So last Friday we went to Steven's Steakhouse. We have all heard a lot about this place, but have never had tried it. I finally got online and saw their menu, and I thought it was fairly inexpensive as far as steak house goes, so I made the decision for everyone to go(during lunch though), to sample their fare.
Getting there during afternoon wasn't too much of a problem, though I did get stuck a bit in traffic as a Benz decided to stall on me in the middle of Atlantic Blvd. Steven's Steakhouse is located at 5332 E Stevens Place, Commerce, CA 90040. Again I should have learned my lesson, when I schedule for a location, always arrive at least 30 minutes late...everyone else does!
So we all assembled, they had a huge lot in the back and a valet parking area. If you have a nice car, I suggest the valet as the back lot is unattended. By the time we got in, we might as well have the restaurant to ourselves. We took a peek at their ball room as someone was decorating it for a wedding. It was huge, must have had 25 tables in there with plenty of room left. The front entrance had a bunch of boxer pictures and Wonder Woman...I mean Linda Carter. The main dinning area had decent lighting, not too bright or too dimmed. I was expecting more of a classy place, but it was more a place to conduct power lunches or friend/family gathering, even though they do weddings and banquets, I find the notion of romance missing in this place(See my review of Waters Restaurants, that place reeks of romance). We were quickly seated and began to order. They had a decent wine list, but it was lunch time so I didn't order any, instead we went with the common stuff like Iced Coffee, Iced Tea, coke...sprite..etc.
B ordered Carne Asada, E had Fettuccine with Shrimp, T ordered Fillet Mignon medium rare, Z had Salmon Fillet. Special Guest Star V and J had ordered the assorted platter and the speical Steak and Lobster tail. Food arrived, and right off the bat, that Fettuccine with Shrimp looked really good. Salmon was well done too, as was all the main dishes, the assorted platter was ok, thought some of the meat were too well done, definitely nothing to say wow at. Overall the main dishes were pretty good, the soup that came with it were excellent(I had clam chowder and I can say that it wasn't canned clams)....but wth is with the side dishes? My veggies and mash potato that came with the steak had way too much oil/butter in it. The effect was like a beautiful painting of a perfect red rose...with dead leaves coming off the stem...
Maybe dinner would have been better, or it was done by helpers instead of chefs, as we did get there rather late. I don't know, but it is odd to have great main but bad sides. Service wise, for being not busy, it was not too great. We had to ask for refills, were mostly ignored, they did the bill wrong(to our advantage, then corrected), for a lunch, our table spent about 150 including tips, personally I think I could have had better service.
Overall
Parking ***************************************A+, valet and regular lot, your choice.
Environment***********************************B+, something is lacking
Service ****************************************C
Food ******************************************A-/B+, I just need to overlook the side dishes
Drinks*****************************************A-/B+, a nice selection
Price******************************************B-, about 18 to 25 dollar a person, including tip.
Showing posts with label Los Angeles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Angeles. Show all posts
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Maddalena Restaurant, San Antonio Winery
So last Friday the company decided to give us another fully paid off day, and I decided to do lunch at the San Antonio Winery, and also shop for some decent wine. Z wanted to come, B and E were claiming to be too poor to eat, and well, their lost.
It wasn't too difficult to find, even though I have never met so many Sunday drivers on a Friday before... We got their about 2:30pm. They had their own secluded street, which I thought was pretty awesome. Decent size parking lot within their gated area. We went in and the first thing we saw was their retail area, and I immediately got attracted to their bottle of Château Margaux...for only...$1200.00....and I was completely transfixed and just could not move or take my eyes off it.... ok so we finally broke me away from that security area and we went into their restaurant area.
Taking a minute to recover, I recomposed myself, at first you would think this is a cafeteria, and in a way, it was.... they didn't have a menu. They had instead 2 tables, each table has about 12 dishes, one table is bread/sandwich products, the other is rice/pasta/dishes. Each dish has a name tag on it, you find what you like, then walk up to the kitchen counter and tell the clerk what you want. The clerk then takes note, and hands you a menu stand with a piece of paper labeling what you had ordered. You then scoot down to the cashier area, and pick your drinks, regular stuff, pre pour glasses of wine...water....etc. Then you pay for your meal, and a waiter carries your tray and escorts you to a table.
