thranduil's Profile
Shunji is quite the genious, a great chef/cook
I agree - when we've ordered off the sushi/sashimi a la carte menu, the waitress would tell us if what we wanted was not available or what would be really good.
Shunji is quite the genious, a great chef/cook
We have not done omakase yet, although a lot of the items we get are probably part of it. I think the ankimo was $6 or $7.
Shunji is quite the genious, a great chef/cook
Finally got around to going back. No ankimo on the prior visit, but had the ankimo "mousse" this time since we almost always will order it when available! Three balls of ankimo but sans caviar on top, topped with a chive instead - still a very elegant presentation. We did not do omakase, instead picking out what we wanted from the menu and the sushi/sashimi list. If a chef is going to do anything to ankimo, this is the way to do it. It was delicious.
Red egg and ginger party restaurant suggestions?
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I'll post back after we make our decision, which will likely include taste tests to see if our palates agree with ipsedixit. :)
Red egg and ginger party restaurant suggestions?
Thanks! We thought Elite might be too small since 200 is likely the floor (separate parties for Northern California, although not enough to fill Ocean Star!). We also thought about Empress Harbor too, although it has been a long time since I've ever eaten there. We actually had dinner at NBC recently and the food was good, although we likely have been on the Westside too long and have adjusted our expectations... :)
Red egg and ginger party restaurant suggestions?
We are pretty early in the planning stages, but we are thinking 200+ guests and weekend afternoon, so we might be doing lunch instead of dinner menus. We live on the Westside, but have friends/family throughout Southern California so we think that something in SGV would be ok as long as it was easy directions off the freeway and if there were parking. We were thinking of old standbys off of Atlantic like Ocean Star or NBC Seafood, but curious about other suggestions...
Big Island Report
@ArmyWifeFoodie: I think we just happened to be lucky that we were there around the holidays. Probably other times of the year it is back to limited availability. You might miss the gravy feel, but I think if you really wanted loco moco you may want to stick to an original form. It was very interesting though. It probably wouldn't hurt to ask if they would do something else in lieu of eggplant.
@susancinsf: maybe the Qupe syrah made everything better...
Shunji Japanese Cuisine (Pico & Bundy, West L.A.), Our First Omakase (A Review)
Great first review! When we went the boiled vegetables also had konnyaku too.
Compared to Mori Sushi and Sushi Zo, I thought Shunji held up well nigiri-wise, the bonus was the wider range of items. Our favorite omakase of the two restaurants was at Sushi Zo, although when we go for sushi it is now much easier for us to get to Mori Sushi.
Long Beach breakfast joints, there seem to a plethora of joints in just very few blocks...
For LB, Jongewaard's
Shhhhhh......Shhhhhunji.....back in business
We did not exactly do omakase because we had no idea what to do. But essentially we ordered a few things (steamed fish, vegetables, toro sushi, salmon sushi, crab hand roll) and then added a few more (eggplant, abalone sushi, yellowtail sushi, snapper sushi with ponzu). It was slightly over $100 for 2 people including my beer, without tip. We would probably do omakase on our next visit.
Shhhhhh......Shhhhhunji.....back in business
We just randomly drove by, saw the sign "Japanese Restaurant" and wandered in. Had no idea what to expect, but everything we had was wonderful. Favorites included the steamed black cod which was in a broth with two types of mushrooms (enoki and shiitake), and the nasu dengaku (a delectable portion of four slices of eggplant topped with miso, fried shrimp, shiitake mushroom slice, and a sliver of green onion). We also enjoyed our sushi choices - the selections are still a bit limited since they are on soft opening, but the marinated salmon sushi, the toro sushi, and the snapper sushi were particularly notable. We look forward to returning frequently!
Z Garden Replaces Tom's #1 on Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica
We got the kebabs the last time. We liked the chicken better than the lamb/beef ones. I think we liked the basbousa more than the baklava, which was also fine. We've been meaning to try the lamb shank and lamb chops.
Z Garden Replaces Tom's #1 on Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica
We've been a couple of times and like it. We also like the Hungry Pocket but that is farther for us to go and also does not have same dine-in atmosphere.
Shaka Shack
Sorry to hear your experience didn't match ours. The fries we got were crispy. Our burgers were definitely medium. Could still be growing pains, we'll see on a return visit.
fried chicken in sacramento
Bel Air Market fried chicken at the Chinese food counter. Specifically the one on Florin Road.
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Bel Air Supermarkets
1301 Florin Rd, Sacramento, CA 95831
Shaka Shack
We'd seen the new store front while driving by a few times, finally wandered in. Got the Shaka Burger and a side of fries. Good value burger - I liked that it had more vegetables than a usual burger and I think it was on a sweet roll. The crinkle fries were really excellent. The decor is cute - lots of different ways to "sit down" for your meal. Will definitely go back.
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Shaka Shack Burgers
1701 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Big Island - Is the "new" Huli Sue's still as good as the "old" for lunch?
