The Road to Lent (or one bloggers attempt to avoid meat)

I have a resolution to attend church more. In an effort to stray away from being my self-proclaimed "Catholic-lite", I'm also partaking in Lent. In a New York minute, this means that for all Fridays between now and Easter (starting on and including Ash Wednesday) I will not consume meat. My definition of meat includes beef, pork, chicken, and most land animals. Protein-rich alternatives include seafood, eggs, nuts, and tofu. Seeing that steak and pork products are a few of my favorite things (cue Julie Andrews), this would not be easy. It's like in elementary school where you HAD to read the book and do a report on it. When it comes to food and my childhood, being told what I had to eat was frustrating. In an effort to help some fellow bloggers with the conundrum that is Lent, here are a few places I've tried in the last week. Signature Kitchen (South Coast Plaza) - Costa Mesa I was here picking up some concert tickets, and decided to spend my pre-workout dinner in this new take on a food court. Three culinary tastes all under one roof. The best part is being able to order off any menu at the register. Local favorite Nancy Silverton features some fresh mozzarella sandwiches, grilled Gruyere, and a tuna melt panini. Her secret is the La Brea Bakery bread used. When in doubt, just go with the special: Any half sandwich/panini with a house salad or cup of soup for $6.95. East coast's Marcus Samuelsson showcases his love of all natural, black Angus burgers. There's also a mahi mahi sandwich, feta salad, and the only selection with french fries *and* sweets. Iron Chef Cat Cora has got her 'que on with fresh global options. Smoking hot vegetable soup, cheddar madeleines, BBQ shrimp, and the option of fire-roasted veggies and smoked mozzarella. There are not only fresh croutons and a drizzle of pesto in the soup bowl, but even more bread served alongside. It is here where I enjoy my soup with cheddar madeleines and include some natural, skin-on fries. The pesto was a delicious touch to my smoking hot bowl. I found this to be a great alternative to the other options on this side of South Coast. Rockin' Baja Coastal Cantina - Newport Beach Decided to check out their OC Restaurant Week dinner special. Four starters and four entrees to choose from (plus dessert) all for $20. Didn't even factor in the tortillas (I had two too many), honey chile butter, chips and trio of dipping options. Carb overload? Yes. Also added a bottomless Caesar for $3, which "serves 1-2".....however, we realized too late that we were charged twice. I began with Tequila Lime Shrimp. Now if I liked corn more, I probably would've ordered the lobster corn chowder instead. I couldn't tell if my shrimp was portioned specially for restaurant week, but it was kinda minuscule with three pieces. Flavor-wise, it was not bad. Red pepper, cilantro and garlic gave it a little kick. Round two were their Tacos del Patron - beer battered slipper lobster tails with avo, onion, tomato, cabbage and sauce wrapped in flour tortillas. There were also rice and ranchero beans (more filler!) To tell you the truth, I don't even remember the fried ice cream. Maybe I just gave up at that point? The man began with the Caesar and ended with Rocky's Original Big Baja Bucket (a non-practicing dinner companion). For about $25, he was very pleased with delivery of carne asada, grilled chicken, Baja shrimp and lobster tails. Only required utensils for his sides! How very Man vs. Food. There was something for everyone that night. The standby: The Veggie Grill at Irvine Spectrum Can I tell you how much I enjoy this place? Seriously, if I forget where I am and just concentrate on the food ~ it tastes like chicken (or carne asada, as I had last Friday). Add some sweet potato fries (which I've had heated debates about how they counter those at The Counter) and you're set. I was a little "meh" on the chili, but steamin' kale is a good option too. I vouch for any of the "chickin'" entrees. Their Revolution iced teas are fantastic. I get bartendery and blend based on my mood. Somewhere I've been looking forward to: Fukada off Irvine Center Drive Tucked in one of those neighborhood centers (The Commons, to be exact) is the little non-chain that could, a Japanese space called Fukada. I've been craving their udon for a few weeks now, and since my lunch hour is so late in the day - it's the perfect time to go. As long as there's still a slight chill in the air, it's udon weather! Next week for me - deciding if I want my fish and chips from The Olde Ship (Santa Ana) or that place ...what's that name . .. . I found last year off Tustin Avenue. Hole in the wall with a super long line. Next door to a 31 flavors I think. Anyone?

