Where are you dining this weekend?

[lapchern]

i might try harlam kee this weekend as i've heard rave reviews about it

[maudies5]

Probably, Toscana in Brentwood. If we can't get a reservation, we'll sit at the counter. Love the counter watching the cooks and pizza makers. Also love all food cooked in that wood-burning oven.Two great items off-menu are the shrimp salad and chicken salad. Perfect for a light meal or when you are watching your calorie intake.

[SauceSupreme]

Probably Din Tai Fung. Though I don't personally prefer it, I've got some guests who have never been, and we're in the area anyway for the Santa Anita racetrack.

[crystaw]

Ah, does this mean there's something going on at the racetrack meaning that I should try to avoid driving on Baldwin? :p

[SauceSupreme]

Yup. KROQ is hosting its Microbrew Festival at the racetrack.

http://www.santaanita.com/news/detail...

[Dommy]

Been recently... the good thing about the Microbrew fest is that it's on the other side of the race track and doesn't interfere at all with the joy of watching the ponies. BUT, if you are going because of MB festival (Which really impressed me!) then get there EARLY. It really is a HUGE draw and the lines and crow get BIG...

--Dommy!

[katkoupai]

The Microcrew Fest sounds fun. I like the website photo with the German girls drinking big mugs of beer. :)

[SauceSupreme]

All plans fell through. Still ended up in Pasadena, and went to Red White + Bluezz (and scoped out Vertical and Neomeze while I was there.)

Today for lunch I was at Sanam Luang Cafe in Thai Town.

[katkoupai]

Yup. I stayed within a 3 mile radius of the Playhouse District of Pas. Pita Pita, Wild Oats Market (for fresh apple juice), Trader Joe's, and homecooking. I also walked inside and out of Europane and Zancou-- both were too busy. :)

[Pei]

Hehe, I'm trying the Cima East Meets West buffet for the first time.

http://www.pacificpalmsresort.com/Pre...

[jkao1817]

It i s pretty good, but I would try to stay away from the door (not the one you enter in), but the one which is open to the patio with the oysters and stuff. TOO MANY FLYING INSECTS!

Do try the oysters grilled and the pig....reelly good.

[MeAndroo]

Sushi of Naples tonight for their happy hour specials, Empress Pavilion for family style dinner with my mom's village's association, and hopefully Roscoe's on Sunday. I love planning weekends around food.

[justagthing]

sushi of naples is really scary, would rather eat at todai. you should go down pch more and eat at restaurant koi. also, if you haven't yet tried, but m & m's makes really great southern fried chicken.

[MeAndroo]

Hrmm, maybe it's a different Sushi of Naples. I went to the one in Pasadena, and while it wasn't fantastic, it was definitely worth the visit. FREE appetizer, cheap beers, and the soba was just as I'd expected. Didn't have any sushi, though.

[justagthing]

Yes, there is a Sushi of Naples here in Naples section of Long Beach...stay away...far away for your health sake!

[luvgrub]

Tonite - trekking our to Mandarin Deli in Northridge to satisfy a scallion pancake craving. Tomorrow nite - Hamasaku....yum!
Sunday, either Wat Thai or Santa Monica Farmer's Market.

[Diana]

Angeli Caffee on Saturday to celebrate my leap-year born husband's sort of birthday. we're all bringinh a selection of homebrew to enjoy with the meal.

[Rich54]

Found this outrageously good spicy seafood soup at The Dive which I'm addicted to so must have some this weekend, with Smashed Cucumbers, which is my drink of the moment. Sunday we're celebrating a birthday too, someone with food restrictions, so think we're going to the Valley for Madeleine's - gorgeous vegan presentation.

[Dommy]

We actually aren't sure yet, we cook a lot on weekends actually... So tonight I'm cooking Shrimp Stew and on Sunday I'm doing the Cookbook of the month project with Pork Meatballs, Whipped Parnips and Wilted Cavalo Negro in White Wine. Because of that, tomorrow we are going to the SM farmers market. I've had a massive Sushi jones though (You don't even wanna know to what depths I've sunk to...) so I'm hoping a visit to Kiriko or if I need to compromise, the new Sawtelle Kitchen. :)

--Dommy!

