Mercury in Retrograde

“Jeremy Piven suffered ’shocking levels’ of mercury in his system from eating too much sushi and Chinese herbs, forcing him to leave the Broadway play Speed-the-Plow, his doctor tells People magazine.”

Note to self: When consuming massive amounts of sushi, just say no to herbs of the Chinese variety.

I’m sure this is actually a serious health scare, but I can’t help but laugh. Sorry, Ari…

Good Meal + Good Friend + Good Conversation

+ Good Wine and Martinis… Is there anything better??

The Return of the Appetite

Maybe it’s just me but when you’re Asian and sick and miles away from mom’s kitchen, there ain’t nothing like Chinese fast food delivery. In my own “Survivor: Flu Edition,” I’ve been living off of orange juice and wheat thins for almost four days, so I’m stoked that I’m starting to get my appetite back (however small).

For better or for worse, my tummy’s been talking to me for the past couple days, so I figured I should play it safe: no kung pao chicken or spicy shrimp. I just ordered egg drop soup and chicken with broccoli. Not the most flavorful or exciting things on the menu, but I feel comforted just looking at my hardly eaten spread of Chinese goodness.

Besides, the old, Asian delivery man pulls at my heartstrings every time: “I have your food,” he says in broken English. “Will you open the door and let me inside?”

(in retrospect, however, it was a very, very bad idea to eat that egg roll and fried wonton that came free with the lunch special…)

I (Heart) Carbs

Just the other day I gave an appreciation for my rice cooker as I was putting it away. I’ve had that thing since college, so I obviously don’t use it as much as other Asians or Filipinos (my parents replace theirs every year it seems). But I can’t imagine a life of low-carb or no carb. No bread, pasta or rice? Even brown rice? Is that really necessary? Is that even considered living? I would rather run four miles every day than give up the foods I love, so bring it on, I say! Gimme, gimme, gimme my chocolate, beer, and a big bowl of rice and sauce.

Dirty Dives

I’m not really sure what is says about me but dive bars are my thing. No pretension, cheap drinks, hooks under the bar, and, if you’re lucky, a dart board and free popcorn. Oh, and there’s usually a few odd drunks to provide glorious, intoxicated entertainment.

The Office
206 E Grand Ave
El Segundo, CA 90245
“Came by after work on a Thursday;  and a group of 20’s something were playing beer pong on the patio.  When I say patio, i mean a roped of part of the parking lot…of the strip mall the bar is in.” - review from a Yelper

Sports Harbour
13484 Washington Blvd
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 823-0933
“I hang out with boys.  Boys like beer and sports and dive bars.  Sometimes, I can get my boys to go someplace somewhat classy, and that’s when we end up at The Otherroom.  Sometimes, I have to feed them and provide them with entertainment, and that’s when we end up at The Shack, as they wander about to the sounds of karaoke, with a meat on meat burger in one hand, and a pitcher of beer in the other.  And sometimes, they get so drunk that they refuse to go more than two miles from home.  And that’s when we go to Sports Harbor.” - review from a Yelper

Ercoles
1101 Manhattan Ave
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 372-1997
“I can’t believe this place. First we got carded by this old, sloppy red-headed doorman in tight shorts and a knee brace whose English is almost completely unintelligible, but is a local legend for some reason. I went to the bar, and the bartender who was falling-down drunk himself made me a cocktail so strong that it was almost undrinkable. Then, when I pulled out my American Express card, everyone just started laughing at me. They were playing rock-and-roll music on a juke box, and there were some big, drunk Australian guys in rugby shirts bumping into me. Then some blonde came over and, without saying a word, jammed her tongue in my mouth while this other loud chubby girl who claimed to be from Uruguay would not leave my friends alone. Five stars.” - review from a Citysearcher

Frolic Room
6245 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 462-5890
“We walk in, and I wanna look classy, so I go up to the bartender and ask for a Pink Squirrel. Bartender looks at me like I’m fucking with him, after a few seconds realizes I’m not, and then says he doesn’t know how to make one. Somehow, for some reason, that made me love this place.” - review from a Yelper

