Last Friday was a very special day for me. It was special because for the first time since our group's inception, we were all available, and we had no extras, no special guest stars, no star trek red shirts, no add on luggage, no carry on's, it was just the four of us. We decided on Italian, well sort of, more like Americanized Italian, which was cool. We picked Macaroni Grill in Cerritos, located at 12875 Towne Center Drive Cerritos, CA 90703-8585. It was right off the 91 Freeway, in a shopping plaza, fairly convenient to get to. I arrived at 8:45 pm and everyone was already there and had already started ordering.
The place was fairly large, the decor from the outside looked like a barn though. Inside it was contemporary, with an open kitchen. The setting was definitely family oriented, it is a step up from say Denny's but not nearly the level of Maggiano's. I liked the way they casually leave bottles of wine around, I was tempted to garb one and help myself.... They also serve Italian wine, which was rare for a restaurant of this level. The waiters are their number one asset imo, friendly, professional, and some have the makings of being great singers.
They served us bread and we ordered a few ceasar salads, which for 2 bucks it wasn't bad at all. The bread wasn't very good though, it is passable if you dip it against your dish and use it as a plate cleaner. For drinks, I ordered La Crema Pinot Noir, which was surprisingly decent. The girls had ordered their drinks ahead of time from the bar, and I found out that Z actually had the same after I ordered... oh well.
So we ordered our dishes. B and E both decided to create their own pasta, but they both decided to have Parm Chicken as the main protein. T and Z were both drinking Pinot Noir, so it was natural that they too ordered chicken dishes, so it ended up everyone was a chicken...I mean had chicken. T ordered Penne with Oven Roasted Chicken, and Z ordered Pinot Grigio Chicken. They had on their menu a very tempting picture of Berry Tiramisu, we gave in and ordered just one to share. They promptly took our order and our meal got to our table within 15 minutes. That actually got my hopes up a little as I thought it meant they dont precook their pasta. Well, to be honest, I don't know if they do or not, but it sure taste like they do. I had my Penne, and I tried B's linguine, and it was not al dente... the sauce and flavor were ok... actually, it was good, but the pasta was lacking. Simply there were no bite to it. The breaded parmesan the girls ordered were slightly too brown, which meant they need to change the fryer's oil. It tasted good though so the girls didn't mind. The Tiramisu was very nice, and actually looked like the one from the picture, we should have ordered 2.
All through out the evening we kept hearing waiters singing birthday songs in Italian(I think its Italian), and E and Z were yearning for it, it was just so obvious. It was also very obvious that even though they had several singers, they both had their eye on this one(the one with hair) Anyhow, it got to the point where our resident compulsive liar E decided to just go for it, and told our waitress that it was Z's birthday(so that she can say she did it for Z......Right! and I'm Tinkerbell). The gamble paid out, not only did they not card anyone, they gave us a small chocolate cake, and they got the singing waiter they wanted. To see them drool...priceless.
Overall
Location/Parking*************************** B(it would have been an A-, with parking so plentiful, but when I left I found someone left a couple bags of used fast food under my car)
Atmosphere/Environment******************* A, thank the waiters
Food ************************************** B, the pasta needs work
Drink**************************************A- nice wine selection
Price************************************** B+, for Italian it was inexpensive, about 14 dollars a person
Overall************************************B+
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Anarkali Indian Restaurant
Last Friday TZ and special guest star V were available, so we decided to try something that they had never experienced. We decided on authentic Indian food, and selected Anarkali Indian Restaurant, located at 7013 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. We had a reservation for 4 for 9:00 pm. V brought her hubby Mr. J with her, along with her baby B, so we ended up with 5. It wasn't a problem as times are bad and it wasn't crowded at all. I got there first and had an India Special (beer) while waiting on them. By 9:20 everyone arrived. The setting of the restaurant was unique, if not ingenious. They made each table looked like an enclosed tent, the center of the restaurant was a long table with two crystal chandeliers, making it feel like a table for nobels. The background was filled with subtle Indian music, soft enough where you can hear it but wont need you to raise your voice to talk. They only serve beer and regular drinks, no wine or liquor, but then again, it would be a challenge to find wine that suits Indian cusine.