[Dommy]

So we did Kiriko and it sure soothed that Sushi Craving... We really enjoyed it, Tomo was our chef and he gave me biggest Blue Crab roll I've ever seen... I could have made FOUR of them with the amount of meat he had in there... Sadly though, most things were just good, not stellar. We still perfer Sushi Zo.

Other eats out was brunch at Gallegos... finally tried that Chicken Chile Verde Tamale... it has some kinda soft CHEESE in it! Bizzare... but their chips are still the BEST chips EVER... :D

Report at Sunday dinner at home, forthcomming on the Homecooking board... but here's sneak peek

--Dommy!

[katkoupai]

I like the pic of your dinner. The parsnips look like mashed potatos. :)

[notmartha]

Il Capo Cafe in Pasadena and Sushi Koyo in Diamond Bar this weekend.

Have been resolving to try at least 1 new restaurant per week.

[Dommy]

Please report back on what you think about Sushi Koyo... My parents live in DB (Which was featured on Lost last night! WHOO HOO!!) and they rarely go out to eat. I would love to find places nearby to take them...

--Dommy!

[jkao1817]

Have you tried Sushi Kamon or Jubei? They are both in the general area.

What type of Japanese food are they into? Beacuse there are some other good Japanese places in that area.

[Dommy]

All of it! Especially me! :) I love home style curries, Skewers, ramen... and on and on and on... :) We do get out into SGV and Rowland Heights on occassion, so we've hit several Chinese and Korean places. The key thing about Sushi is that my father loves it. It's the one thing I can convience him to go out for instead of grilling up another steak instead...

--Dommy!

[jkao1817]

Dommy,

Jubei is good for sushi. The chef is a little curt until you get to know him, but he always has some interesting stuff (Live clams, Live uni, and Orange Clams). The best part is you can make reservations even for the sushi bar. Plus you can always order other stuff at the bar as well.

Kamon is also good for sushi and other cooked stuff. Sit at the bar, you can always order other stuff as well. He does not always have different things like Jubei might but the old stand-bys are always good (Toro, Uni, Mirugai, Tai, Kohada, Aji, Hamachi, Kampachi, Ika, and Anago).

Just a side note....I would compare both place favorably to Sushi Gen in terms of quality, but maybe a little pricier.

For something different, how about Shabu Shabu? There is a place for Ramen down the street and a skewer place as well as a curry place if you are interested. You can always email me if you want. I am on the "Other" group site.

Jimmy

Jubei Japanese Cuisine
[phone]
20627 Golden Springs Dr., Suite 2-K, Diamond Bar

Sushi Kamon
17855 Colima Road
City Of Industry, CA 91748
[phone]

[Dommy]

Oh wow! Thanks so much! :)

--Dommy!

[MeowMixx]

There's a great shabu shabu place in Rowland Heights on the southwest corner of Fullerton and Colima

ShabuYa
18184 Colima Road
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
626-964-7602

[jkao1817]

That's the shabu shabu place I was referring to.

Have you tried his wagyu from Australia?

[kelvlam]

A completely different review at Yelp regarding Shabu Ya though...
http://www.yelp.com/biz_link?biz_id=d...

such a mix feeling? anyone else tried Shabu Ya? I am in search for a nice place for dinner before my friend's bachelor party :-)

[kelvlam]

Here are the two Japanese food place I enjoy around City of Industry

Foo Foo Tei (ramen)
15018 Clark Ave
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
[phone]

Curry House (curry.. duh)
17865 Colima Rd
City Of Industry, CA 91748
[phone]

I'm not much of a sushi guy, I am out of suggestion on that one but I'll definitely try out those recommended here. Where's the skewer place jkao1817 have in mind??

[notmartha]

Went this afternoon for lunch. I think overall the food quality is about the same between Jubei and Koyo. I don't think you can go wrong with either. Koyo only serves sushi at night though and closed Sundays, and they don't do rainbow roll, crunch roll, but will do california roll (which has real crabmeat, not the imitation crab). I tried their special blue crab handroll and it was pretty good - blue crab meat mixed lightly with mayo.

A strange thing is that their fish was slightly on the colder side, and the rice was slightly on the warmer side than most Japanese restaurants we went to. Tempura was good, so was the broiled salmon (very fresh).