Lost & Found
11700 National Blvd. #D
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310)397-7772
“Not my usual type of place (no beers on tap) but it’s really hard to give a bar where you encounter a 54 year old woman that molests your date’s cleavage with her rabbit foot less than 5 stars. Oh and the drinks are cheap, they have TVs, pool table, erotic photohunt.” - review from a Yelper

Mo’s Place
203 Culver Blvd
Playa Del Rey, CA 90293
(310) 822-6422
“The last time I went some guy showed up in the 3rd quarter who looked like a smooth faced Freddy Krueger. He proceeded to yell at his girlfriend for about ten minutes (you could only hear him if you were nearby. Then the “bouncer” who was about five times skinnier than him asked him to leave. So he yelled into the window for a while, they closed that. he went to the next window, and on and on. It was quite the game of whack-a-drunk at the window. Good times.” - review from a Yelper

Power House
1714 N Highland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 463-9438
“I fuckin’ love this place. Who knew this place existed right in the middle of Hollywood? PBR on tap. Nuff said. The first time I went there I saw a drunk black midget. No joke. Definitely, a place to check out” - review from a Yelper

Tune in Tokyo: Irori Japanese Restaurant

Life finds a way of taking over and the next thing you know a month and a half goes by! I’ve had a few dining pleasures - and a few pains – so I’m going to try to do a quick roundup in the next few posts. I’ll start with a to-die-for sushi restaurant I tried recently for the first time.

It has been years since I’ve had a life-altering dining experience but, after eating at Irori Japanese Restaurant, I’m a born again sitting-at-the-sushi-bar lover. Amen! For me, sitting right in front of the chef played second fiddle to the intimacy of dining “a deux” at a table. I didn’t like the idea of sitting next to my dinner companion and bumping elbows with the stranger next to me. But now I get it: the sushi bar has absolutely nothing to do with you — it’s all about the chef and the fish — and both were outstanding at Irori. One of the friends I went with has been friends with the chef for 10-12 years so he knew exactly what to order and how. Everything we received was remarkably fresh, the best cuts of fish and prepared uniquely. We had two types of salmon (white and pink), albacore, yellowtail with jalepeno (to die for), live sweet shrimp (sooo good — just don’t linger on the fact that the thing had a head and was alive a second ago. Chef Masa also served us the shrimp heads deep fried but, nooooo. I gave mine to my friends who loved it.), some other whitefish, a blue crab handroll and a couple other things that I can’t remember now. The scallop dynamite was a great appetizer. If you dine here, be daring. Save the cut rolls and teriyaki chicken for another place. The nigiri, sashimi and chefs are the real stars here.

Two things to note: Irori is easy to miss but it’s around the corner from a Sav-on and next door to a hair salon in the Villa Marina Marketplace. Also, no shoes allowed at this place! Leave them in the little cubby holes upfront. The tables and sushi bar have a cut-out area for your legs and feet to hang down so you’re not sitting cross-legged.  

Irori Japanese Restaurant
4371 Glencoe Ave Ste B-4
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Phone: (310) 822-3700

From LA to HI: A Month of Worthy Eats

Since the last time I wrote, I’ve eaten at a lot of restaurants in Los Angeles, Oahu and the Big Island of Hawaii. I’ll just run down some of the highlights:

Fat Face Fenners (Hermosa Beach): I’m as shocked as you are that this Boston bar is on my list, but I had their spinach and artichoke dip last night and it is killer! It’s chunky, cheesey (I love feta) and massive — don’t even think about hogging this all to yourself. It’s only $8 and served in a toasted sourdough bread bowl. Their fried calamari ain’t so bad either. Love the horseradish in the dipping sauce it comes with.