We placed our orders, mind you nobody by myself had ever experienced Indian cusine, so I suggested something basic. Tandoori chicken, curry, naan, garlic naan, Z I had recommended the chicken tikka, but she decided to try Chicken Curry Vindaloo dinner(curry with lemon juice, she being new at this ordered it mild). V and family decided to share and ordered Calimari to start, and share an order of Mixed Tandoori Grill dinner, which comes with Chicken Tandoori, Chicken Tikka, Lamb Tikka, and Sheekh Kabab. I ordered the combination platter with chicken curry(hot), it comes with Chicken Tandoori, naan, rice and dessert, and an extra side of garlic naan.
So while we waited for our food, we began joking around on baby B's expense, telling her that we are here to eat monkey brains and beetles(old Indiana Jones sceen) and spooked her silly. Then the calamari came, it was triple battered and in strips, so it looked like cheetos and we told her that its good cheetos, not the stuff coming out of the bag...which caused her to not try it:) Then the conversation switched to the not using the left hand to eat as it was for wiping >-)
Soon our food arrived and filled the table. V and family had the mixed grill, which they thought was too bland, Z had her chicken curry vindaloo, but she didn't like the herb tasting chicken. I on the other hand loved my dish, I had my curry hot, and hot it was, and unlike other Indian places, there were no film of red oil over the curry. The tandoori chicken was just right for me, the naan was kinda weak though, I am used to better flavor naan.
I guess I over did it with the left hand jokes, as toward the end, V kept saying she smell gas....hehehe it probably was from herself, after all, we know that shes been known to lose control before.
Overall
Location/Parking***********************B-, I had mine valet, and he just moved it 5 inches and left it in the street, and just put a cone behind my car... and charged me 5 bucks!
Environment***************************A. I really like the decor/setup. It felt like you are in your own tent.
Drinks*********************************C+. Serving Indian beer was cool, but the menu on drinks were a bit weak.
Food**********************************C+. If it was me, I would give it a B+/A-, but the general consensus was that the food wasn't tasty, but then again I am the only one who had experienced Indian food and knew what to expect, and I did order my curry hot!
Price**********************************B it wasn't expensive to start, and there was a coupon online for 25 dollars off, but then they slap 18% tip on top of it, so it was really about 7 bucks of savings.
Overall......I liked it, but my guests didn't. This one is hard to call, I would have given it a B+ overall, but taking my guests input into the equation, this is a B-/C+ establishment.
For those who would like to see if they agree with me or my guests, please feel free to try them.
You can also see their menu at http://www.anarkali-la.com/
We placed our orders, mind you nobody by myself had ever experienced Indian cusine, so I suggested something basic. Tandoori chicken, curry, naan, garlic naan, Z I had recommended the chicken tikka, but she decided to try Chicken Curry Vindaloo dinner(curry with lemon juice, she being new at this ordered it mild). V and family decided to share and ordered Calimari to start, and share an order of Mixed Tandoori Grill dinner, which comes with Chicken Tandoori, Chicken Tikka, Lamb Tikka, and Sheekh Kabab. I ordered the combination platter with chicken curry(hot), it comes with Chicken Tandoori, naan, rice and dessert, and an extra side of garlic naan.
So while we waited for our food, we began joking around on baby B's expense, telling her that we are here to eat monkey brains and beetles(old Indiana Jones sceen) and spooked her silly. Then the calamari came, it was triple battered and in strips, so it looked like cheetos and we told her that its good cheetos, not the stuff coming out of the bag...which caused her to not try it:) Then the conversation switched to the not using the left hand to eat as it was for wiping >-)
Soon our food arrived and filled the table. V and family had the mixed grill, which they thought was too bland, Z had her chicken curry vindaloo, but she didn't like the herb tasting chicken. I on the other hand loved my dish, I had my curry hot, and hot it was, and unlike other Indian places, there were no film of red oil over the curry. The tandoori chicken was just right for me, the naan was kinda weak though, I am used to better flavor naan.
I guess I over did it with the left hand jokes, as toward the end, V kept saying she smell gas....hehehe it probably was from herself, after all, we know that shes been known to lose control before.
Overall
Location/Parking***********************B-, I had mine valet, and he just moved it 5 inches and left it in the street, and just put a cone behind my car... and charged me 5 bucks!