Lunch was cheap. The combo with one regular and one sushi/sashimi item was like $7.5. Even the sushi or sashimi lunch was under $10. We got 3 combos, 1 handroll, one iced green tea and it was $30. When we had the equivalent thing for dinner at Jubei it's more like $50.

[Dommy]

Sounds great for $30!! :) Thanks so much! :)

--Dommy!

[notmartha]

Taped Lost, so have to see that episode...

Will reportback. We are planning on going for lunch, as dinner is sushi only. I always stick to the good old standy of Jubei so thought to try this for a change as there are a lot of raves for it. There is a website: http://www.sushikoyo.com

I like the tempura at Jubei best out of everything else on the menu. Nice, delicate, not too doughy.

BTW, there's a Korean Soon Tofu place in same plaza as Jubei that's very good. They have tofu as well as a few BBQ items.

Have to try Sushi Kamon mentioned by jkao. I think that's actually in Rowland Heights in the In-N-Out plaza, right?

[jkao1817]

correct. Right next door is a skewer place. A couple doors down is Curry House. Also a place for Chinese jook with sweet potatoes.

[Chowpatty]

We need some good Chinese but haven't decided where yet -- the place Jenn wrote about in the old Green Village space sounded promising.

[jkao1817]

If you are there on Sunday night, say hi. I will be there with my family.

[Ernie]

I had dinner recently at Ocean Star in MPK and it was excellent. I had not been there in about a year for dim sum and was craving Cantonese seafood. The mayonnaise shrimp with walnuts, fresh crab with ginger and scallion, scallops with black beans, and green beans with XO sauce were delicious

[mintleaves]

Campanile for dinner tonight, thinking of going to Providence for their dessert tasting menu tomorrow night.

[rickym13]

can you just go there for desert tasting menu? how many dishes in the desert tasting course?

[MeowMixx]

I'm finally checking out Opus tonight!!! As for the rest of the weekend, I'll be in Palm Springs. Any suggestions?

[mintleaves]

I've always wanted to go to Norma's in the Le Parker Meridien in Palm Springs. I've been to the one in New York was just blown away by their brunch! My favorite is the Creme Brulee Waffle. They also have great pancakes. If you stop by, please please please review! Have fun!

[wenster]

I've been to Norma's at Le Parker Meridian in Palm Springs- the french cheese toast was ridiculously good for breakfast... but if you happen to be in the neighborhood for dinner, their macaroni and cheese with lobster kicks serious posterior... I think I saw my boyfriend cry tears of joy. (Or perhaps, tears of sadness because I kept stealing bites)

[jkao1817]

Going to either Sushi Gen or Kappo Ishito tonight depending on which chowpups are going.

A Place in Torrance off PCH for Chinese food (Can't remember the English Name).

and Green Village Shanghai Restaurant for dinner on Sunday.

[slacker]

I'm going to eat all over! and home cooking too! Everything will be a celebration--celebrating ending a wretched relationship!

[jkao1817]

Let me be the first to congratulate you!

[Dommy]

Hurrah!! Here's a post for you!! :)

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/37229...

--Dommy!

[slacker]

Thank you jkao! Thank you Dommy! And thanks for the link!

[Griller141]

Chowhound as psychotherapy! Love it.

[Kwsty]

I hope to go to Iva Lee's in South Orange County. Southern food that I heard was great. This will be a first, so I hope I'm not disappointed.

[wilafur]

monte alban for lunch on sat and wat thai for lunch on sunday. dinners.....no idea.

[Debbie W]

Tonight - probably Iwata, if the Friday night crowds are merciful. Tomorrow night - Craftsteak at the MGM Grand. Sunday night - Michael Mina at the Bellagio. Yay!

[Obessed]

Mozza tonight (made the reservation over a month ago) and Yang Chow tomorrow night.

[Julefish]

report back and let us know if the stuffed blossoms are back on the menu!

[Obessed]

Nope; the waitress said the crops froze so they can't get them right now. I was so bummed!!! But everything we had was terrific -- fried risotto balls in bolognese sauce, fried herb fingerling potatoes (this was our favorite!), winter caprese, fennel sausage pizza, fontina and some other cheeses & sage pizza. Various Gelatos for dessert. Yummy Italian wines. I'll definitely be back - Mozza lived up to all the hype!