Hamamori, South Coast Plaza 4 Courses, 40 Dollars Event

Thanks to my buddy Sharon, who let me know that South Coast Plaza is having a 4 courses for $40 (per person) event (*) from now [well, last Friday actually] through Sunday (click on the event title in the bottom right hand corner to see menus) at the following restaurants: Marché Moderne Antonello Ristorante Pinot Provence Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's Quattro Caffé Hamamori Restaurant-Lounge Royal Khyber Fine Indian Cuisine Scott's Seafood Grill & Bar SAVANNAH Supper Club & Lounge We ate at Hamamori, which has been occasionally criticized as overly expensive. This, however, was refreshingly not (at least in my opinion). The four courses were a Kobe carpaccio, an appetizer trio, a selection of sushi, and then a black cod. The carpaccio was very lightly flavored, so the taste of the meat was very apparent. It's a little different from the ones I'm used to, which tend to be drizzled in an oil, like sesame oil. The presentation was pretty typical, with thin slices arranged in a circular overlapping pattern on a round plate (much like those plates of raw shabu shabu meat you get in the supermarket, except with a salad in the middle instead of a strange yellow plastic flower). Taste was, well, let's go with different. Sometimes different is good, and I was okay with a more meaty version of the dish. The appetizer trio was a couple pieces of wrapped asparagus, a breaded and fried meatball made with kobe beef, allegedly, but was basically ground and then fried, so it was hard to tell, and a little Japanese eggroll with crab. The meatball was ehh, the asparagus had a fresh crunch to it that was light and good, and the eggroll with crab was nicely done. However, the dish itself was a bit heavily weighted to the fried side, so I'd recommend making sure you have something like an iced tea to counteract. The sushi set was a small platter with single pieces of basically new versions of Wasa Treasures. We had a tuna, an albacore, a scallop which was drizzled with sea salt and yuzu, and a salmon. A couple slices of shrimp-infused egg provided the garnish. The sauces are much like you'd expect from Wasa, except that they don't have these particular combinations there, and the fish itself was a bit fresher. Basically Hamamori is kind of what you'd expect from a "Wasa Plus". The decor's a bit nicer, the food's a bit fresher, and the service is superior by far. The cooked fish, however, was the star of the four courses. This was cooked just right, so it was barely done, soft and juicy, but not at all translucent in the middle. I wish I knew how to do this, but I do know it's not easy to get both the heat and the timing just so, so the whole fish cooks this way. The sauce was a nice accompaniment, but I found myself using as little of it as possible, so well was the fish itself prepared. It needed no disguise. Much like sushi- it's hard to improve on the natural taste of a well-selected and fresh fish. I contend in some ways that cooking fish is harder than making sushi, because the act of cooking fish at all confers a disadvantage over sushi that has to be overcome by effort and skill. They just about did that here. Dessert was not included in Hamamori's set, although they seem to be in most others. We chose to share a granité, flavored with melon. It would've made a nice amuse, but as a standalone, it was almost too much iciness. The Hamamoritini though was nicely executed, clean tasting, and warming to the stomach. A nice accompaniment to sushi. *Does not include beverages, tax or gratuity. Not valid with other offers, promotions or private dining groups. Dine-in and dinner only, please.

