I've been eyeing this restaurant for months since I found out that Kogi's chef, Roy Choi, was opening a restaurant he described as Yoshinoya 5.0. He took over this location in a small strip mall on Overland and I begrudgingly waited a few weeks to make sure they'd worked out the kinks before heading in.
Last week I made it to this new spot and I was not disappointed! I expected a long line but when we arrived around 6 there were only a few people in front of us. It's not a place to sit and visit, though. We left promptly to fee up our table as there is only seating for about 30 people in there.
We ordered at the counter and headed back towards the kitchen to help ourselves to drinks from the cooler. When you order you receive a number and food is delivered to your table. We tried the 3PM Meatballs, fries, Prime Rib Rice Bowl and Pork Belly Rice Bowl.
The meatballs were very flavorful, with sesame and green onion, served over a polenta cake. The fries were out of control, topped with lots of cheese and a spicy sour cream. They were messy and delicious. My bowl combined chili-rubbed prime rib, with fried egg, water spinach, creamed horseradish and fried shallots. It wasn't too spicy for me but this place has a reputation for lots of spice. The flavors were great with 4-5 strips of prime rib. The pork belly bowl took the cake, though. My friend ordered it on the mild side but it was bursting with flavor from a 12 time glaze.
The food is heavy, for sure, and would be a great hangover cure. They have no wine/beer but the Korean and Mexican specialties will give you plenty of unique options to accompany one of Chef Choi's delicious concoctions.
www.eatchego.com
Showing posts with label Restaurants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Restaurants. Show all posts
Sunday, April 25, 2010
M. Cafe de Chaya, Culver City
This week I hit M. Cafe de Chaya in Culver City. I'd always been a bit intimidated and sort of turned off by the all Macrobiotic menu but this place blew me away. The deli case allows you to see what is available and the employees are quick to offer samples. The salads change with the season and my friend was crushed that they didn't have the wasabi salad. This mix of wasabi and sweet potatoes will return in the fall so I'll have to check it out.
We each had salad combos and had leftovers. The dishes were great and very filling. The Kale with Spicy Peanut Dressing was my favorite, it was very flavorful and not overly spicy at all. The Dilled Organic Tofu Salad tasted like egg salad, very good. The Scarlet Quinoa salad was good, but not amazing, beets died the quinoa red but it was missing something. The Curried Tempeh Salad blew us away. I don't know how or why but it tasted like bacon, it had the perfect amount of crunch, there were raisins somewhere in there but you didn't taste individual elements that much, just the taste that these different ingredients created together. Outstanding!
M. Cafe in Culver City had great outdoor seating with heaters and a very friendly staff.
www.mcafedechaya.com
We each had salad combos and had leftovers. The dishes were great and very filling. The Kale with Spicy Peanut Dressing was my favorite, it was very flavorful and not overly spicy at all. The Dilled Organic Tofu Salad tasted like egg salad, very good. The Scarlet Quinoa salad was good, but not amazing, beets died the quinoa red but it was missing something. The Curried Tempeh Salad blew us away. I don't know how or why but it tasted like bacon, it had the perfect amount of crunch, there were raisins somewhere in there but you didn't taste individual elements that much, just the taste that these different ingredients created together. Outstanding!
M. Cafe in Culver City had great outdoor seating with heaters and a very friendly staff.
www.mcafedechaya.com
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Worldfare Truck
The Worldfare Truck was at The Brewery Artwalk. I had heard about this truck which boasts a place to eat upstairs on top of the truck. Truth be told, there's no seating, but a nice counter lining the perimeter of the open roof where you can hang out in the shade of umbrellas or dine in the sun and enjoy the view below.