[katkoupai]

Somewhere in Pasadena. I should probably say "eating" not "dining," because it will be somewhere small and local. Maybe Green St. Taqueria, Zancou, Mediterranean Cafe-- or the Laemmle Theatre (popcorn). :)

[justified]

Sa Rit Gol on Saturday night. I heard the the Black Cod is a "do-not-miss"... anything else on the menu that I should look for? Also types of beef (& marinades)?

[Ernie]

Their spicy bean stew is delicious and perfect on a cold night. Get lots of the various panchan (pickled appetizers) too

[SoCalMuncher]

Saturday breakfast: Probably Jack and Jill, while shopping in BH
Saturday dinner: Ca' brea, before a movie at Citywalk

[ipsedixit]

Soot Bull Jeep tonight

[tuckychica]

Depending on where we find ourselves, Nick & Stef's, Campanile, or someplace in Santa Monica (any suggestions on some of the better places right by the beach, 3rd street? I'm thinking Italian or steak, or just some jazzy American). THANKS!

[mintleaves]

Not Italian, Steak or quite American, but I really like Ocean Ave Seafood on OceanAve. Great service and the freshest, best oysters I've ever tasted in my life. (Portions are big too)

[The Oracle]

Tonight: Lucille's Smokehouse - so help me - for a b'day party. my first time -- will report back.
Saturday: Brunch at Mike & Anne's
Sunday: YAY! - going to be enjoying my FAVORITE asada tacos in TJ!! :) can't wait!

[Snoopy]

Went to Zo on Friday night and Roy's on Saturday night (pre-Clipper game). Sorry to say that Roy's was just very, very average.

[ElissaInPlaya]

Grace! Mr. No peanuts and I went to LACMA and then dropped in -- at 6:30 with no reservation, there was lots of space.

They served the BEST dinner rolls. I don't know whether they make their own bread, but WOW! maybe the best part of the dinner was these rolls. They looked like classic cafeteria dinner rolls - square, fist-sized. Crunchy on the outside, and melt in your mouth on the inside.

We tried the two soup appetizer: spicy Thai soup with a little lobster in the bottom, and tomato/red pepper puree. These were served with upscale cheese sticks! really satisfying - warm, spicy with melting cheese.

Our entrees were good too. I won the ordering lottery with my blackened scallops served with mushroom risotto and sauteed mushrooms. I really liked the finishing touch of basil oil, around the edge of the plate.

We also ordered the beef cheeks and grilled flank stake -- this was a large serving..the beef cheek was beautifully braised. The flank steak was perfectly cooked, but fairly ordinary. It was served on a bed of roasted? greans, with round, dryish potato croquettes.

We drank a lovely '99 cotes de provence that was primarily cabernet sauvingon and tasted like bordeux.

Unfortunately, we were too full for desert - because the desert menu looked fascinating (tangerine bread pudding.) This always happens to me!

Grace is still a local treasure and we enjoyed every bite.

[Clare K]

I went to the patio at Chateau Marmont and had:

split the green bean and mozerella insalata salad w/candied almonds
split the crispy garlic risotto balls

for entree had the roasted chicken with mash pots and brocollini

All very good...drank a couple of bottles (shared!) of the Brophy Clark Pinot Noir (2005 I believe).

Clare K
http://rainydaysandsundays-c.blogspot...

[snooze button]

I went to Shahrzad for lunch on Saturday.. my friend and I split the yogurt with shallots appetizer (yum), chicken kabob with salad instead of rice, and lamb shish kabob. Then for dessert we had this thing that looked like a pretzel with 2 little donut hole-looking things, with Persian hot tea. For dinner I had the chicken breast plate and tabbouleh at Zankou.

Oh, and Sunday I had a coctel de camarones at Tonny's, a mango jugo fresco, and ate some birria from my friend's plate... so so good. Btw, they aren't open 24/7 anymore because their permit was stripped. Neighbor complaints prompted the decision so they are now open from 6am to 10 pm daily.

[katkoupai]

This sounds so tasty! :) Yum.

[Rich54]

Bummed! The Dive was out of seafood soup Fri. night. Hard to replace that taste. Went with Gunpowder Chili instead which equalled in heat, but not aftertaste.

Sunday at Madeleine's was a feast. I'm eating leftovers for breakfast now. Beet tartare disappeared, but still have some Thai Curry veggies that are delish. And a creme brulee that tastes better this morning.