Environment***************************A. I really like the decor/setup. It felt like you are in your own tent.
Drinks*********************************C+. Serving Indian beer was cool, but the menu on drinks were a bit weak.
Food**********************************C+. If it was me, I would give it a B+/A-, but the general consensus was that the food wasn't tasty, but then again I am the only one who had experienced Indian food and knew what to expect, and I did order my curry hot!
Price**********************************B it wasn't expensive to start, and there was a coupon online for 25 dollars off, but then they slap 18% tip on top of it, so it was really about 7 bucks of savings.
Overall......I liked it, but my guests didn't. This one is hard to call, I would have given it a B+ overall, but taking my guests input into the equation, this is a B-/C+ establishment.
For those who would like to see if they agree with me or my guests, please feel free to try them.
You can also see their menu at http://www.anarkali-la.com/
Monday, March 9, 2009
Hanaichimonme
Last week everyone including myself were preoccupied and could not meet up, I myself had 3 doctors appointment on Sat, so I could not eat the night before, after 12 x-rays, a pint of blood, an EKG performed by a not so attractive nurse, I was famish. Being alone, and still abiding by my policy of "If it isn't tasty don't put it in my mouth", my choice of places to go was limited.
It would be awkward for me to walk into a decent restaurant asking for table for 1, and I don't want cafeteria style, and my honor prevents me from doing fast food.....It actually took a few brain cells before I remember: Real ramen.
Those of you that knows me, should now be wondering why would I forget such a thing. Well the truth is, once I learned the proper way of making real ramen, I have not gone out for it(since I can make it better than most places), but there is one place in LA I know I cannot best... and that is Hanaichimonme. That's a mouth full for most people I bet...pronounce Ha-na-ichi-mon-mee. It is located at 333 S Alameda St, #303, Los Angeles, CA. There used to be a Mitsuwa market there, but they shut it down. One of the cool things this little ramen shop has, is it caters to not just groups, but singles as well. There is a bar area made just for those table for 1 people. Since I was one of those people, I fit right in! The other unique thing about this little ramen shop is..they serve beer, they also serve other non alcohol drinks, including my favorite Iced Coffee!
Ok so that's not unique enough for you? Fine try this: All their dishes are displayed in its actual form using what I believe to be colored wax, or plastic, and with the exception of gyoza, the actual dish when it comes look identical to the display. When was the last time your hamburger looked like the one on the picture?
So being hungry, in pain and lost a lot of blood(the evil nurse claimed she couldn't find my vein, so she inserted a needle in my arm, then pulled it out partially as no blood came up, and wiggled it for another position and pushed the damn needle back in...5 times) I ordered sagano, which comes with pickled vegetables, pork ramen, Japanese fried rice, and gyoza. I also ordered Iced coffee, which came with syrup and evaporated milk, you get to add as much or as little as you want.
The ramen came within 5 minutes of the order, very fast. Now most people I know just don't know how to eat ramen right, yes most know that you are suppose to slurp and make noises, but most don't understand the reason....and they come up with its impolite and blah blah.... ok so the reason, the real reason, is ramen in broth(I call it soup, but then I don't want to give the impression of chunky thick stews that most people associate the word soup with)should be at least 88+ Celsius... yes that makes it hot! I personally prefer over 92, considering water boils at 100, it is near boiling. With such a hot temperature soup, when you finish a bowl of ramen, you should be sweating, which unclogs your pores and make you feel like you just came out of the steam room. When you eat it, since it is just sooo hot, you have to slurp(so you suck in air and cool off the content in your mouth) It is one of those food that fills your stomach and gives you a work out while eating, imo a great diet food. So what makes a successful ramen? It is the broth/soup base. There are 3 major types of broth when it comes to Japanese ramen, pork bone(tonkotsu), Miso, and soy sauce(shoyu). Hana is great with soy sauce(shoyu), a soup that I have yet to be able to duplicate. The ramen was just right, its got the right chew to it. The gyoza was crispy at the bottom and soft on top, the fried rice was ok, nothing great but nothing bad about it either. This little ramen shop imo is the king of ramens in this side of the continent, you would seriously have to go to Japan to find better.