Waba Grill Teriyaki House - Lake Forest

24354 Muirlands Blvd. Lake Forest, CA 92630 949-768-8123 www.wabagrill.com I recently visited the Waba Grill in Lake Forest for lunch. This is the restaurant that took over the spot of my beloved China Express. (Now New Panda in Coasta Mesa, but they're not the same.) Everything looks sleek and new inside the Waba Grill. The environment looks modern with a plasma screen tv on the wall showing CNN or something. I looked at their menu board. Even though this is still a fairly new place, it looks like they recently raised their prices. Little pieces of paper with prices on them were taped over what I am assuming were their old prices up on the menu board. Their menu basically looked just like Flame Broiler. They even boasted that their food was super healthy. I wanted to try both their chicken and their steak, so I ordered the Chicken-Steak Plate ($7.09). It came with white rice, salad and some orange slices. If I had wanted all white meat chicken, it would have been an extra $1.25. Brown rice, and extra $1.00 and I could add avocado for $1.50. It didn't take them long to make my meal and I took it to go. I grabbed a couple little cups of teriyaki sauce and hot sauce on my way out. I got back to my desk and opened the box. It looked exactly like Flame Broiler. I took a bite. It tasted exactly like Flame Broiler. I tried the sauces and they too tasted exactly like Flame Broiler. The meats were tender and juicy and the sauces tasted perfectly sweet. I devoured the entire plate. I've been eating at Flame Broiler a long time now so it's what I'm familiar with. Looking at the back of the Waba Grill menu, I see that they have plenty of locations. I'm not really sure which restaurant came first, but in my mind they are exactly the same restaurant. The only difference is I think that Waba is more expensive.

Wasa Sushi, Irvine, open again!

Living in West Irvine, my choices for neighborhood sushi within a five minute drive are pretty much limited to Wasa in the Irvine MarketPlace and newcomer Ayame. When Wasa closed temporarily several weeks back, that put a severe cramp in my fresh fish diet, but, I'm happy to report that Wasa Sushi is again open! Their website described their hiatus as a remodeling, and indeed, they did remodel during their down time. They were always modern themed, and have undergone an update that keeps them fresh. If anything, the mood seems darker, with darker shaded wood panelings on the walls, and darker paint colors. The wait area has been improved, with more seating near the hostess' podium. The really tall bamboo wall is still there, along with the gray smooth rocks that my son likes to grab while waiting for a table. Also still there is the friendly Hispanic staffer who clears tables, seemingly handling the entire restaurant by himself efficiently, and still having time to high-five all the kids who come in. Less efficient is the chronic shortage of waiters and waitresses, who have difficulty keeping up, leading to longish waits for orders, and table service a little more infrequent than is my preference. I'd love it if they hired another one or two waitstaff, and I'm guessing those who are working now wouldn't much mind it either. Food-wise, the tempura ice cream is as good as ever, as are the Wasa Treasures. Unfortunately, they seem to have cut my favorite (and my son's favorite)- the salmon with terakobu seaweed topped with caviar. I do like their new'ish rock shrimp tempura, kind of a mini walnut shrimp (the Chinese dish with fresh shrimps fried in mayonnaise, yum!) with a kick of sriracha. My wife has been eating the beef negimayaki almost every time we go in these days as well. It's several rolls of thinly sliced beef wrapped around green onions and asparagus, atop a plate of steamed vegetables with teryaki sauce. I'm less pleased with the sushi than the cooked dishes and desserts there these days. I'm finicky, I admit it, but after eating uni at Sushi Wasabi and Makizushi in Tustin, it's tough to eat uni at Wasa. I don't eat the toro at all anymore. I think I'm happiest with the hamachi, hirame, bluefin tuna, and other fairly standard sushi selections outside the Treasures. I'm thinking maybe the clientele makes it harder to stray from the more popular selections and stay fresh.

