NomNoms: Restaurante Guelaguetza (Los Angeles)

This is a Oaxacan restaurant but I've had bad experiences with the typical Oaxacan dish of mole, so I decided to go a different route and ordered something else.



The best horchata in the world - with chopped nuts and cactus fruit puree



Botana de Molotes - fried corn dough filled with potatoes and chorizo



Torta

Guelaguetza
3014 W. Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA

NomNoms: Wakasan (Los Angeles)

I've been dying to do an omakase meal (which is a chef's choice type experience), but it's so expensive! I found out about Wakasan through Yelp. It is extremely reasonably priced at $35 per person for 13 courses. However, some of the courses seemed to be fillers and were not very impressive.



Marinated spinach



Marinated bean sprouts and seaweed



Potato salad



Cold marinated eggplant



Sashimi - scallops, tuna, and amberjack



Grilled salmon



King crab legs



Soup of beef, vermicilli, and potato



Fried chicken and slaw



Rice with ikura (salmon roe) and uni (sea urchin)



Miso soup



Egg custard



Red bean ice cream

Wakasan
1929 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Workout LA: Malibu Creek State Park

Malibu Creek State Park
1925 Las Virgenes Rd
Calabasas, CA 91302

NomNoms: Boule (Los Angeles)

Beautiful macarons - fleur de sel, pistachio, chocolate,
meyer lemon, and apple jacks



Walnut fig bread

Boule
408 N. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048

NomNoms: Philippe the Original (Los Angeles)

Philippe the Original opened in 1908 and is the home of the French dip. It's definitely a blast from the past, plus delicious and cheap.



Beef double-dip, side of dill pickles, $0.60 iced tea

Philippe the Original
1001 Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

NomNoms: The Stand (Los Angeles)

I love Chicago-style hot dogs but this was not yummy. There was way too much stuff on this hot dog so that each bite you only got to taste one thing. Also, the chips were overcooked.



Chicago Dog - pickles, onions, tomato, relish, sport peppers, mustard, and celery salt

The Stand
1116 Westwood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA

NomNoms: Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles (Los Angeles)

Thigh and waffle



Sides of biscuits, smothered potatoes and gravy, and greens

Unfortunately, the sides were not impressive besides the collard greens. The biscuit was tasteless and dry, and the potatoes were just plain boring.

Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles
5006 W. Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA

NomNoms: Jacques Torres Chocolate (New York City)

Almondine, Earl Grey, and hazelnut

Jacques Torres Chocolate - Brooklyn
66 Water Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201

NomNoms: Morimoto (New York City)

Interior


Brie amuse bouche


Tuna pizza


Chirashi bowl


Chocolate hazelnut mousse with lime and popcorn sorbet
Morimoto
88 10th Ave
New York, NY 10011

NomNoms: Ciudad (Los Angeles)

My first time dining at Ciudad was effectively ruined by the most unbelievably horrible service I have ever experienced. The manager comp-ed us though, so that made up for the frustration we endured. I definitely will not give them a second chance which is unfortunate because the food and drinks were wonderful.



White sangria


Plantain Chips and Spicy Aioli


Argentine Empanadas with Tomatillo and Chipotle Salsas

Ciudad
445 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071

NomNoms: Lemon Tree Cafe (Los Angeles)

I remember eating at Lemon Tree Cafe maybe 10 years ago. It apparently came under new management since then. There was a new sign and the decor seemed unfamiliar. When I arrived, the place was completely empty, but the waiter was very eager to please and the food was surprisingly good and affordable. It got a little more crowded after a while, but no more than three tables were in use. It makes me depressed a lot of the times to see cute mom and pop places struggling and across the street, there will be lines out the door at In N Out or Chipotle. (Not that there is anything wrong with those places per se.)



Little dishes - broccoli, radish, roasted potatoes, fish pancakes, and kimchi


Beef hot stone pot

Lemon Tree Cafe
24416 Crenshaw Blvd Suite 1
Torrance, CA 90505

NomNoms: Table 8 (Los Angeles)

I've been sick since last Friday. I hate it!

The second restaurant I visited for Dine LA’s Restaurant Week was Table 8. My experience at Simon LA was much nicer because it seemed on this night, they decided to jam as many tables as they could fit into the dining room. Table 800 is probably a more appropriate name than Table 8 in this situation. There were only a few inches between us and the neighboring tables and people had to move the entire table away in order to get into the booth. It was also awkward being able to hear every word the people next to you were saying. We made it through dinner at any rate. The appetizer and dessert were both delicious, but the entrée was just good. Sorry the picture of the panna cotta looks like an egg.



Warm boucheron salad


Duck confit


Vanilla panna cotta with honeyed blueberries

NomNoms: Simon LA (Los Angeles)

DineLA's Restaurant Week ended recently. I was able to control myself and only went to two restaurants. The first one I visited was Simon LA, located inside the Sofitel. One of the main reason's I picked this restaurant was because Chef Kerry Simon won on Iron Chef America against Iron Chef Cat Cora.

I love Restaurant Week because it is a great opportunity to try new restaurants at a more reasonable price than normally. In this case, we got a three-course meal for $34 excluding drinks and tip. Here's a hint for restaurant week: go with people who like to share so you can try just about everything!

The bread basket was to die for. There was an huge assortment of breads including buttery biscuits, big fat tear-drop shaped pretzels, and some spicy jalapeno bread. The service was incredible, very unobtrusive and with perfect timing. I believe I ordered the best choices. To start: yellowtail carpaccio, beef short rib and chocolate tart for dessert. The other desserts were so mediocre!



Yellowtail carpaccio, cilantro mint and citrus vinaigrette


Jumbo lump crab salad, fresh hearts of palm, soybeans, pea shoots and grapefruit vinaigrette


Braised Beef short ribs with broccoli rabe and sweet potatoes


Soft chocolate tart and lemon sherbert


Mini red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting


Glazed doughnut bread pudding with salted gooey caramel

Simon LA
8555 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048

NomNoms: Yank Sing (San Francisco)

Yank Sing is a pretty high-end dim sum restaurant located in San Francisco's Financial District. Everything we ordered was prettily presented and delicious, but pricey.




Spring rolls, potstickers, and spinach dumplings


Tea, stuffed crab claws, pork dumplings

I got too distracted by the food to take pictures of the other dishes we ordered: barbecue pork buns, har gau, stuffed lotus leaf, egg custard tart, and sesame balls.

Yank Sing
49 Stevenson St
San Francisco, CA