Location/Parking*********************A(structure parking, 1 hr free, additional 1hr for spending $15)
Environment*************************B-, most of the plaza is dead, they are trying to revive it though.
Drink********************************A, their Iced coffee is highly recommended! Once you drink it, you wont have to use toothpicks to keep your eyelids open :)
Food********************************A- (A+ for ramen, other dishes are kinda ehh, though their shaved ice is to die for)
Prices*******************************B+ about 10 bucks a person for a full meal with drink
Overall******************************A-, seriously, try the ramen!
It would be awkward for me to walk into a decent restaurant asking for table for 1, and I don't want cafeteria style, and my honor prevents me from doing fast food.....It actually took a few brain cells before I remember: Real ramen.
Those of you that knows me, should now be wondering why would I forget such a thing. Well the truth is, once I learned the proper way of making real ramen, I have not gone out for it(since I can make it better than most places), but there is one place in LA I know I cannot best... and that is Hanaichimonme. That's a mouth full for most people I bet...pronounce Ha-na-ichi-mon-mee. It is located at 333 S Alameda St, #303, Los Angeles, CA. There used to be a Mitsuwa market there, but they shut it down. One of the cool things this little ramen shop has, is it caters to not just groups, but singles as well. There is a bar area made just for those table for 1 people. Since I was one of those people, I fit right in! The other unique thing about this little ramen shop is..they serve beer, they also serve other non alcohol drinks, including my favorite Iced Coffee!
Ok so that's not unique enough for you? Fine try this: All their dishes are displayed in its actual form using what I believe to be colored wax, or plastic, and with the exception of gyoza, the actual dish when it comes look identical to the display. When was the last time your hamburger looked like the one on the picture?
So being hungry, in pain and lost a lot of blood(the evil nurse claimed she couldn't find my vein, so she inserted a needle in my arm, then pulled it out partially as no blood came up, and wiggled it for another position and pushed the damn needle back in...5 times) I ordered sagano, which comes with pickled vegetables, pork ramen, Japanese fried rice, and gyoza. I also ordered Iced coffee, which came with syrup and evaporated milk, you get to add as much or as little as you want.
The ramen came within 5 minutes of the order, very fast. Now most people I know just don't know how to eat ramen right, yes most know that you are suppose to slurp and make noises, but most don't understand the reason....and they come up with its impolite and blah blah.... ok so the reason, the real reason, is ramen in broth(I call it soup, but then I don't want to give the impression of chunky thick stews that most people associate the word soup with)should be at least 88+ Celsius... yes that makes it hot! I personally prefer over 92, considering water boils at 100, it is near boiling. With such a hot temperature soup, when you finish a bowl of ramen, you should be sweating, which unclogs your pores and make you feel like you just came out of the steam room. When you eat it, since it is just sooo hot, you have to slurp(so you suck in air and cool off the content in your mouth) It is one of those food that fills your stomach and gives you a work out while eating, imo a great diet food. So what makes a successful ramen? It is the broth/soup base. There are 3 major types of broth when it comes to Japanese ramen, pork bone(tonkotsu), Miso, and soy sauce(shoyu). Hana is great with soy sauce(shoyu), a soup that I have yet to be able to duplicate. The ramen was just right, its got the right chew to it. The gyoza was crispy at the bottom and soft on top, the fried rice was ok, nothing great but nothing bad about it either. This little ramen shop imo is the king of ramens in this side of the continent, you would seriously have to go to Japan to find better.
Location/Parking*********************A(structure parking, 1 hr free, additional 1hr for spending $15)
Environment*************************B-, most of the plaza is dead, they are trying to revive it though.
Drink********************************A, their Iced coffee is highly recommended! Once you drink it, you wont have to use toothpicks to keep your eyelids open :)
Food********************************A- (A+ for ramen, other dishes are kinda ehh, though their shaved ice is to die for)
Prices*******************************B+ about 10 bucks a person for a full meal with drink
Overall******************************A-, seriously, try the ramen!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Maggiano's Little Italy
For the previous 3 weeks we have had Asian food, so it was definitely time for a change. Last week we have decided to go to Maggiano's Little Italy, located at 189 The Grove Drive Z80, Los Angeles, CA, 90036. It is an upscale casual dining establishment, and since it was also close to B's birthday, we took the occasion to celebrate her downhill free fall :) We had with us the full BETZ team, plus special guest star Mrs.V and Mr J, and of course, the extra E. The 7 of us arrived separately, parking was plentiful for LA, as described previously on the Cheese Cake Factory post, it is in the same plaza/mall.