The restaurant itself is Italian in design, and they had a musician there playing at almost 3 in the afternoon. They also have segmented out rooms for events, be it company event, or wine tasting that they host...etc. All meals were served with salad and bread, but we didn't get to choose any dressing for our salad. The bread was ehh...whatever... I am and will never be a bread eater anyway...
We both had pinot noir, though I knew I should have had pinot grigio since I ordered Linguini shrimp scampi. Z had fresh Salmon breaded and served with rice. The waiter brought our dishes over, and I got stunned as soon as I had my first bite, it was that good! It wasn't a good thing though as I had my first bite right when the musician finished his tune, and I was so stunned that I didn't even applaud, and my table was closest to the musician... embarrassing.
The linguini was perfectly al dente(unlike macaroni grill), and the shrimps were not over cooked(unlike Water's Restaurant), the flavor was perfectly balanced, strong garlic but not overly salty, very well done and very Italian. Z's eyes lite up with she tasted the salmon, I personally dont eat cooked fish so I cant tell you how good it is, but she did finish her plate.
Overall
Parking ******************************A, come on, free gated parking in LA always gets an A
Environment *************************A-, very cool place, their is only 2 problems I found with this place, one they don't open late enough, close at 7pm...come on.... and two, selection menu is pretty small compare to other places.
Service ******************************A++!!! Friendly servers, and not just the restaurant, but over all everyone there, even the retail wine area where they had a wine waiter serving samples. As I was drooling again after the meal in front of that bottle of Château Margaux, someone came by and asked if I needed help, so I asked if they had Alter Ego de Palmer(sorry that's the highest I have tried in my short wine life), he wasn't sure and went away. I then went to the taster counter and started picking out daily wines to try, as I was doing this, that guy who asked me earlier came back, hunted me down with a supervisor and asked me to repeat the name, just to confirm that they truly didn't have it. The supervisor knew what it was and confirmed that they don't have it. But it is exactly this kind of service that I do not expect in the US, if this was Japan I would expect nothing less. That's my little story of why they made A++ on service.
Food********************************A-, bread...spread...whatever, salad was average, but the dishes...omg! Go there and try for yourself, you wont regret it.
Drinks*******************************A, its a winery after all!!!
Price ********************************B. Expect about 22-25 bucks a person with food and drink and tip
Overall*******************************I am giving this place an A, and they can definitely expect more business from me!
It wasn't too difficult to find, even though I have never met so many Sunday drivers on a Friday before... We got their about 2:30pm. They had their own secluded street, which I thought was pretty awesome. Decent size parking lot within their gated area. We went in and the first thing we saw was their retail area, and I immediately got attracted to their bottle of Château Margaux...for only...$1200.00....and I was completely transfixed and just could not move or take my eyes off it.... ok so we finally broke me away from that security area and we went into their restaurant area.
Taking a minute to recover, I recomposed myself, at first you would think this is a cafeteria, and in a way, it was.... they didn't have a menu. They had instead 2 tables, each table has about 12 dishes, one table is bread/sandwich products, the other is rice/pasta/dishes. Each dish has a name tag on it, you find what you like, then walk up to the kitchen counter and tell the clerk what you want. The clerk then takes note, and hands you a menu stand with a piece of paper labeling what you had ordered. You then scoot down to the cashier area, and pick your drinks, regular stuff, pre pour glasses of wine...water....etc. Then you pay for your meal, and a waiter carries your tray and escorts you to a table.
The restaurant itself is Italian in design, and they had a musician there playing at almost 3 in the afternoon. They also have segmented out rooms for events, be it company event, or wine tasting that they host...etc. All meals were served with salad and bread, but we didn't get to choose any dressing for our salad. The bread was ehh...whatever... I am and will never be a bread eater anyway...