Ayame, Irvine

Newly opened in the Orchard Hills Shopping Center off Portola Pkwy and Culver Drive, Ayame is a Japanese sushi bar and restaurant by the folks that brought us Zipangu. We ended up there in our neverending search for a decent neighborhood sushi joint, which gained new urgency now that Wasa in the Irvine Marketplace is temporarily closed. A small, bright, almost bubbly kind of decor appears to be as close to the opposite of dark, wooden, Zipangu (the restaurant names also occupy opposite ends of the alphabet), with its polished glass sushi bar and brightly lit soffit. The itamae we sat with spoke fluent Japanese with his mates, but told us he'd previously done time in Nashville. Nashville! After we talked about how much nicer the weather is here, I asked him how fresh the fish could possibly be in Nashville, and he shook his head sadly. The sushi is fresh, nicely prepared, and the wait staff is friendly. However, selection is a bit limited if you're only into raw fish: they have the usual standards of tunas, salmon, halibut, etc., but less in the way of more exotic fresh fish and shellfish. I tend to rate the regular kinds of sushi by the maguro, on a scale of color, translucence, and heft. Basically 0 is your variants of inedible, from lack of freshness to overabundance of gristle. 1 is your Todai brand of almost FD&C Red #40, with such airy lack of substance that if you squint, you can almost see the rice through the tuna. 10 is your deep ruby red exterior with almost a purple-red interior, and a marbled sparkly sheen, that so often seems restricted to Bluefin Tuna, and when you bite it, it's almost like there's the barest hint of carbonation in a texture that is simultaneously spongy, melty, and hefty. On that scale, Sushi Wasabi is an 8, and Ayame a 5, which puts it squarely in the corner sushi place realm, not in the aspiration to greatness realm. They did have, interestingly, a basket of fresh (live?) shrimp sitting atop the bar from which they quickly shelled, cooked, and made shrimp sushi and deep fried shrimp heads for us. Very flavorful. Their uni was passable, and most fish was more serviceable than outstanding. This is the kind of place we'd choose if we were short on time (it's almost walkable from here), impatient (it hasn't been discovered by the massive hordes yet), and with the kids. They only have one high chair right now though- something I suspect they'd fix if we overwhelmed them with family diners.. and who are they kidding really? That whole area is primed with young children. Wasa never has less than one high chair scooted up to the bar, no less, every time I've been there. Prices are indicative of what is likely to be massive per sq.ft. rents in one of the newest centers in one of the newest developments in Irvine, which, according to the last homefinder email I received today (enough already! I live here already! I'm not moving again at least until home prices stop their freefall), is in the Irvine Unified School District and Northwood High boundaries. Unfortunately, living in a nice place, and finding an affordable sushi restaurant nearby seem to be somewhat mutually exclusive. It's not to say it's outrageously expensive, just a bit more than I'd expect: sushi prices almost all from $4 and up. However, they do have a fairly nice kitchen menu: their monkfish liver is paired with something they call a ponzu jel'ee which really brings out the flavor. Their prime tenderloin with foie gras had a well done sauce on it, some kind of jus reduction that went perfectly with the tender buttery softness of the filet. The foie gras, well, we could've stood for it being slightly less cooked. I think the menu items that sold my wife on this place, though, were the desserts. There was a nice green tea mousse type dessert, some ice cream for the kids, and a sampler plate that had a variety of them, including a rich chocolate cake. Japanese places tend not to do dessert well, and Wasa and Ayame appear to be two exceptions. (We went for years, maybe close to twenty years, to a restaurant called Noshi Sushi in Los Angeles, maybe a couple, few times a month, and every time, my dad insisted on asking for "green tea ice cream" for dessert at the end of the meal, knowing they didn't have it, hoping one day they'd get the hint: they never did.) Ayame Orchard Hills Village Center 3923 Portola Pkwy Irvine, CA 92602 714-544-2800

Wasa Sushi, Irvine closed temporarily

Our family went to eat there a few nights ago, and found it dark and shuttered, with a sign on the door. The sign indicated that they were closed for six weeks for remodeling, and recommended we visit one of their other locations. However, a quick OCRegister search turned up this: http://www.ocregister.com/news/feb-permit-suspended-1981329-infestation-reinstated Wasa Sushi, 13124 Jamboree Rd., Irvine; fire or other disaster damage; permit suspended Feb. 9.