Around 9:15 we were all there gathered around the bar area. It took about 15-20 minutes for us to be seated. I had studied their wine list ahead of time and ordered a glass of Malbec, B had a sourapple martini, Z ordered pinot noir, Mr J had beer, the rest had soda. It was not inexpensive, but I can say that they had selected the best available for daily wines, and upcharged it about 3x retail, still they had a good list and hey they need to pay the rent, so it was fair.
We had ordered appetizers to start, like before, we decided to each order something and just share. We had ordered Mozzarella Mariana, Bruschetta, Barb's Spinach & Artichoke al Forno(who's Barb?), an order of fried calamari, and a Caesar salad to start.
Did we over do it on the appetizers, yea I would say so, but they were worth their cost, especially the Mozzarella and the spinach & Artichoke. I am not a fan of Bruschetta personally, but then again I don't like bread in general. None the less, it was vaporized shortly, and the calamari was huge in portion, as a note, any of these "appetizers" would be enough to fill a normal person, so watch yourselves or you may ended up not being able to enjoy the main course.
For the main courses, even though we were all suppose to order different dishes... 3 of us picked the herb roast chicken... we ended up ordering 2 orders of the whole herb roast chicken, an order of Chicken Parmesan, and order of chicken pesto linguine, (looks like everyone was a chicken lover that day), and a side of mash potato. The herb chicken was amazing, the smell of pine mixed with red potatoes and garlic along with the light sauce, cooked to perfection, it was stunning, and even though we could not finish it, and had to take most of it home, even after reheating it in the oven(following the instructions on their to-go tray), it was still stunning. If I had to make a complaint, and this is truly nit picking, then it would be it was a little too oily.
The pesto linguine was extremely popular on our table, it was huge, just like everything else that were served, the pesto sauce was smooth and flavorful, add that with chicken, pine nuts, and a taste of lemon, it went well with the pasta. However, you would have to eat that one quickly as the pasta will soak up too much of the flavor and lose the Al Dante in the process.
The Chicken Parmesan were 3 breast breaded, fried, and topped with provolone and Mariana sauce. I was already filled when I tried it, and since we all had the mozzarella earlier, and the dish is basically the same except it was with chicken, it kind of got bypassed by everyone. I shared a piece with B and personally, I liked it. The bread was not overly heavy, but not too light either. It didn't taste like it was pre-made, I suspect they breaded it themselves, probably using frozen breast though. It had a fine bite to it, it wasn't as stunning as the roast chicken, but it was a well made dish.
The mash potato added and enhance the experience. We ordered desserts, and tried their 6 assorted sampler. It was decent, but no where as good as the main or apps.
As far as Italian food is concern, personally, I think it is a match to La Fontana in Glendale(that's my favorite Italian restaurant btw, and in some cases, such as the roast chicken, I think it even surpasses them). The table we had was set for 8, but it was just too small even with just 7, we kept dropping forks and knives due to the compact space. It was like fitting 7 in a compact car, I personally would have prefer a nice long table, but this was not the case. For what we had ordered, just in terms of their plate size alone, would not have fit the table.
Overall
Location/parking********************Since it is in the same place as the Cheesecake Factory:For LA, its an A, B if you compare it to say...orange county?
Environment***********************A-, if it only closed later, it was a drag to start at 9:30ish and see them start packing up by 11, almost felt like we were being rushed to leave.
Drinks*****************************A-, they had the standard fare for liquor, but they did a good job selecting a wine list, with a decent line up of Italian wine, plus a few more from Chile and Argentina, it wasn't just California wine, I wish more restaurant does that.
Food*******************************we didn't really sample the variety, but for the chicken dishes we had, it's definitely an A. I liked it, and I want to go again to try some of their veal dishes, and maybe seafood as well.
Price*******************************It was basically about 25 bucks a person with what we had ordered, tip included. I would rate it as a B.