We both had pinot noir, though I knew I should have had pinot grigio since I ordered Linguini shrimp scampi. Z had fresh Salmon breaded and served with rice. The waiter brought our dishes over, and I got stunned as soon as I had my first bite, it was that good! It wasn't a good thing though as I had my first bite right when the musician finished his tune, and I was so stunned that I didn't even applaud, and my table was closest to the musician... embarrassing.
The linguini was perfectly al dente(unlike macaroni grill), and the shrimps were not over cooked(unlike Water's Restaurant), the flavor was perfectly balanced, strong garlic but not overly salty, very well done and very Italian. Z's eyes lite up with she tasted the salmon, I personally dont eat cooked fish so I cant tell you how good it is, but she did finish her plate.
Overall
Parking ******************************A, come on, free gated parking in LA always gets an A
Environment *************************A-, very cool place, their is only 2 problems I found with this place, one they don't open late enough, close at 7pm...come on.... and two, selection menu is pretty small compare to other places.
Service ******************************A++!!! Friendly servers, and not just the restaurant, but over all everyone there, even the retail wine area where they had a wine waiter serving samples. As I was drooling again after the meal in front of that bottle of Château Margaux, someone came by and asked if I needed help, so I asked if they had Alter Ego de Palmer(sorry that's the highest I have tried in my short wine life), he wasn't sure and went away. I then went to the taster counter and started picking out daily wines to try, as I was doing this, that guy who asked me earlier came back, hunted me down with a supervisor and asked me to repeat the name, just to confirm that they truly didn't have it. The supervisor knew what it was and confirmed that they don't have it. But it is exactly this kind of service that I do not expect in the US, if this was Japan I would expect nothing less. That's my little story of why they made A++ on service.
Food********************************A-, bread...spread...whatever, salad was average, but the dishes...omg! Go there and try for yourself, you wont regret it.
Drinks*******************************A, its a winery after all!!!
Price ********************************B. Expect about 22-25 bucks a person with food and drink and tip
Overall*******************************I am giving this place an A, and they can definitely expect more business from me!
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!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sambi of Tokyo
Finally catching up, yay!
Last Friday, Feb 6, 2009, was just such an ugly day! It was pouring, the power around my block went out for 18 hours due to a tree crashing into the power poles, my car was held prisoner by my own garage, we were going to go to another restaurant, but was too far, didn't know the way, raining way to hard to look for, so in haste, we picked a restaurant that our special guest star Ms V frequents, Sambi, located on 8649 Firestone Blvd, Downey, CA 90241.
That's pronounced san-bi for those who are interested, and means praises in Japanese. You'd be surprise, but I've heard it being called Zombie before. Anyway this is a very nice restaurant and serves sushi and teppanyaki. We went for teppanyaki. Oh, for those who don't know what teppanyaki is, I think American calls it Hibachi, though I have no idea why. Its cool though cause Japanese speaks Engrish, so by rights, we should be able to speak Yapanese! It basically is a guy making your food in front of you, on a gas heated grill, doing fancy knife work and make a show out of it.
We arrived, decent size lot, free parking. The building is elevated and you have to climb a small flight of stairs to access. Once inside, you can see that this place represents a lot of history. Photos of various and some quite recognizable people have set foot in this place before. The lobby is plastered with photos. Very impressive. The inside setting is nice, with a large water fountain in the middle that resembles a small lake, very ingenious concept. They had a live lounge singer in there performing, but it wasn't loud and the music blends in with the atmosphere, very nice touch. It wasn't crowded due to the rain(or so I believe), for our party, it was only TZ, special guest star Ms V, and her hubby Mr J. We sat around the grill and were served promptly with our drinks. Large bottles of the Canadian made Sapporos, Ms V and I both had a pina colada, and Z had wine as usual. We also ordered appetizers, Ms V and Mr J had edamame, which is basically boiled baby soy beans with the pod and lightly salted. I wanted to try some of their sushi even though we were doing teppanyaki, so I ordered a serving of ninja roll, which is basically spicy tuna with rice paper. At once I can tell that the spicy tuna was fresh. The coloration is still that of maguro, it was quite satisfying.
