budget
Was wondering if anybody could help me with ideas for organizing a group event for 50 people from my workplace.
Morning/early afternoon event, around 10AM-2PM
Westside LA, Malibu, or West Hollywood are locales - can't go much farther than that
Brunch and a separate area for our party
We need a space of some sort, but we are really limited by budget. Probably $1200ish including food.
We looked into the Malibu Center and a few restaurants, but had no takers in our price range. Is there any creative venue or restaurant that I should be considering?
Fritto misto - Why?
It's probably a bit over-rated. However, there are bright spots on the menu that can make it worth it (for some).
- Pumpkin ravioli
- HUGE salad portions
- Dietary restriction accomodations
- Good location, especially given the reasonable price
Where to shop for Chinese Ingredients
Are the really no places at all near the Westside to buy chinese groceries? Not a single one?!
I do know of a few Japanese groceries such as Mitsuwa, and the places on Sawtelle, but I don't know any places for chinese groceries whatsoever in the Westside.
Can't make a good congee
With regards to the pork (or chicken?) - I've noticed that in my favorite congees, there are tiny threadlike strands of pork in the congee. They're supersoft, and I suspect they're contributing heavily to the flavor.
However, when I put in pork meat into my congee, it invariably ends up like a solid chunk, nothing at all like the thready meat I'm finding. What am I missing? (I cut it up into small strips, but I just end up with overcooked small strips of hard meat!)
Can't make a good congee
Do these dried scallops come in bags at the Asian grocery? And are they hard to find?
Can't make a good congee
I've tried various recipes for asian congee (rice porridge), and none of them even approach the sort of subtle flavors I get at restaurants.
I've tried using chicken broth, salt water, and various meats/veggies, but they usually end up tasting like salty boiled rice with included ingredients. Ok, it's not that bad, but it's definitely not quite at the level of subtle flavors that I'm looking for.
The texture is definitely correct (roughly 10:1 water:rice ratio) but I can't seem to get it right. Is there a secret step somewhere - like letting the mix sit overnight, or some missing ingredient? (I tried MSG, but it still didn't taste quite right.)
I also suspect the solution won't be hard to come by - the congees I've loved from restaurants all have looked very simple, with very few ingredients. Definitely NOT chicken-broth based.
What else besides meat is heavenly in the cast-iron skillet?
I've become an absolute convert to the cast-iron skillet for all things meat-related. It's really shocking to experience how much easier , consistent, and flavorful meat cooked in the cast-iron skillet tastes compared to thin non-stick pans.
I was wondering if I'm missing out on any other foods that are commonly cooked in the cast-iron skillet and come out particularly heavenly compared to being cooked in a non-stick pan - besides meat.
Is this normal for my cast-iron skillet?
Thanks all. I had wrongly assumed that my plastic spatula would be good for my cast-iron skillet. Turns out I can go "hardcore" on it - will get get a metal spatula for sure! Love the idea about the "fond" - I have also definitely noticed that the stuck layer is the BEST in terms of flavor and richness, and have actually been scraping it off as I go along (with a spoon!)
Is this normal for my cast-iron skillet?
I've recently taken to cooking meat (sausage, chicken, beef) in my cast-iron skillet. It's an old one that I inherited from a friend, but I properly cleaned it, then cooked a lot of bacon in it (at least two packs over 2 weeks) as well as added some on-stove time with canola oil for 20-30 mins at a time at low heat to season it.
It seems to go non-stick just until the meat starts to really develop a nice brown on the outside (yum!) Unfortunately, after that, while the meat continues to brown excellently, I start to develop some adherent meat layer on the pot. It scrapes off eventually, but it doesn't come off with a plastic spatula.
I was wondering if others had this problem of an adherent meat-layer when they cook chicken breasts or sausage. As I said, it only develops when the meat really browns - before that point, the meat is sliding around well.
PS - I'll also point out that although some post-cooking scraping is required to clean the skillet, it still seems to retain that smooth oily sheen after a quick rinse with water. (No detergent.) I store it with a thin oil layer on top.
Decent Lo Mein on the Westside?
I think Hop Woo is one of those underappreciated restaurants that the ethnic Asian crowd seems to somehow always know about. In terms of Asian food on the westside, this is the closest I've found - they've even got the BBQ specials hanging in the window.
Alas, their lo mein is nothing special at best, and even on the "weak" side for me. They do very well with seafood and more ethnic dishes (my friend ordered them - I don't even know if they're on the menu!), but the lo mein is definitely not up to those standards.
quick vote: triumphal palace or sea harbour?
I went to Elite today (Sat) for the first time. I haven't been to Triumphal palace. There were no real pushcarts at Elite on Sat (not sure about Sun) - I ordered off a tick-box menu which had pretty much everything on it.