The man component of the menu are the bunnies. Tiny popover-ish rolls stuffed with curry chicken, bbq pork, short ribs or veggie chili. I tried the sampler, which was all 4 fillings on top of slices of yellow pepper. All 4 were amazing! The curry had chick peas, cashews and golden raisins in the mix. The pulled pork and short ribs had amazing flavor and the perfect texture and the chili had a nice spicy kick. I also shared some truffled mac and cheese balls. Do I really need to tell you how delicious they were? They are truffled mac and cheese balls. De-lish. Follow the bus on twitter or check out the site to see where they're parked today!
worldfare.com
The man component of the menu are the bunnies. Tiny popover-ish rolls stuffed with curry chicken, bbq pork, short ribs or veggie chili. I tried the sampler, which was all 4 fillings on top of slices of yellow pepper. All 4 were amazing! The curry had chick peas, cashews and golden raisins in the mix. The pulled pork and short ribs had amazing flavor and the perfect texture and the chili had a nice spicy kick. I also shared some truffled mac and cheese balls. Do I really need to tell you how delicious they were? They are truffled mac and cheese balls. De-lish. Follow the bus on twitter or check out the site to see where they're parked today!
worldfare.com
Fraiche Restaurant, Culver City
Fraiche never disappoints. We go every chance we get and the quality is exceptional. Last night we made a vow to order new things as we have our favorites and don't often stray.
Salads - Our repeat was the baby beet salad, it is served on a bed of house made ricotta with hazelnuts and mache lettuce. Our other salad was the cured branzino served with arugula and oranges with a citrus dressing. The salty fish and sweet dressing were a perfect match.
Entrees - I had a new item on their menu, Short Rib Agnolotti in truffle butter. It just melted in my mouth. The textures and flavors were amazing. My husband had my usual, the tortelli stuffed with four cheeses and served with thyme and hazelnuts. It was perfect as usual.
Dessert- Tonight we tried the marscapone cheesecake. It's served with blueberry sorbet which tastes like frozen blueberry pie filling. So delicious. There are also mangoes, blueberries and a perfectly sweet and tangy mango sauce. Graham cracker streusel added the perfect crunch.
Other recommendations- Their summer menu usually has a francoboli, which means postage stamp in Italian. It's an amazing ravioli stuffed with corn and ricotta cheese. Their pumpkin soup in the fall/winter is also out of this world. Hearing the chef talk about it on Good Food on KCRW is what first inspired me to visit the restaurant.
Prices - Salads/Apps all hover around $15, Entrees range from mid $20's and pastas are all $15-20. Last night we had 2 salads, 2 pastas, 2 glasses of wine, 1 dessert and the bill was $99 before tip.
www.fraicherestaurantla.com/fraiche
Salads - Our repeat was the baby beet salad, it is served on a bed of house made ricotta with hazelnuts and mache lettuce. Our other salad was the cured branzino served with arugula and oranges with a citrus dressing. The salty fish and sweet dressing were a perfect match.
Entrees - I had a new item on their menu, Short Rib Agnolotti in truffle butter. It just melted in my mouth. The textures and flavors were amazing. My husband had my usual, the tortelli stuffed with four cheeses and served with thyme and hazelnuts. It was perfect as usual.
Dessert- Tonight we tried the marscapone cheesecake. It's served with blueberry sorbet which tastes like frozen blueberry pie filling. So delicious. There are also mangoes, blueberries and a perfectly sweet and tangy mango sauce. Graham cracker streusel added the perfect crunch.
Other recommendations- Their summer menu usually has a francoboli, which means postage stamp in Italian. It's an amazing ravioli stuffed with corn and ricotta cheese. Their pumpkin soup in the fall/winter is also out of this world. Hearing the chef talk about it on Good Food on KCRW is what first inspired me to visit the restaurant.
Prices - Salads/Apps all hover around $15, Entrees range from mid $20's and pastas are all $15-20. Last night we had 2 salads, 2 pastas, 2 glasses of wine, 1 dessert and the bill was $99 before tip.
www.fraicherestaurantla.com/fraiche
Monday, April 12, 2010
Mezza Mediterranian Grill
We hit Mezza Mediterranian Grill on Saturday night. It's a new spot across from the Kirk Douglas Theater in Culver City.
The waitstaff and hostesses were very nice, they all wore coin belts that jingle as they walk around. The decor felt Lebanese/Turkish to me and the decorations were nice although it could be less bright. They've only been open for a few weeks so they're still getting their bearings. The music fit the decor well.