For our main, Ms V and Mr J ordered and shared a seafood combination, I being the fat one ordered a seafood combo also, all for myself! And Z ordered a Sambi Speical Deluxe, which is Filet mignon and Shrimp. We all get to raid the salad bar, not that there were a lot of selection there, and Japanese style fried rice. So as we are drinking our liquor and munching our appetizer/salads, waiting for the chef to come and show us his awe inspiring skills, I guess Ms V's pina colada was super spiked, as she said she had to go to the ladies room, she invited me to go with her, in front of her hubby!!! I almost died right there, that was just so so wrong! Seriously Mr J, there is absolutely nothing going on, I swear! Luckily Mr J also works with us and knows our relation, so we just laugh it off....phew! How come my pina colada wasn't spiked up like that?
So our chef came, name Francis. As anyone who has had teppanyaki before, the food is only secondary, it is the atmosphere that people drown themselves on, and the chef dictates the atmosphere. I was kinda worry at first, but after he opened his mouth, omg this guy is a riot! He was so much fun that those hard working promptly serving waiters looked stiff compare to him. Then he started bragging about how he can drink and no one can beat him....so what do we do? We had our resident drinker go into a sake bomb match with him. Z stepped up to the plate, now mind you Z is a classy drinker, and doesn't usually do beer, definitely never did beer+ sake. In fact she doesn't even know what a bomb is, but boy did she show him. Francis slams the table and in goes the sake, I scooped the glass up and put it in front of her, here drink this, fast! Guess who finish first? Not the bragger that's for sure, go Z!
Food over all was fresh and done properly, though Francis did over cook the filet mignon. I had a lot of food, cleaned my plate and everything, and I didnt even share! My new year resolution must have been loose my waist, by gaining 2-4 inches:)
Overall
Location/Parking ******************************B+, if they had a security guard it would be an A for sure.
Environment **********************************A+ , thanks Francis, I was not a happy camper when I came in, I left quite happy!
Drinks ****************************************A-, just for that pina colada Ms V had already said it is better than a B
Food ******************************************B the only requirement for teppanyaki was fresh, but people don't do teppanyaki for exqusit or delicate tastes.
Price******************************************B-/C+, it was pretty pricy, expect at least 40 bucks per person, but still well worth it.
Overall***************************************A-/B+
Last Friday, Feb 6, 2009, was just such an ugly day! It was pouring, the power around my block went out for 18 hours due to a tree crashing into the power poles, my car was held prisoner by my own garage, we were going to go to another restaurant, but was too far, didn't know the way, raining way to hard to look for, so in haste, we picked a restaurant that our special guest star Ms V frequents, Sambi, located on 8649 Firestone Blvd, Downey, CA 90241.
That's pronounced san-bi for those who are interested, and means praises in Japanese. You'd be surprise, but I've heard it being called Zombie before. Anyway this is a very nice restaurant and serves sushi and teppanyaki. We went for teppanyaki. Oh, for those who don't know what teppanyaki is, I think American calls it Hibachi, though I have no idea why. Its cool though cause Japanese speaks Engrish, so by rights, we should be able to speak Yapanese! It basically is a guy making your food in front of you, on a gas heated grill, doing fancy knife work and make a show out of it.
We arrived, decent size lot, free parking. The building is elevated and you have to climb a small flight of stairs to access. Once inside, you can see that this place represents a lot of history. Photos of various and some quite recognizable people have set foot in this place before. The lobby is plastered with photos. Very impressive. The inside setting is nice, with a large water fountain in the middle that resembles a small lake, very ingenious concept. They had a live lounge singer in there performing, but it wasn't loud and the music blends in with the atmosphere, very nice touch. It wasn't crowded due to the rain(or so I believe), for our party, it was only TZ, special guest star Ms V, and her hubby Mr J. We sat around the grill and were served promptly with our drinks. Large bottles of the Canadian made Sapporos, Ms V and I both had a pina colada, and Z had wine as usual. We also ordered appetizers, Ms V and Mr J had edamame, which is basically boiled baby soy beans with the pod and lightly salted. I wanted to try some of their sushi even though we were doing teppanyaki, so I ordered a serving of ninja roll, which is basically spicy tuna with rice paper. At once I can tell that the spicy tuna was fresh. The coloration is still that of maguro, it was quite satisfying.