Never made it to Huli Sue's before this even though we'd been on the Big Island several times before. However, we really liked it and thought it was worth going for lunch if you are around Waimea. We did not get the ribs or brisket though which would be more BBQish than what we ordered. I think some of the stuff which was not available despite being on the menu was more because we were there right before New Year's Day. Have a great time on your trip!
800° Degrees Pizza is now officially open for business - YAY!
I got the vege pizza - good variety of mushroom slices and sizes, artichoke hearts, and broccolini tips. It is a bit floppy in the middle, which makes it a bit harder to eat on the run unless you roll your slices or use a knife/fork. Maybe next time I will eat in, as it is a nice remodel. Definitely a great value, and the speed is impressive.
Big Island Report
Thanks! I got many ideas from perusing the Hawaii board, so thanks to all the prior posters!
Big Island Report
Here’s our report from a week on the Big Island. It had been over five years since we’d been to the Big Island, it was great to be able to take Saddle Road to make the trip from Kona to Hilo reasonable – we finally got a chance to try more food on the Hilo side. Highlight was finally getting to Two Ladies Kitchen.
BREAKFASTS
Dave’s Plate and Coffee Shack (Waikoloa Village): stopped by for an early breakfast. Malcolm is very personable. Got the fried rice with egg on top, with a side of tuna-macaroni salad and cut fruit. My wife liked her French toast. Cute place.
Island Lava Java (Kailua-Kona): the oceanview was wonderful the morning we stopped by. Excellent mac nut pancakes with a small cup of fresh fruit and crispy bacon. My wife got the excellent croissant with avocado, provolone, and ham. If you are in Kona, a good place to hang out.
Ken’s House of Pancakes (Hilo): the best pancakes we had on the trip – good fluffiness, a hint of crisp, huge if you order the pancake specials. The trio of syrups (coconut, passionfruit, guava) were a nice addition to the berry and regular syrup. Got margarine once instead of butter – they must have run out. Coffee was excellent too. At a second visit we sampled the fried rice – hard to go wrong with the combination of sweet Chinese sausage, Chinese barbeque pork (char siu), and bacon – and the homemade corned beef hash with hash browns, both excellent.
LUNCHES:
Da Fish Place Lunch Wagon (Kawaihae): this is in the bus next to the shack, a la food truck. Got the fish plate with mahi mahi sautéed with salt and pepper, came with a salad and a mix of brown and white rice. My wife got the mahi mahi fish burger. The fish was good, the fish tacos also looked pretty good.
Hilo Lunch Shop (Hilo): Inexpensive, grab and go local flavor; a plethora of fun foods to take out. Our eyes got bigger than our stomachs as we got a spam musubi, a cone inari, some nori chicken (fried nuggets wrapped with nori), fried chicken (a bit dry, but it was already starting to get late), breaded ono, an egg foo yung, bean sprout salad, cucumber salad, and mung bean noodles. Go early – it is still on plantation schedule, we’d guess the food is best in the morning and they close in early afternoon.
Da Poke Shack (Kailua-Kona): good poke for snacking, got the Pele’s Kiss (not that spicy) with furikake rice and a seaweed salad. My wife got the special spicy ahi (a little spicier) with a crab salad instead. Hard to find – it is on the water side of Ali’i Road.
Allen’s Table (Waimea): the old Huli Sue’s. We went at lunch so they still had parts of the old Huli Sue’s menu, but unfortunately they were out of corn pudding and banana cream pie. The BLT was pretty amazing – really thick cuts of bacon! My wife got the pineapple mint iced tea which was refreshing, especially since she got the tasty Portuguese sausage meatball sandwich. Curious how their dinner compares with Merriman’s quality.
DINNERS:
Café Pesto (Kawaihae): an old standby for us, we had the seared ahi on a bed of soba and vegetables, while my wife got the wok-fried scallops and shrimp on rice noodles with coconut sauce. Both were excellent.
Merriman’s (Waimea): We really enjoyed our meal here. I started with the mobeeto – an interesting take on a mojito with hints of lavender along with the mint and basil, and colored red by beets. We started with the loco moco which is more of a deconstructed fried rice with a thick slab of bacon (this was really good), jasimine black and white rice, a poached egg on the side, and eggplant puree. My wife’s kurobata pork chop was fantastic – it was melt in your mouth consistency when it first came out on a bed of cheesy polenta. I got the lamb riblets and loin on a bed of orzo with spinach. Also excellent but the pork chop was better. Finished up with the chocolate purse with savory toasted coconut and caramel sauce with vanilla ice cream.
Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai (Keauhou): this is in the old Wendy’s location. We got a seat on the veranda overlooking the shopping mall but with a clear view of the ocean. It was a great view with the vog turning the sunset dark orange, and with the tiki torches along the wall. We started off with the margarita (black salt) and a virgin drink. We got a complementary minestrone soup and salad with oriental dressing, along with bread. Both entrees were excellent – the lau lau fish (walu) was very tender, and the short rib on the chow mein noodle bed was very tasty paired with a glass of Qupe syrah. The entrees were good sized, all in all a very enjoyable meal. While it wasn’t Merriman’s, it felt like a classic Hawaii meal for pretty good value, we would definitely go back.