Buns in the Sun (Kailua-Kona, Big Island): Known for their sandwiches and pastries, but for breakfast, I ordered their yogurt bowl. Low fat vanilla yogurt, served in half a papaya and topped with homemade granola. Fresh, healthy, light and delicious!

Kaka’ako Kitchen (Honolulu, Oahu): Don’t even ask me to pronounce this one. Affordable, fresh, Hawaiian gourmet food that’s a great lunch spot. I ate their seared ahi tuna sandwich served a taro bun (it’s purple!). As expected from the islands, the ahi was amazingly fresh but it was drenched in a soy-citrus sauce that made the bread really soggy. Don’t like that but you know a place is good when it’s all locals eating there. Whatever you order, have it to go and take it to nearby Ala Moana Park for a picnic. Go to Magic Island for a spectacular, tranquil view.

Petros (Manhattan Beach): Expensive Greek food but worth every fricken penny. Delicious dips served with pita bread include their Kafteri (four Greek cheeses blended with hot peppers — great if you dont’ mind strong cheeses), Melitzanosalata (roasted eggplant, garlic, lemon and walnuts) and Fava (puree of yellow split pea with EVO*, lemon, tomato and onion). Beware: they charge $1 for extra pita. I ordered a daily special that was rolls of cabbage stuffed with seasoned ground beef and rice, with two or three small slices of cheese on top (feta, I think). At first I thought it lacked flavor but the key was to eat it with the cheese. Yummy! Busy at night on the weekends so make a reservation.

Boa Steakhouse (West Hollywood and Santa Monica): For lunch, I had a kobe beef burger that was divine. They also have a smores dessert that comes in three parts that you mix together for chocolatey fun: a chocolate brownie topped with caramel ice cream, a toasted mound of marshmallow and a weird gourmet version of a graham cracker. They’re better off just serving it with store-bought graham crackers.

Ice Cream After Sex: A Satisfying Combo

Okay, it wasn’t ice cream, but “frozen yogurt after sex” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

I went to yet another frozen yogurt haven a la Pinkberry and Yogurberry last night after watching the much anticipated Sex and the City movie. This time, I went to Yogurtland on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and it was pretty good.

Like Yogurberry, it’s 16 flavors are all self-serve and weighed at the end. Here, it’s the toppings that set this place apart, noteably the cheesecake and cookie dough. MMM! I know not why similar places haven’t incorporated cookie dough as a topping yet being that it’s such a popular treat.

Other than that and the number of flavors though, to me, the differences stop there. Yogurtland is just like every other froyo with fresh toppings joints. It’s just as good as Yogurberry, not as good as Ce Fiore and scores better than Pinkberry. I really like Yogurtland’s Cookies & Cream flavor and I realized how much I’m not a fan of the tart sorbet-type froyo flavors, like its Green Apple. I prefer my froyo to be like ice cream.

I will say one thing about the movie Sex and the City though: As much as I loved the film, I left the theater thinking about how effed up my recent relationships have been, which was totally discombobulating. Needless to say, I really needed the drinks that were served to me before the movie… and the ice cream after. Amen!

Yogurtland
5541 Sunset Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 461-0091

The Parlour: Leave Your Issues at the Door

Food is typically a source of comfort for me so it’s rather surprising that I haven’t eaten anywhere special lately. From career changes to personal disappointments to a car fire (seriously), it’s a wonder I haven’t sought out solace through my stomach.

Sharing a meal with friends offers more than merely gastronomical digestion; it’s a way to digest life’s events, to commiserate, celebrate, communicate and connect with those you trust. But lately, I think I’ve wanted to trudge through the mayhem instead of dwelling on it. Get past the bad so there’s only good news to share. It’s not to say that I’ve been avoiding opening up to the ones I love, it’s just that after a while, I started to feel like a Debbie Downer. 

Besides, who can really enjoy a great meal when you’re having a tough enough time appreciating anything else?