For our main, Ms V and Mr J ordered and shared a seafood combination, I being the fat one ordered a seafood combo also, all for myself! And Z ordered a Sambi Speical Deluxe, which is Filet mignon and Shrimp. We all get to raid the salad bar, not that there were a lot of selection there, and Japanese style fried rice. So as we are drinking our liquor and munching our appetizer/salads, waiting for the chef to come and show us his awe inspiring skills, I guess Ms V's pina colada was super spiked, as she said she had to go to the ladies room, she invited me to go with her, in front of her hubby!!! I almost died right there, that was just so so wrong! Seriously Mr J, there is absolutely nothing going on, I swear! Luckily Mr J also works with us and knows our relation, so we just laugh it off....phew! How come my pina colada wasn't spiked up like that?
So our chef came, name Francis. As anyone who has had teppanyaki before, the food is only secondary, it is the atmosphere that people drown themselves on, and the chef dictates the atmosphere. I was kinda worry at first, but after he opened his mouth, omg this guy is a riot! He was so much fun that those hard working promptly serving waiters looked stiff compare to him. Then he started bragging about how he can drink and no one can beat him....so what do we do? We had our resident drinker go into a sake bomb match with him. Z stepped up to the plate, now mind you Z is a classy drinker, and doesn't usually do beer, definitely never did beer+ sake. In fact she doesn't even know what a bomb is, but boy did she show him. Francis slams the table and in goes the sake, I scooped the glass up and put it in front of her, here drink this, fast! Guess who finish first? Not the bragger that's for sure, go Z!
Food over all was fresh and done properly, though Francis did over cook the filet mignon. I had a lot of food, cleaned my plate and everything, and I didnt even share! My new year resolution must have been loose my waist, by gaining 2-4 inches:)
Overall
Location/Parking ******************************B+, if they had a security guard it would be an A for sure.
Environment **********************************A+ , thanks Francis, I was not a happy camper when I came in, I left quite happy!
Drinks ****************************************A-, just for that pina colada Ms V had already said it is better than a B
Food ******************************************B the only requirement for teppanyaki was fresh, but people don't do teppanyaki for exqusit or delicate tastes.
Price******************************************B-/C+, it was pretty pricy, expect at least 40 bucks per person, but still well worth it.
Overall***************************************A-/B+
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Betz Blog
Moving the blog over from yahoo to here today, they never got it right with the search and stuff and am tire of waiting..... anyhow, about us. Betz is a group of 4 people who has had extensive experience with the foodservice industry. Each week one of our member determines a restaurant to go to and we sample out their dishes. The target area is anywhere from Los Angeles to Orange County. There are no requirement for any of the places we visit, they could be expensive, moderate, or inexpensive. We critque them base on location/parking, atmosphere/environment, drinks, dishes, and prices.
***A BIG DISCLAIMER, we are not professional food critics, and we are not invited/hire by the various restaurants to put in a good word for them. We pay full price for our food and drinks, we grade base on how we like things, and that in itself is abstract at best. Yes we may have certain knowledge to the materials used, but our taste buds are of the commoner breed, sorry no blue blood's here. You may or may not agree with us, and are encourage to try out the place just as we have. We provide our opinion, and that is it. We are also not responsible for any surge or loss in income due to our comments***
So today we are going to convert over a couple of posts from the previous blog.