A bit pricier than I'd expected (I'm cheap), though. I managed to put down $25 of food as a single person without gorging.
I definitely prefer Ocean Star to Elite. Elite definitely puts a bit more "stuff" into their dim sum (the congee has a lot more veggies than I'd expected, and some of the dumplings had some different textures than what I was used to), but I think I prefer the simpler standards after eating them for so long.
Westside Italian restaurants with BIG serving sizes?
Went over to C&O yesterday for some serious carbo-loading. I took onto their "Gargantuan" (yes, that's the official size on the menu) linguini with clam sauce ($21.50) . I liked it - comparable, if not better than any others I've tried here on the Westside, and definitely a lot less expensive. I'd guesstimate that it would probably be enough to serve 4 normal diners, and likely 6-8 smaller diners. I got through 70% of it and took the rest home.
The garlic knots that they give you for free are probably the best part of C&O. Fresh out of the oven, tasty, and unlimited. The servers will give you as much as you want, and when I took my plate to go, he even reminded me to grab a whole plateload of extra garlic rolls to take home with me!
Thanks for the rec - I found it to be just what I was looking for. Nice website at http://www.cocucina.com/index.html
Westside Italian restaurants with BIG serving sizes?
Looking for a Westside Italian restaurant that has BIG servings. I used to live in Boston, and remember having some truly enormous plates of pasta being served at some of those restaurants - I'm wondering if there's anything similar here in LA (that also tastes good and doesn't cost an arm and a leg!)
Any late night noodles (Westside and nearby?)
I was wondering if anybody had any recommendations for late night noodles, either on the Westside or within a 15-20 minute drive after 9PM. I know that many places close around then, but I occasionally have friends and other folks flying in from out of town who seem to request late night noodles, and I'm always disappointed in that I can't deliver.
I guess if noodles are out of the question as well, I'd also be interested in casual, cheaper eats (
Ciudad- Review
I'm also surprised that Border Grill & Ciudad consistently get high marks as "must-attend" places in virtually every tour guide book out there. I've been twice - once as a new tourist, and again as a native, and both times, I found the plates (and I sampled not only mine, but multiple others of friends and parents) quite generic, with virtually no ethnic flair. They definitely weren't bad, but they were completely non-memorable for me - I can't even remember what I ate or tried there. Also, while not pricey in general, it's definitely pricey for what it is, in my opinion. I was really hoping for more originality in such an acclaimed establishment, unfortunately.
I guess the decor is nice, though - looks like it caters to a younger upscale crowd.
How do you feel about NOT ordering wine at $$ dinners?
I'm Asian, and tend to turn beet-red when I drink small quantities of alcohol. I do like tiny glasses of wine, but I tend to prefer to not drink wine with my meal at restaurants.
I find that at higher-end restaurants, is it considered "ok" to not order wine with the dinner? I'm always amazed at how a little bit of wine will literally double the bill - but I do feel somewhat strange when I get various offers for the wine list, and I turn them down.
Just wondering - I know wine's one of the prime moneymakers for restaurants, even the high-end ones.
The Last (LA) Meal
Just curious - not that I can afford it, but how much can one expect to drop at a place like Urasawa? I know it's astronomical, but I am still interested in how much these sorts of places cost nowadays!
favorite fried chicken?
I went to the highly acclaimed Honey's Kettle Fried Kitchen in Culver City today.
Perhaps my expectations were too high, or more likely, it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I got 2 flavorful and moist pieces of chicken, which were in a more tempura-style (nice description I saw in another post) breading than Southern Fried style. Not bad at all, but definitely different than good ol' crunchy style that I'm used to. Definitely NOT low-fat, for anyone wondering.
The fries were good, with a salty spicy rub of some sort, and the biscuits (also raved by others over) were, well buttery biscuits. Also not bad, but nothing I felt I needed to write home about.
$9.55 for 2 chicken breasts, fries, and 2 biscuits. Not pricey, but not exactly cheap either.
I'm not a fried chicken chowhound, and thus can't compare with the other various places around town, but I will say that I was shocked to go to a party 2 weeks ago, where the host ordered a few large tubs of fried chicken from - Albertson's grocery store - of all places. Cheap (
All-You-Can-Eat Korean Barbeque - Manna?
Just went here on recommendation from a friend. Loud, busy, and totally crazy on the weekend (went Sat evening @ 7:30PM, probably peak hour).
$17 for all you can eat, with a variety of meats, and you can ask specifically for anything that you want, although they'll be happy to keep bringing you combo dishes with lots of goodies on 'em.
The panchan (?banchan) was dismal as mentioned above - I was surprised, since I'd figure they'd try to load us up on the non-meats first, but it seems that this place knows everyone's there for meat, and makes no effort to hide it.