Izakaya Zero (Huntington Beach) - LA-OC Foodie's Report

I've been wanting to try out Izakaya Zero for quite awhile, but finally made a point to go this past Sunday (and take a "mini Easter" break from my Lent-induced vegetarianism) after reading Los Angeles Times' positive review a few weeks back. Situated in the downtown Huntington Beach area, a block away from the beach itself, my first thought upon arriving was "Haven't I been here before?" Sure enough, it was in the former Red Pearl Kitchen space, where I had pretty unmemorable meal. Hopefully this building isn't cursed with mediocre, overpriced eats . . . Thankfully, the interior has been re-vamped. Gone is the dreary & campy red-and-black decor that's neither trendy hip nor authentically Asian. The bar and dining area is minimalistic modern with soft beige lighting and nice Asian-fusion touches -- lots of polished stones and a cute bathroom faucet that resembling a bamboo water pump. I was debating whether to get their hot house sake (half off from Sun-Thurs) or one of their signature cocktails, and eventually decided on the latter and ordered the "Zen-gria" Made with green tea liqueur (probably of the same name), sauvignon blanc, lemon and sweet-and-sour. I was afraid that this drink may be too sweet but turned out it's very well balanced and smooth, though I would've liked a little more green tea and fruity aromas to come through. As I sipped away, I studied the menu - which is pretty much standard izakaya fare, Americanized a bit for the palates of the beach-going crowd (e.g. more deep-fried items than usual, and no hearts/gizzards/organs grilled up). Nonetheless, a lot of the items looked interesting and creative and a little whimsical (like fried crab cigar with scallops, shrimp and spicy mango sauce and sashimi ceviche served with tomatoes, red onions and yuzu dressing). Now I wished I came with others so I could try more stuff. But being a party of one for this foodventure, I ordered three small plates that started off with: Eggplant with Shrimp and Miso-Aioli Sauce that was very luscious - the aioli, though a bit on the heavy side, had a subtly-sublime combo of flavors: a little sweet, a little tangy and a little garlicky, meshing very well with the grilled, creamy eggplant and the little chunks of shrimp. Would've been nicer if whole shrimps had been used, but overall very well-executed. And this is definitely a dish meant for sharing--The first few bites were divine, but it started weighing my tastebuds & stomach down fast. Nonetheless, my mouth still watered with the next dish's arrival: Buta Kakuni - pork belly stewed in a soy-mirin broth with assorted veggies. Again, a wonderful dish with sweet and meltingly tender pork that barely needs any chewing. Wished I had some sort of starch to dip in that delicious broth. Mildly confuzzling, however, was the other veggies in the stew. The menu said "japanese mustard and mashed potatoes" (how the latter would fit into a dish like this, I wouldn't know) but instead it came with asparagus, enoki mushrooms and a root vegetable that I couldn't ID because it soaked up all that delicious sweet & greasy broth. Another minor mishap is that the stew served on one of those self-heating claypots, but there was no heat source when it was served. Not that I took long enough with this dish to let it get cold... And finally, I got the course that I expected to come out first . . . Mixed Green Salad with Baked Salmon Skin and Sesame-Ponzu Dressing. Timing for whipping this out is off, but at least from the still-warm salmon skin and crisp leaves I am at least relieved that it hadn't been left in the kitchen for half an hour while I was noshing on the other two items. The salad was light and refreshing, well-dressed and pretty generous with the crispy fish skins. All in all, a nice delightful small-plates meal with a large variety of creative dishes that can please any tastebuds (there are at least another half-dozen things I wanted to try from the menu.) So, this time, I'm in agreement with Ms. Virbila -- and can't wait to come back for another round of delicious izakaya grub. The Bill: Zengria - $9 Eggplant w Shrimp - $6.95 Buta Kakumi - $5.95 Salmon Skin Salad - $4.95 Pre-tax/tip total - $26.95 The Rating: Ambience: 4.5/5 (Comfortable and casual-hip with nice Asian-y accents) Value: 3.5/5 (Like most other small-plate-oriented places, it's easy to run up the bill on not a whole lot of food; but portions here are deserving of the prices paid and I got quite a satisfying meal on about $20 of food) Service: 7.5/10 (Nice and friendly without being obtrusive; given its location, the beachy surfer casual attitude is kind of there; service was only iffy from the timing of the dishes and no notice about veggie swaps) Food: 17/20 (Pretty darn good all around, everything I tried had a tasty je ne sais quoi that made it a little bit unique; flavors could have been a little bolder, but I was pleased overall) Bonus/Demerit: -.5 (crazy Huntington Beach parking) TOTAL: 32/40 Izakaya Zero 412 Walnut Ave. Huntington Beach 714.960.1278 http://www.izakayazero.com/