Brown’s Beach House (Waikoloa): final dinner of the trip, hard to beat a sunset/torchlight dinner by the beach. Most interesting drink of the evening was the lillikoi margarita with li hung mui powder instead of salt. The bread was excellent with the roasted tomato aioli. Started with an amuse-bouche of seared ahi with a light touch of truffle oil on seaweed, followed by appetizers the kabocha soup and the dinner salad, followed by the king salmon entrée and two starters posing as a second entrée – the scallops and the short ribs. We also got a tasty side of roasted corn. Finally, finished up with the creamsicle. Outstanding presentations of great food, my wife preferred this to our dinner at Merriman’s for the combination of food quality and atmosphere.
DESSERTS:
Anuenue Shave Ice (Kawaihae): this was upstairs in the same building as Café Pesto. A bit too much syrup, but good consistency on the shave ice which is what we look for.
Itsu’s Ice Shave (Hilo): There was a lot of shave ice, although it was packed a bit too much. Maybe we should not have gotten the bowl, because it was really heaped on. Good, but we liked Anuenue better.
Two Ladies Kitchen (Hilo): OMG. The strawberry mochi is to die for. Unfortunately a no-no to bring back to the mainland due to agricultural restrictions. The manju and mochi are all excellent. Don’t miss this!
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Itsu's Fishing Supplies
810 Piilani St, Hilo, HI 96720
Hilo Lunch Shop
421 Kalanikoa St, Hilo, HI 96720
Ken's House of Pancakes
1730 Kamehameha Ave, Hilo, HI 96720
Island Lava Java
75-5799 Alii Dr Ste A1, Kailua Kona, HI 96740
Merriman's Restaurant
65-1227 Opelo Rd, Kamuela, HI 96743
Huli Sue's
, Kamuela, HI 96743
Brown's Beach House - The Fairmont Orchid - Kohala Coast
1 North Kaniku Drive, Kohala Coast, HI 96743
Dave's Plate and Coffee Shack
Highlands Shopping Center, Waikoloa Village, HI 96738
Cafe Pesto
61-3665 Hwy 270, Kawaihae, HI 96743
Sam Choy back in Kona
Thanks for letting us know! We stopped by for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed it (particularly being on the lanai). Will post more when I do an overall Big Island post.
Nichols Restaurant-Has it reopened?
No more pot pie on the menu. :(
The overall space is quite nice. The pricing is a bit on the high side for what you get. Tried the West LA burger, which is their take on the Father's Office recipe. It was ok, but I think I will stick with the original. It was nice to get a beer though. This is definitely not the old Nichols. They seem to have met the demand for the local area though since it was pretty busy when we went.
Chic: Delicious rotisserie chicken Pico/Fairfax
We randomly stopped by for a late dinner (the big CHIC sign was enticing). Cute place, I agree the rotisserie chicken is excellent. While Dino's is nearby, the atmosphere makes up for the price difference.
Brunch recommendations in Westwood
Gardens on Glendon is closed (Skylight Kitchen is supposed to open in that space) but the Glendon Bar & Kitchen does do brunch.
AKA Bistro Pasadena
Stopped by to watch the end of the Stanford-USC game after getting back from the UCLA-Cal game. We knew it was no longer Gordon Biersch, but had no idea that we'd get a real treat along with the Stanford win. We sat at the bar, good selection of wines and beers. Got the Reuben (with ourkraut!) - great fries, good flavors all around, the "hen" salad - a different take on a typical chicken salad with bulgur and avocado, and the mac & cheese side - nice light touch with the cheese sauce. We've found our new hangout on game days!
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Gordon Biersch
145 S San Fernando Blvd, Burbank, CA 91502
Blue Stove at Nordstroms in Santa Monica Place
I totally agree re the banh mi sandwiches - it was the top winner for us last night at dinner at Blue Stove. We also had the roasted butternut squash with shiitake mushrooms (they must have broiled the mushrooms - definitely a different take), the crispy polenta/parmesan salad, the skirt steak with romesco sauce, and the butterscotch pot de creme. We didn't pay that much attention to the dineLA menu, so I am not sure if these were on it or not.
Hollywood Pies - FINALLY some decent Chicago Pizza in LA
Finally made it over here as we don't live close by. We've been known to fly home with half-baked pies from Zachary's. Just had the large spinach, and I am sure the people around my on my OAK-LAX flights will be glad to know I will not need to carry back our usual spinach and mushroom. Slight differences (Hollywood has more of a biscuit crust, and I think less sweetness in the tomato sauce), but thrilled there is a real Chicago style pizza place within reasonable driving distance. Can't wait for their downtown location to open up.
Xino's In santa monica.
Too bad we missed the window on decent dim sum on the Westside. :(