Looks like a big cafeteria inside - except it's really a big tent - the ceiling is tarp, and if it's cold outside, you'll might be chilly inside as well (although they have lots of heat lamps - I was totally fine.) The smoke from the barbeques is the toughest thing to deal with - wasn't a problem for me, but keep in mind that they have no vents over the tables,so you'll occasionally get "blasted" by smoke if the outside winds makes its way in via the roof.
Meat was not marinated, and fairly standard, but good. Service was actually good in that there's a button on the table, and despite the zoo atmosphere, someone attended to our table within seconds of pushing the button. Meats were brought out near-instantly, which I appreciated.
The drinks, as expected are pricey. Their shoju (I've spelled it wrong for sure, since I'm new to it) is $15 for about 2.5 cups worth, and not at all interesting. I'd go there, stick with beers or water, and forget the ads for the $15 drinks that are plastered on the walls (without the price, obviously.)
Definitely a loud scene, and younger crowd, with few
A good place for a good, casual, and loud time. Just be prepared for a little smokiness, and skip the alcohol for a great deal.
Manna Korean Barbeque
3377 west olympic bld,, los angeles, CA
Valet parking $2
Food Franchises That Don't Suck
This may sound a bit "duh" to native Californians here, but as a relatively recent NY transplant to the area about 2 years ago -
A lot of folks out here rave about the "In N Out" burger franchise. I've heard tons about their freshness, value, etc.
I'm usually not a big fast food eater, but I do admit that I will happily enjoy McDonalds and Burger King burgers without any reservation.
That said, I've been underwhelmed with In N out. Agreed, it's neat to see them cutting up the potatoes up front, etc., but I found it to be not particularly interesting. I did go and even try their "animal" style burger (?French dressing?) but that was a bit strange. Wasn't bad to me, but perhaps I've been brainwashed by the major national burger chains into thinking their burger is the "standard" now...
I dunno - perhaps I'm missing something here?
Good Chicken Take Out
I've never been to Koo Koo Roo or California Chicken Cafe - are they actually any good, and what's the thing on their menu that they're best known for? Just wondering - I pass by these two establishments nearly every day on Wilshire, but have never had a particularly need or hankering to check 'em out - although I will if they're good and reasonably priced. (Easier said than done on the Westside, as you know.)
Santa Monica Sushi
Wow. I'm REALLY glad I asked about the prices. I was hoping to hear $60-$90 range, but at those prices, I have no business whatsoever setting foot in any of those well-regarded restaurants. Even with an attending physician salary, that's a pretty hefty sum by any standard!
What did you guys eat at Hump that set you back $1000?!?
affordable restaurant near or on beach?
I agree with all of these picks, particularly Lula's (cool, casual and large) and Fritto Misto (smaller) if you'll be in Santa Monica. You could get away with dinner for
Any passable Chinese on the West Side
There's no doubt that the selection as well as prices are superior in the inland area (Monterey Park, Alhambra, etc.) in terms of ethnic Asian fare compared to the paucity on the Westside.
I'd still say you can do pretty well with the selections above. (I haven't been to Hu's, though.)
The dim sum at VIP harbor is not bad at all. It's a bit pricey ($15-$20 per person, vs $8-12 at inland places with better selection), but they defintely have almost all the "key" dim sum items. Good ambience, and a fun group outing on the Westside. Parking's valet but cheap ($1-2 with validation) right in front.
One place that I've found is pretty "ethnic" is Hop Woo on Pico (I think.) I've been underwhelmed by the standard menu, but I did go with some Taiwanese friends, who promptly picked specials off the wall (they're written in Chinese) which were as good as the stuff I had growing up in New York city Chinatown. If you can go with someone who can read the Chinese menu, you'll definitely experience some legit ethnic fare that you may love - or may find too "different" for your taste. Prices here are excellent as well - rarely over $12/dish, with most $8-$12, even for specials. Ambience and service, is substandard - as I expected. (I do get a bit suspicious when I walk into a Chinese restaurant that looks like a museum or a high-end spa - shades of PF Chang...ugh)
One local favorite that's actually pretty good for noodles that most Americans can enjoy (meaning not-too-hardcore-ethnic), is Mr. Noodle in Westwood. I've found it very enjoyable (not spectacular), and inexpensive, at about $7-$10 for some large plates with a casual format and pretty decent service. Wouldn't go there for a special occasion, but for a quick fix if you're in the neighborhood, it's a pretty good pick.
Santa Monica Sushi
These suggestions are all very interesting, but I'd love to see price quotes of lunch/dinner prices for any who have frequented them. I'm not being a cheapskate, but honestly, sushi places in LA intimidate the heck out of me, since I've seen dinner prices quoted anywhere from $30/person to $300+ at high-end places, and everything in between.
How much are some of these recommended places, such as Sasabune, Hump, Zo, etc.?