The restaurant was very busy on Saturday at 8 and you can tell it'll be really on warm nights when you can sit on the patio. The crowd was diverse and everyone had praise for the owner who personally visited each table to make sure people were enjoying their experience.
Now for the food...
They serve complimentary pita chips with a thick sesame sauce when you arrive. Very tasty but I wish the chips were larger.
Their beer/wine license is pending so I had Jalab to drink. This drink is comprised of rose water and molasses with pine nuts and walnuts on top. If you like rose water (I do) it's delicious but it is strong and I can see how it might be like drinking perfume if you aren't a fan.
Spinach Fatyer- I thought would be similar to spanikopita. It wasn't, it was much beter. The crust was chewy and it was very lemony. Fatyer was baked and at served room temperature so it wasn't as greasy as spanikopita tends to be. I really enjoyed this dish. You could easily have this and a salad for a light lunch. ($5.95)
Beef Shwarma- How have I lived my whole life without eating Shwarma? It was delicious! The meat was perfectly seasoned and a little spicy. For sides I chose tabouleh salad and spicy hummus. The tabouleh had less bulgar wheat than I prefer but it was very good with fresh parsley, onions and tomatoes. It was flavorful and had a spicy kick. Big portion was enough to eat half and take half home. ($11.50)
Shrimp Kabob Plate- My husband had this dish and adored it. Fresh chunks of onion, red and green peppers broke up large shrimp on a skewer. We brought half of this one home too. ($12.99)
Dessert sampler - The Ashta, a rosewater whipped cream, was delicious. Delicate and very flavorful with homemade syrup. The Namoura, a simple cookie type dessert made with sugar, butter and flour, was overly sweet for me but tasty. The Baklava was too dry for my taste but they emphasize healthy so it was probably dry because it wasn't drenched in syrup and butter.
I would highly recommend this spot next time you're in Culver City. It'll just get better and better as they get settled.
www.mezzamg.com
The waitstaff and hostesses were very nice, they all wore coin belts that jingle as they walk around. The decor felt Lebanese/Turkish to me and the decorations were nice although it could be less bright. They've only been open for a few weeks so they're still getting their bearings. The music fit the decor well.
The restaurant was very busy on Saturday at 8 and you can tell it'll be really on warm nights when you can sit on the patio. The crowd was diverse and everyone had praise for the owner who personally visited each table to make sure people were enjoying their experience.
Now for the food...
They serve complimentary pita chips with a thick sesame sauce when you arrive. Very tasty but I wish the chips were larger.
Their beer/wine license is pending so I had Jalab to drink. This drink is comprised of rose water and molasses with pine nuts and walnuts on top. If you like rose water (I do) it's delicious but it is strong and I can see how it might be like drinking perfume if you aren't a fan.
Spinach Fatyer- I thought would be similar to spanikopita. It wasn't, it was much beter. The crust was chewy and it was very lemony. Fatyer was baked and at served room temperature so it wasn't as greasy as spanikopita tends to be. I really enjoyed this dish. You could easily have this and a salad for a light lunch. ($5.95)
Beef Shwarma- How have I lived my whole life without eating Shwarma? It was delicious! The meat was perfectly seasoned and a little spicy. For sides I chose tabouleh salad and spicy hummus. The tabouleh had less bulgar wheat than I prefer but it was very good with fresh parsley, onions and tomatoes. It was flavorful and had a spicy kick. Big portion was enough to eat half and take half home. ($11.50)
Shrimp Kabob Plate- My husband had this dish and adored it. Fresh chunks of onion, red and green peppers broke up large shrimp on a skewer. We brought half of this one home too. ($12.99)
Dessert sampler - The Ashta, a rosewater whipped cream, was delicious. Delicate and very flavorful with homemade syrup. The Namoura, a simple cookie type dessert made with sugar, butter and flour, was overly sweet for me but tasty. The Baklava was too dry for my taste but they emphasize healthy so it was probably dry because it wasn't drenched in syrup and butter.
I would highly recommend this spot next time you're in Culver City. It'll just get better and better as they get settled.
www.mezzamg.com
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