Entry for January 10, 2009
So our first week we selected a Sushi restaurant in LA...oooo sushi. This is a restaurant that I have not been to for over 14 years, and omg its still around. Its call Noshi Sushi, and is located on 4430 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004. 2 of our members were busy that day and so only TZ were available to try it out. The location is not in the best part of LA, but they do have their own lot and security guard to monitor the lot. So now you walk into the place, and you will notice a waiting area with a board where you write in your name, how many in your party, and if you wish to wait for the bar or do you want a table. I noticed immediately that the place looks different from before, and can only assume that they had some reconstruction done. So being only 2 of us, we went for the bar, the tables looked as if it will take longer to wait for anyway. So we sat down and ordered drinks, I got a bottle of canadian made Asahi(I missed the made in Japan imports) , and Z ordered green tea and warm sake. Then we went for it! Sushi omg sushi! It's still as big as before, and I do mean BIG! Giant silices of maguro, hamachi, spicy tuna was unique if not the best in this side of the continent. Z was never a true sushi eater(you know the type, yea I eat sushi, get me some california rolls....what the ginger doesnt go into the soy sauce??? yea that type!) But I forced her to devoure some raw fish!! hahahha and she liked it. So its all good right? No not all... You see there are some problems as well. For example, they dont have mirugai...oh comeon I love mirugai, what do you mean you dont have it! Its on the menu for crying out loud. And then there was the dish of ika, it just taste..powdery.
So final analysis
Location ******************* Passing C+/B-
Drinks ******************* Standard Passing C, nothing special
Sushi *******************Standard fare and the spicy tuna gets an B+, portion gets an A+, but doesnt have everything and well, I didnt like the ika.
Price/Value*******************A+ for sure. It is super inexpensive when it comes to sushi, the two of us ordering so many different sushi's didnt top 70 bucks, there were a guy who went solo next to us and his didnt top 25! I think it gives those 30dollar all you can eat sushi place a run for their money, and lets not forget, the size, each slice of fish they put on, can probably make 2 slices of sushi in any other place!
Overall the place gets a B+ in our books
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Entry for January 20, 2009
So last Friday we went to try out a local Hispanic restaurant in Hollywood. Its call Velvet Margarita, located on 1612 CAHUENGA. We went separately, that was immediately a mistake, as there are just no parking around, so we ended up paying 10 bucks per vehicle to get valet parking. Eek, I really hate having others drive my car, its like a violation of sorts...
So we paid someone to violate our vehicles, and we went into the place. Since we went separately, we didn't all arrived at the same time. Z was already there, B & E were still stuck in Friday night traffic, I got in, and the first impression was dark and noisy, which isn't my usual environment, dark is ok, noisy is not my cup of tea. Any how, they had this bouncer like manager who decided he needed to card me, and that made my day! You guys out there don't even realize how much I want to be carded, once you get past a certain age, you'll start thinking like I do...heheheh:)
So I found Z at the bar already, bottle of water in one hand and a mango margarita on the other. I was starving at the time and decided that I better not order anything until I get some grub down, strange things may happen if I drink before eating. Well it ended up to be an non issue later, as you will all see. So we stood there for about 20 minute before B&E got there, and they brought an Extra E with them! So we got our table and started to ordered. For drinks I got a pina colada, B wasn't feeling well and only ordered a soda, E doesn't drink...or so she claimed, so she too ordered a soda. The Extra E ordered a strawberry margarita. So of all the drinks we had, only 3 contained alcohol. MM, PC, and SM! We also ordered our food, Z had the ahi tuna with a house salad, B had an extra large bowl of soup only, E had chicken enchilada with Ceasar Salad, the Extra E had chicken mole with a house salad, and I had Chicken taco with soup. I really dont know what it was call as the waiter said it in spanish, but I knew it had turkey meatball and veggies in it.
So we waited on our food, and they served us these red tortilla chips with 3 dips. 2 were salsa and 1 was bean. Being hungry already, it tasted great, even bean dip which I normally would not touch. The drinks came, my pina colada came with a coconut, it tasted great, but being hungry, and I actually finished it before the food came, I never even got a buzz, nor did I taste the after taste of Rum, I think they made it a virgin for some reason... While Z liked the MM, the Extra E did not like the SM at all, she found it lacking in all respects, citing that it doesnt compare to places shes frequent. She literally left the drink whole, oh well guess she really disliked it.