Kobe Teppan &Sushi

Before I start, I should probably say that I'm one of those guys who thinks that teppanyaki is comfort food. I wouldn't say I exactly grew up on Benihana, but I'll say that I started young there, and enjoyed every dinner over the years. Yeah, the food isn't the absolute best I've had, it's not the best tenderloin, not the best shrimp, not even the best chicken fried rice, but it's consistently the same: pretty good, easy on the digestion, and it seems to hit a spot that other restaurants just don't. Yeah, I'm a closet teppanyaki fan. And I'm also a fan of consistency- every meal the way I expect it to be, whether the locations or the years change. But if I'm a closet teppan guy, I'm proud to advertise my love of Kobe beef. I ate, in Kobe, during the whole prion scare, because I figured my odds are good, and, how often does one find oneself in Kobe anyway? So I wanted to like Kobe Teppan & Sushi. I really did. I even dredged up my 'ol dad's tale about teppanyaki is not a 200-year old tradition of Japanese cooking, in fact it's not really Japanese at all. It was fusion before there was fusion- a combination of American diner'esque grillmastery, seafood and meat, and an Asian flair and flavor. The way my dad put it, he said, "the Japanese were impressed with the American style grills, and brought them back to Japan. After they developed teppanyaki, they brought it back here." Combining Kobe beef (even if it's really just the Snake River Wagyu stuff, rather than meat imported from the source), should've made for one fine meal. But maybe here's where the whole Benihana exposure runs to their detriment. Every detail appeared calculated to be Benihana-esque, without hitting exactly the right note. Like they were a drug company working to hit the same receptor, but having to change the formula just enough to avoid a patent dispute. Now, under most circumstances, I'd jump to combine these two. And then I'd look to see where I was gonna land. But the price for "Kobe" over tenderloin was pretty much a doubling of the price. Combine that with a bit of spidey-sense tingling, and I went tenderloin for the evening. Which turned out to be a good bet (just because it would have been unwise to double-down on my 10 with an Ace showing, on what turned out to ultimately be a losing hand anyway). The soup wasn't piping hot, and it wasn't particularly flavorful. The salad, mainly icebergs and a nondescript thousand island type dressing, was lackluster. The "chicken fried rice" was so fried-rice and non-chicken that the couple next to me actually asked for a refund of the chicken fried rice on their receipt, seeing as how they were totally unaware that they'd actually eaten any. For the record, there were indeed tiny portions of chicken that I detected because I was really, really looking for them, and so I paid that part of the bill, even though I was really tempted to just jump in and say, "yeah, us too!" As for the main course- As Randy might say, "that was only okay for me." The spectacle was reasonably done, with the knives, and the big wooden salt shakers and the catching of the shrimp tails. The kids probably couldn't tell the difference. But for me, and here's how I sum up the place: I went to Benihana not long thereafter, to remind myself what the "real thing" was like. 13741 Newport Ave Tustin, CA 92780 (714) 544-4055