Overall, this is a very decent upscale casual restaurant, and so far with only the chicken dishes, it showed to be worthy of being an A- in our book. This one is definitely to be continue....
Around 9:15 we were all there gathered around the bar area. It took about 15-20 minutes for us to be seated. I had studied their wine list ahead of time and ordered a glass of Malbec, B had a sourapple martini, Z ordered pinot noir, Mr J had beer, the rest had soda. It was not inexpensive, but I can say that they had selected the best available for daily wines, and upcharged it about 3x retail, still they had a good list and hey they need to pay the rent, so it was fair.
We had ordered appetizers to start, like before, we decided to each order something and just share. We had ordered Mozzarella Mariana, Bruschetta, Barb's Spinach & Artichoke al Forno(who's Barb?), an order of fried calamari, and a Caesar salad to start.
Did we over do it on the appetizers, yea I would say so, but they were worth their cost, especially the Mozzarella and the spinach & Artichoke. I am not a fan of Bruschetta personally, but then again I don't like bread in general. None the less, it was vaporized shortly, and the calamari was huge in portion, as a note, any of these "appetizers" would be enough to fill a normal person, so watch yourselves or you may ended up not being able to enjoy the main course.
For the main courses, even though we were all suppose to order different dishes... 3 of us picked the herb roast chicken... we ended up ordering 2 orders of the whole herb roast chicken, an order of Chicken Parmesan, and order of chicken pesto linguine, (looks like everyone was a chicken lover that day), and a side of mash potato. The herb chicken was amazing, the smell of pine mixed with red potatoes and garlic along with the light sauce, cooked to perfection, it was stunning, and even though we could not finish it, and had to take most of it home, even after reheating it in the oven(following the instructions on their to-go tray), it was still stunning. If I had to make a complaint, and this is truly nit picking, then it would be it was a little too oily.
The pesto linguine was extremely popular on our table, it was huge, just like everything else that were served, the pesto sauce was smooth and flavorful, add that with chicken, pine nuts, and a taste of lemon, it went well with the pasta. However, you would have to eat that one quickly as the pasta will soak up too much of the flavor and lose the Al Dante in the process.
The Chicken Parmesan were 3 breast breaded, fried, and topped with provolone and Mariana sauce. I was already filled when I tried it, and since we all had the mozzarella earlier, and the dish is basically the same except it was with chicken, it kind of got bypassed by everyone. I shared a piece with B and personally, I liked it. The bread was not overly heavy, but not too light either. It didn't taste like it was pre-made, I suspect they breaded it themselves, probably using frozen breast though. It had a fine bite to it, it wasn't as stunning as the roast chicken, but it was a well made dish.
The mash potato added and enhance the experience. We ordered desserts, and tried their 6 assorted sampler. It was decent, but no where as good as the main or apps.
As far as Italian food is concern, personally, I think it is a match to La Fontana in Glendale(that's my favorite Italian restaurant btw, and in some cases, such as the roast chicken, I think it even surpasses them). The table we had was set for 8, but it was just too small even with just 7, we kept dropping forks and knives due to the compact space. It was like fitting 7 in a compact car, I personally would have prefer a nice long table, but this was not the case. For what we had ordered, just in terms of their plate size alone, would not have fit the table.
Overall
Location/parking********************Since it is in the same place as the Cheesecake Factory:For LA, its an A, B if you compare it to say...orange county?
Environment***********************A-, if it only closed later, it was a drag to start at 9:30ish and see them start packing up by 11, almost felt like we were being rushed to leave.
Drinks*****************************A-, they had the standard fare for liquor, but they did a good job selecting a wine list, with a decent line up of Italian wine, plus a few more from Chile and Argentina, it wasn't just California wine, I wish more restaurant does that.
Food*******************************we didn't really sample the variety, but for the chicken dishes we had, it's definitely an A. I liked it, and I want to go again to try some of their veal dishes, and maybe seafood as well.
Price*******************************It was basically about 25 bucks a person with what we had ordered, tip included. I would rate it as a B.
Overall, this is a very decent upscale casual restaurant, and so far with only the chicken dishes, it showed to be worthy of being an A- in our book. This one is definitely to be continue....
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