The food finally came after about 20 minutes. The soup was good but not hot enough for my taste, and I dont mean spice, I mean water temp! Everyone who had salad liked it, and Ceasar was reputed to be excellent. B couldnt taste much being ill, but liked the soup non the less. So far, at least for me, this was a no thrills place, then I tried the main course, 2 chicken taco and comes with rice and beans, the rice and bean were...whatever, I mean, how good can you really make rice and beans? But the chicken taco was an eye opener for me. It was by far the best taco I ever had, the chicken was juicy and tasty, they werent overcooked or dry at all, which is quite common everywhere else I went before. Everyone agreed that the food was great, and reasonable for the price. Overall, it was an unique place, you can tell that they put alot of thought into the decor of the place, the drinks were lacking in our opinion, the location was not the safest, and parking was lacking, at least for a friday night it was. What it had going for them imo is the food, it is really first rate.
Conclusion
Location*******************************D, sorry it just doesnt feel safe as soon as you are outside
Environment***************************A-/B+ for any who like dark and noisy places, for me personally I give it a C cause I dont like noisy places.
Drinks*********************************F, what happened to the alcohol? I am by no means a heavy weight drinker, in fact, I get a buzz drinking beer....and I didnt get buzz...
Food**********************************A-, while there were limited selection on the menu, they have became masters of all items on the menu. Hats off to the kitchen staff.
Price/Value****************************B-/C+, 10bucks a drink, and you will need serveral to feel any effect, 10 dollar parking, 16 dollar per dish. The dishes were actually quite reasonable, but the drinks and parking tiped it over to not so reasonable.
This is definitely a place to come to enjoy the food. If you are out to drink or want a place to hang out and chat, sorry find somewhere else, but if you want some great hispanic dishes, the by all means come here. Dont forget to bring some cash for valet though!
***A BIG DISCLAIMER, we are not professional food critics, and we are not invited/hire by the various restaurants to put in a good word for them. We pay full price for our food and drinks, we grade base on how we like things, and that in itself is abstract at best. Yes we may have certain knowledge to the materials used, but our taste buds are of the commoner breed, sorry no blue blood's here. You may or may not agree with us, and are encourage to try out the place just as we have. We provide our opinion, and that is it. We are also not responsible for any surge or loss in income due to our comments***
So today we are going to convert over a couple of posts from the previous blog.
Entry for January 10, 2009
So our first week we selected a Sushi restaurant in LA...oooo sushi. This is a restaurant that I have not been to for over 14 years, and omg its still around. Its call Noshi Sushi, and is located on 4430 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004. 2 of our members were busy that day and so only TZ were available to try it out. The location is not in the best part of LA, but they do have their own lot and security guard to monitor the lot. So now you walk into the place, and you will notice a waiting area with a board where you write in your name, how many in your party, and if you wish to wait for the bar or do you want a table. I noticed immediately that the place looks different from before, and can only assume that they had some reconstruction done. So being only 2 of us, we went for the bar, the tables looked as if it will take longer to wait for anyway. So we sat down and ordered drinks, I got a bottle of canadian made Asahi(I missed the made in Japan imports) , and Z ordered green tea and warm sake. Then we went for it! Sushi omg sushi! It's still as big as before, and I do mean BIG! Giant silices of maguro, hamachi, spicy tuna was unique if not the best in this side of the continent. Z was never a true sushi eater(you know the type, yea I eat sushi, get me some california rolls....what the ginger doesnt go into the soy sauce??? yea that type!) But I forced her to devoure some raw fish!! hahahha and she liked it. So its all good right? No not all... You see there are some problems as well. For example, they dont have mirugai...oh comeon I love mirugai, what do you mean you dont have it! Its on the menu for crying out loud. And then there was the dish of ika, it just taste..powdery.
So final analysis
Location ******************* Passing C+/B-
Drinks ******************* Standard Passing C, nothing special
Sushi *******************Standard fare and the spicy tuna gets an B+, portion gets an A+, but doesnt have everything and well, I didnt like the ika.
Price/Value*******************A+ for sure. It is super inexpensive when it comes to sushi, the two of us ordering so many different sushi's didnt top 70 bucks, there were a guy who went solo next to us and his didnt top 25! I think it gives those 30dollar all you can eat sushi place a run for their money, and lets not forget, the size, each slice of fish they put on, can probably make 2 slices of sushi in any other place!