Bluefin, Newport Coast

Bluefin is Chef Takashi Abe's restaurant in Newport Coast. I remember when I moved to Irvine, I had read raves about his former restaurant in Newport Beach, the eponymous Abe. But by the time I finally managed to get there, he had recently sold out to a kindly, but less capable restauranteur. The decor on the outside was little bit run-down. I could see cracks in the concrete steps, and rust in the lamps. The dishes there looked like the pictures adorning the walls, carefully prepared and presented dishes, blown up to 11x14. But they tasted like a little something was missing- almost bland. The temperatures were off- sometimes you can guess that a dish should have had hot and cold components, and if they're left just a bit too close together, a bit too long, they become uniformly warm. Not so good. And really, all this did for me was to put a question in my mind about whether the food had been better before or not. Maybe this Abe guy had seen better days. Those questions were answered the first time I ate at Bluefin. Bluefin was the new restaurant- a bit smaller than the old one, no longer free-standing, but instead a member of the Crystal Cove Promenade. It is a long rectangular space, carved on one side into tables, and on the other into a lengthy sushi bar with a translucent illuminated stone ledge, and a ridged water sculpture behind the chefs. The effect is dark (so much so that I had a bit of difficulty seeing what I was eating, and actually swallowed gold flakes on a dish without being able to appreciate them visually first), modern, and sleek, not at all aged or worn. The food was sublime. I rate Bluefin at the very top of the contemporary, fusion Japanese cuisine in Orange County (Sushi Wasabi gets that nod for more traditional sushi). We've been there three times now, over the years, the most recent time just this week. Each time we have the omakase, which at Bluefin is a 6-course menu including an appetizer sampler, sashimi salad, two cooked dishes, sushi, and dessert. They differ quite a bit each time, but my wife and I agreed that last night's was the best we've had. For me, the highlights were the sliced duck breast, held into place by a dollop of mashed potatoes, topped with a rich, soft, perfectly cooked (read: not overcooked) serving of foie gras. I had to deconstruct its tower of greens to eat it, but Miss Manners has my back on that one. Also excellent was the lobster appetizer, which was in a sauce that I still cannot quite describe, other than to say that it was a light cream sauce that accentuated that crisp snap you feel when jawing into a freshly cooked piece of lobster tail. Yum. My only complaint, if you can call it that, was that the dressing in the sashimi salad, while good, masked a bit the very freshness of the fish included. Several thin slices of hamachi and It almost seems a shame to mask the very high quality of the fish at all, so you can imagine the inner horror I experienced when my neighbor, a very kindly older gentleman, asked Chef Daisuke to chop up "live scallop" (bought live, shucked that very morning, returned to its shell for serving) into little bits, and mix it with lots of green onions, masago, and a spritz of lemon. Any other place, and this would be a great way to enjoy scallop- but it was live, that morning! In the sushi platter, the stars were the ruby red maguro (tuna), and the smooth uni. This maguro was so richly dense and completely lacking in any kind of fiber, that it almost seemed like it wasn't a fish at all. The uni was clearly uni, but without the fishiness and liquidity that make it unpalatable at lesser places. I traded my piece of mirugai for a second piece of the albacore, which instead of being drenched in ponzu, was topped with almost like a light tartar sauce. It was intriguing, and I wouldn't mind having that again. Dessert: this was a dollop of vanilla ice cream, served in a tiny fish shaped bowl atop a much larger plate that had berry reductions around its rim. Sharing the plate was a martini glass filled with ever so light clear gelatin that was so soft that it practically melted in my mouth. It was lightly sweetened, had more than a hint of yuzu and alcohol, and was topped with fruit. Like an amuse bouche, but at the end of the meal. A refreshing way to end the meal. And just so I don't leave my poor neighbor, who actually was very entertaining company, and spoke a few phrases in Japanese surprisingly well ("mou chotto gari kudasai", although I might have chosen "sukoshi"), coming off seeming like a rube, he left us with a parting piece of advice on finding out we were young parents: "If you can teach your kids two things, they'll be fine: one, 'life isn't fair', and two, 'I don't deserve'." I'm still kicking that one around in my head three days later. Elmomonster's yummy review.