In my typical fashion, however, a sports bar is a FANTASTIC place to go to with friends when you don’t want to talk seriously. It’s loud, you’re drinking and everyone’s focus is on the game — not your issues. It’s a welcome reprieve.

Last Friday, we went to The Parlour in Santa Monica on Wilshire Boulevard. As the restaurant-formerly-known-as-Cinch, it’s a beautiful space thanks to it’s original Dodd Mitchell design. I find it amusing that they just hung up some flatscreens, sports banners, posters and paraphenelia in this budget-busting designed place and called it a sports bar. Kinda sad, really, but the food at Cinch was a disappointment anyways. 

The bar food at The Parlour, however, YUM! In particular, the nachos that are loaded with cheese, chili, jalapenos, sour cream and pico de gallo. Gets a little soggy toward the end but it’s still yummy and messy enough to demand a fork from your server. The sweet potato fries with garlic ranch are pretty good, too, although not as good as Father’s Office. A nice addition to the menu for ladies (or men — no judgement!) is a plate of fresh veggies with ranch dressing. Nothing special and only $7 but, if you pretend to ignore the ranch dressing, you almost feel less guilty about all the other fattening finger food and alcohol you’re pouring into your body. 

All-in-all, a fun, relaxing night out with the girls at a hip sports bar surrounded by a good-looking crowd, good bar food and stiff drinks. 

Word to the wise, though: On game night, get there early. 

 

The Parlour
1519 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA
(310) 395-4139

Mambo in Chicago

Is it so wrong that I spend my first morning back from Chicago’s cold winds curled up on my couch watching the New Kids on the Block on NBC? It’s 80+ degrees outside already and I wasn’t even that big a NKOTB fan as a teen, but I can’t peel my eyes off the TV…. Joey is so damn cute! Lol…

Anyhow! Now that that’s off my chest, let’s talk Chicago. Usually when I’m in a new city, I dive right into its signature cuisine but my schedule was so structured that my ONE chance for Chicago’s deep dish pizza was squandered. I’m severely disappointed and plan on going back for at least a week to experience the food and see more of the city. It really seems like a place I could really enjoy, with its architecture, beauty, people and promise of good eats. However, in the few days I was there, I managed to find a few yummies to munch on…

• I took in a Cubs game from the fourth row above the dugout and devoured a Wrigley Field brat loaded with onions, peppers and sauerkraut. Soggy but delicious! Beers, expensive ($6.25) but necessary to stay warm. Can’t say enough about Wrigley Field… great ol’ fashioned ballpark. No jumbotron, fancy food court or hard alcohol. It reminded me of growing up in Toronto watching the Blue Jays play at Exhibition Stadium. I love baseball and always will.
• Before exiting Wrigleyville, we stopped into Goose Island for a drink because I heard good things about the pub. Would love to grub there next time and try their local brews.
• Gained 5 pounds eating dinner at Mambo Grill, a Latin American restaurant. I could eat a bajillion of their chicken empanadas, which had a delicious buttery crust and tender shredded chicken, cheese, onions, cilantro and tomatoes inside. Its cream sauce was to die for. Seriously, if I was really rich, I’d have them overnight some of those bad boys to Los Angeles!

Their barbecue baby back ribs were really, really good and tender, the BBQ sauce had a nice, spicy, Latin kick to it. It came with sweet mashed potatoes, which helped balance the flavor. The waitress recommended their chicken fricassee, which is a chicken breast marinated in lime juice served with a stew of vegetables over a bed of rice. It was really flavorful and light, but completely overpowered by the BBQ sauce from the ribs. Note to self: Make sure that when you split dishes with friends, one does not overpower the other. Their top-rated mojitos are really good if that’s your thing… I just don’t care much for them that much in general. All in all, make Mambo Grill one of your stops if you’re ever in Chicago. You won’t be disappointed… or leave hungry.

Pictures to come!!

Goose Island
3535 North Clark Street
(773) 832-9040

Mambo Grill
412 N. Clark
(312) 467-9797