Overall the place gets a B+ in our books
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Entry for January 20, 2009
So last Friday we went to try out a local Hispanic restaurant in Hollywood. Its call Velvet Margarita, located on 1612 CAHUENGA. We went separately, that was immediately a mistake, as there are just no parking around, so we ended up paying 10 bucks per vehicle to get valet parking. Eek, I really hate having others drive my car, its like a violation of sorts...
So we paid someone to violate our vehicles, and we went into the place. Since we went separately, we didn't all arrived at the same time. Z was already there, B & E were still stuck in Friday night traffic, I got in, and the first impression was dark and noisy, which isn't my usual environment, dark is ok, noisy is not my cup of tea. Any how, they had this bouncer like manager who decided he needed to card me, and that made my day! You guys out there don't even realize how much I want to be carded, once you get past a certain age, you'll start thinking like I do...heheheh:)
So I found Z at the bar already, bottle of water in one hand and a mango margarita on the other. I was starving at the time and decided that I better not order anything until I get some grub down, strange things may happen if I drink before eating. Well it ended up to be an non issue later, as you will all see. So we stood there for about 20 minute before B&E got there, and they brought an Extra E with them! So we got our table and started to ordered. For drinks I got a pina colada, B wasn't feeling well and only ordered a soda, E doesn't drink...or so she claimed, so she too ordered a soda. The Extra E ordered a strawberry margarita. So of all the drinks we had, only 3 contained alcohol. MM, PC, and SM! We also ordered our food, Z had the ahi tuna with a house salad, B had an extra large bowl of soup only, E had chicken enchilada with Ceasar Salad, the Extra E had chicken mole with a house salad, and I had Chicken taco with soup. I really dont know what it was call as the waiter said it in spanish, but I knew it had turkey meatball and veggies in it.
So we waited on our food, and they served us these red tortilla chips with 3 dips. 2 were salsa and 1 was bean. Being hungry already, it tasted great, even bean dip which I normally would not touch. The drinks came, my pina colada came with a coconut, it tasted great, but being hungry, and I actually finished it before the food came, I never even got a buzz, nor did I taste the after taste of Rum, I think they made it a virgin for some reason... While Z liked the MM, the Extra E did not like the SM at all, she found it lacking in all respects, citing that it doesnt compare to places shes frequent. She literally left the drink whole, oh well guess she really disliked it.
The food finally came after about 20 minutes. The soup was good but not hot enough for my taste, and I dont mean spice, I mean water temp! Everyone who had salad liked it, and Ceasar was reputed to be excellent. B couldnt taste much being ill, but liked the soup non the less. So far, at least for me, this was a no thrills place, then I tried the main course, 2 chicken taco and comes with rice and beans, the rice and bean were...whatever, I mean, how good can you really make rice and beans? But the chicken taco was an eye opener for me. It was by far the best taco I ever had, the chicken was juicy and tasty, they werent overcooked or dry at all, which is quite common everywhere else I went before. Everyone agreed that the food was great, and reasonable for the price. Overall, it was an unique place, you can tell that they put alot of thought into the decor of the place, the drinks were lacking in our opinion, the location was not the safest, and parking was lacking, at least for a friday night it was. What it had going for them imo is the food, it is really first rate.
Conclusion
Location*******************************D, sorry it just doesnt feel safe as soon as you are outside
Environment***************************A-/B+ for any who like dark and noisy places, for me personally I give it a C cause I dont like noisy places.
Drinks*********************************F, what happened to the alcohol? I am by no means a heavy weight drinker, in fact, I get a buzz drinking beer....and I didnt get buzz...
Food**********************************A-, while there were limited selection on the menu, they have became masters of all items on the menu. Hats off to the kitchen staff.
Price/Value****************************B-/C+, 10bucks a drink, and you will need serveral to feel any effect, 10 dollar parking, 16 dollar per dish. The dishes were actually quite reasonable, but the drinks and parking tiped it over to not so reasonable.
This is definitely a place to come to enjoy the food. If you are out to drink or want a place to hang out and chat, sorry find somewhere else, but if you want some great hispanic dishes, the by all means come here. Dont forget to bring some cash for valet though!
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