Maki-Zushi's Ceases Their 20% Dinner Discount

Maki-Zushi in Tustin, a joint that I've been frequenting over the last few months, has finally ceased offering their 20% off dinner offer. During the time of the discount, I saw their clientele grow, most of whom, like yours truly, couldn't believe their good fortune in finding an inexpensive sushi place. Now, at my last visit, at prime dinner hours on a Friday night, they were practically deserted. Their sushi is still good at the regular price, but I have to admit, it was better when I knew I was paying less. But it looks like I know where the extra money is going: They now use white linens on their tables. To read my previous post on it, CLICK HERE. Maki-Zushi (714)259-0783 1641 Edinger Ave #101 Tustin, CA 92780

Cold Soba in Winter

It's exactly three days, thirteen hours and some minutes before my long awaited winter holiday. To say that I have a severe case of vacationitis is like saying that Southern California is warm in the summer. Yes, that bad. At this point, our one hour lunch breaks are the only things keeping me sane between the time I get here and the time I leave. So, it wasn't that surprising when I started towards Chubbypanda's office yesterday at 2:00pm after a failed meet up with a friend for lunch. I kicked his chair a few times to get his attention and promptly began my single minded quest to get out of the office and find food. I was fixated on having something warm and soupy to combat the air conditioned chill of the room I work in and Chubbypanda gamely agreed to the suggestion of ramen. After several false starts, we finally left for Ebisu at 2:45 (ish)pm. Ebisu Restaurant Front The decor is nothing special; there's the usual window of plasti-food near the entrance and a selection of booths and tables scattered through the spacious, angled room. We had arrived well past the usual lunch rush hour, leaving us a nearly empty and blessedly quiet restaurant. We were promptly seated and after a few minutes of perusing the menu, Chubbypanda decided on the hakata ramen ($6.95) with extra cha siu ($3.50), while I thought I'd test out the ten toji combo ($8.50). The combo offered the choice of kitsune udon, hot soba or cold soba. Plasti-food, deceivingly tasty looking. I don't like udon, even if it is the delicious and, according to a friend, hard to find kitsune type. It's the texture, width and plain flavourlessness of the noodle that puts me off and brings back memories of endless afternoons eating rice noodles when my mom was too busy to make lunch. Yes, I know, udon not made of rice flour but I still can't shake that visceral memory to this day. Ten Toji Combo: Cold Soba, Ten-don, seasoned green beans, seaweed, misc Soba, on the other hand, I love but prefer cold. So, despite my earlier desires, I ended up with the cold soba. The soba was firm and well cooked without any of the soapiness that can occur on occasion. The texture contrasted well with the crunchiness of panko flakes I was persuaded to add, while the bean sprouts were a nice rest from the oiliness which eventually invaded the whole bowl despite my efforts to be sparing with the flakes. The flavour of the ten-don, though sweet, was mild and a good match for the soba. The cooked green onions had less bite then their raw counterpart and, like the turnipy sprouts, served to cut the oiliness of the tempura battered shrimp. I worked my way through a good portion of it before I stopped, mostly full and largely put off by the soggy tempura. Soggy tempura is no one's friend. I determined that I much preferred oyako don. Seasoned green beans and seaweed. I moved on to the green beans, which were crisp and light, and ended up wishing I had more when I bit into the seaweed. It was that kind of seaweed, soggy and without crunch (nemesis!). Chubbypanda happily removed it from my plate and was kind enough to share some of his hakata ramen with me. The cha siu was tender and the noodles were still firm despite having sat in a bowl of hot broth for several minutes. I couldn't tell you how the broth tasted since Chubbypanda decided to drop a large spoonful of garlic, red pepper and more red pepper in it. It was... spicy. Very spicy. Spice mix. Crazy scary. All in all, it was a good meal and decently priced. As a last note, beware the pickled cabbage 'appetizer' and shredded daikon. Both are ... well, I suppose you'll find out if you end up eating it. Pictures courtesy of Chubbypanda § Ebisu Ramen Restaurant 18924-A Brookhurst St. Fountain Valley, CA 92708 714.964.5993