FamishedLady's Profile
Lunch Spot in Leona Valley/Palmdale??
I'm taking the family to go cherry picking in Leona Valley this upcoming weekend. Which orchards do you guys recommend? We were going to take a picnic with us unless you guys found some really great restaurant that we can't miss. Thanks!
Mariscos Chente, the king of Mexican sashimi reopens on the Westside w/pics
Thank you so much for this recommendation everyone. I took some friends and went for lunch today. We had camerones a pimiento (everyone's favorites), camerones culichi (jalapeno sour cream -cheese sauce)(no shells on this one), camerones la diabla, and camarones checa (vinegar-garlic sauce). All were delicious although I thought the camerones checa were a bit vinegary for my taste. Also, right next door is Angel Maid Bakery that features some excellent cream/custard puffs so leave room for desert.
Need a Meeting Place for Bookclub near 405/101
Thanks Diana. It is a dinner, around 7PM, function. Cafe Cordiale sounds promising. I think Marmalade may be too loud. We need to be able to hear ourselves pontificate after all. :)
Need a Meeting Place for Bookclub near 405/101
Hi,
Everyone is so helpful on this board so I thought I'd throw my latest dilemma out for suggestions. I just joined a bookclub and the members are pretty spread out geographically. I think we would all be happy meeting at a quiet restaurant so that we could hear each other talk that doesn't mind us not being so quiet. It must be a not-too-expensive restaurant around the 101/405. The food should be good and "safe" for the ladies - italian or american fare with salads on the menu (you know, girly chow). Any suggestions?
Woodland Hills / West Valley with nice patio?
Quite sad and true. The patio is indeed lovely but the food is just awful. Even if you ever decide to go back just for coffee on the patio, keep in mind that they rent that patio out for weddings and events very often so can't count on having a nice place to sit, much less anything decent to eat.
Best Caesar Salad?
I need help finding a really good Caesar Salad, preferably in the SFV. I like strong, anchovy, dressings the best and have not had much success lately in finding a good place. My son loves Ceasar salad's too so a kid friendly place would be a plus. Thanks in advance for your help.
Costco Gourmet Finds?
A few weeks ago, on recommendation of other Hounds, I picked up the frozen crabcakes at Costco and found them to be quite delicious as well as convenient. I was stunned as I had not expected to find gourmet food items at Costco. I then searched the board and found a recommendation for Costco Prosciutto di Parma which was also excellent and much more economical than Whole Foods. That started me thinking.... how many more yummy Costco items are out there. So if you are holding out on some wonderful suggestions...please spill!
Vinh Loi Tofu- SFV's Vegan Gem
One of the true gems in the valley is Vinh Loi Tofu in Reseda. This is a truly magical place where owner, Kevin Tran, creates unbelievable vegan delicacies. First, let me say, I am not vegan and enjoy a well-cooked piece of animal flesh any day. However, I also know great food when I taste it.
Chef Kevin's special gift is the ability to make tofu in different shapes, colors, textures and flavors. The beef tofu is greyish pinkish, and has an earthly, musky cinimon flavor that reminds me of a Morrocan beef dish. The chicken tofu is like the purest white meat chicken. When you pull it apart, it even shreads as chicken would. His shrimp looks like shrimp, pink and curved and segnented, and it feels like shrimp in your mouth. It really is a marvel what the man can do with the soybean.
Everything is made “in-house”. If you are going for the first time, I highly recommend the House Special Soup. It is a wonderful introduction to Kevin’s magic. The flavorful broth (a bit on the spicy side but if you don’t like that, just let Kevin know), is filled with shrimp, beef, chicken and fish tofu, all of which taste better than their “real” counterparts and noodles. I, personally, don’t care for the fish too much so I ask for it to be excluded but that is truly just a personal preference.
Also a must on your first try are the Chicken Nuggets. I know this takes some trust, but believe me, you will not regret it. The Chicken Nuggets come with the French Fries but I generally choose to omit those and just ask Kevin for Chicken Nuggets only. The nuggets are superb. My 7-year old loves them too and has to fight my husband and me for the last one.
The Duck Soup is also wonderful as are many of the other delicacies on the menu that is constantly expanding as Kevin creates more tasty concoctions. The mushroom tofu is superb and tastes great with hoisin sauce.
Do not leave without purchasing some of the great soy milk “home-made” by Kevin. We prefer the greenish, slightly sweeter Pandan variety.
The restaurant is tiny with just a few tables so you may need to wait a bit if you want to be seated. We often eat at the restaurant but even if we don’t, we stop by almost every week to grab some soup to-go. If you let Kevin know, he will give you the uncooked noodles separately and the soup can then be easily frozen for consumption later that week.
Give Vinh Loi a try. You will not be disappointed.
Vinh Loi Tofu
18625 Sherman Way
Reseda, CA
818-996-9779
Open 7 am to 7 pm every day
Crab Cakes in the Valley
Just had the crabcakes at Woodranch. They are relatively new to the menu. The crabcakes were pretty good with no filler - 100% crab, or so I was told. I had the appetizer portion that consisted of 3 crabcakes for around $12.
Sushi in the valley
Love Omino. Hardly ever gets mentioned on this board but it is excellent sushi and very reasonable for what you get. AND their california rolls are "100 percent Crab since Open".
Quick, Good Food Near Ahmanson?
Thanks Jwsel. The thought of CPK is...distressing but the taco idea may work. My husband and I usually go to the Ahmanson straight after work with no time for "real dinner". Grabbing tacos and eating them there would work.
Quick, Good Food Near Ahmanson?
Thanks Jack. MF will not work then as this would be a quick bite before the evening performance.
Quick, Good Food Near Ahmanson?
Thanks for the recommendations. Have been to Philipe's before and agree that the French Dip sandwiches are "the bomb". I'll make sure to check out Mendocino Farms next time. How is the parking there?
Quick, Good Food Near Ahmanson?
Anyone have a suggestion for some good food one can grab rather quickly near the Ahmanson?
Tacos De Mexico - A Great Find
This is my first post. I've been lurking for a while and taking advantage of the great taste and finds of the other Chowhounds. I have never posted myself before because you guys can be a bit intimidating for a newbie with all that gastro-knowledge and debate. But I feel that it is time that I support the group so here goes…
On a chowhound recommendation, my husband and I visited Tacos De Mexico on Saticoy and Tampa in Reseda. If you're looking for ANY atmosphere, keep on driving because you are not going to find it here. It was definitely one of those places I would never visit without a recommendation.
The food was fantastic and at $1.25 per taco, who can argue? First, the condiments bar is extensive with those great charred jalapeño peppers that I love, pickled carrots and other assorted pickled veggies and several types of salsa.
The chicken, caritas and carne asada tacos were all delicious and came equipped with the onion/cilantro mixture. We also ordered the pastor tacos and regret to say that that was a disappointing but you may want to take that with a grain of salt as I am generally not the biggest pastor fan. The chili relleno was good but both my husband and I agreed that it did not rise to the "order it again" status.
The big surprise was the ceviche tostada. My husband rolled his eyes at me when I ordered it, thinking that this was not the place to order seafood. Well, he rolled those eyes right back and picked up a fork in a hurry once he tasted it. The ceviche was excellent; all shrimp and just the right amount of lemon juice, onion and cilantro and at $3.50 a shot it won’t break the bank.
This is now one of our favorite lunch spots.
