The rojo is 
Overall OK lunch at Ord & Broadway (Chinatown)…
Shanghai lumpia was good, but the bulgogi tacos were not (meat was waaay too tough). Assassin wings were decent, but the garlic pork ribs rice bowl never elevated itself above the sum of its parts, and there was almost no rib sauce / au jus to flavor the rice at all.
Ube funnel cake, to the rescue!
No Toto…
Lunch #2 down the street at Long’s Family Pastry, where I bought out their last batch of Snowy Mountain Char Siu Bao, sated my gullet. Redemption is mine…
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Jfc the only place in la to get THW style buns is a random joint in Chinatown?
Yelp pictures for Long’s Family Pastry look nostalgic and delicious
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Black truffle ice cream and brown sugar & ginger ice cream, both currently in season at Kiriko Sushi (Sawtelle Japantown), are just ridiculously good…
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Kiriko is still my fave. I tend to be overly loyal, though.
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About what time did you get those snow mountain buns?
Nice timing!
On a weekday, about 12:15PM. It’s hit-or-miss.
Me too. Overly loyal that is.
Chaumont - 10:30AM Visit
Croissant
Lightly flaky on the outside but decadently buttery and plenty of soft and pillowy honeycomb air pockets in the center.
Almond Croissant
Good flavor and especially so with the sweet almond paste but the bottom half of the pastry was overly wet and soggy. Unacceptable!
Pain au Chocolat
Again, lightly flaky with plenty of layers. Best of all, it’s got just the right amount of melty chocolate in the center.
Dominique Ansel at The Grove - 11:30AM Visit
Croissant
Looks great with the soft buttery center but there is only minimal flakiness on the outside. Did we come too late at 11:30AM??
Kouign Amann
Maybe we did come too late? It’s lightly salty sweet but it’s only got a decent crunch on the outside unlike the one we had at their NYC flahship which was a revelation in terms of texture. Still tasted great though.
Pain au Chocolat
Looks fantastic in the airy center with chunks of half melted chocolate but not a lot of flaky layers on the outside.
Cronut with cherry jam, caramelia ganache, cocoa nib sugar
The OG of the croissant/donut hybrid. It’s a layered donut with a bit of exterior crunch. The combination of cherry jam and ganache made it too sweet for my taste though.
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Why does one go to Jeonju Hyundaiok in Koreatown?
Not for their famed Korean bean sprout soup, which is very good, but for the opportunity to order a plate of bulgolgi as a side dish.
#BecauseStreetFood
Curry Hut (La Mirada)
Finally tried the chicken biryani this weekend. Wow! Super good. Lots of spices, well-cooked chicken, and just overall yummy. The only thing that was a little off was the inclusion of some whole spices mixed in. This was the first time I’ve had biryani with whole cloves, cardamom pods, and peppercorns. Biting down into them hidden amongst the rice and chicken was surprising to say the least. Would still go back and order it…now I know to be more careful next time.
Tacos Los Carnales (Whittier)
Dropped by my favorite al pastor truck for tacos with fresh made tortillas. Excellent as always.
Garlic & Chives #2 (Artesia)
Stopped by for drinks (they have a full bar!) and snacks with a friend. Chicken wings, salmon belly rolls, and goi ngo sen were great snacks…those chicken wings are so good!
Man Doo Rang Dumpling House (Buena Park)
Made to order dumplings…the skins are bulk, but there’s a lady who makes the dumplings when you order them. The steamed dumplings and kimchi dumplings were solid. Nice ratio of meat to veg…moist and fresh. The skins were surprisingly delicate and thin. The kimchi dumpling soup was pretty good, too…nice broth with egg and rice cake.
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That’s it? You just parked behind the Mariscos El Bigoton truck? Do you and @moonboy403 not like seafood?! 
I didn’t realize that the truck was literally parked on the street right outside the Birrieria Gonzalez, and I had already had enough birria so I didn’t have room to try the mariscos. But I did have room for churros. Next time, I’m going to hit the mariscos for appetizers, birria for the meal, and finish with churros for dessert.
We had parked in the back lot of Birrieria Gonzalez…since the front lot was pretty full.
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40 love for hh drake was there hanging out. Great happy hour cocktails, chicken tenders and burgers were delicious. Will be our new hh spot in the area.
Friday night got a last minute reservation at pizzeria mozza, chicken liver toast, meatball pizza, sausage pizza, octo salad and the lemon gelato pie. Like bestia this spot is one of our go tos it always delivers. That lemon gelato pie was amazing.
Saturday went to sycamore kitchen for lunch. Had the salmon toast and the chopped salad. Apple crostata was the best thing we had there. Definitely a great neighbhorhood spot will be back for the “buttercup”.
Dinner at nanbankan. Assorted yakitori with highlights being the chicken heart, oyster mushroom, and Tsukune. Also ordered yellowtail collar, black cod which were grilled perfectly. Highlight of the night might’ve been the Bonito flake grilled onigiri perfectly crispy and smoky rice ball. We always love the vibe there the old couple that runs it is always so nice and welcoming. They act like they’ve known you for years.
Sunday night noshi sushi. Probably will get a lot of thumbs down from the sushirazzi on this board , but they serve genrous portions like their sashimi boat, are affordable and have a great antmosphere. Highlights of the night were the aji nigiri and their mixed tempura.
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Murakami - Melrose Ave (near Milk Bar)
One of our favorite little neighborhood spots, recommended by our dearly missed @MaladyNelson.
Ankimo (monkfish liver) Appetizer
Build Your Own Chirashi Bowl
Cucumber, Spicy Hamachi, Scallop Mayo, Daikon (radish), Hamachi (yellowtail), Ikura (salmon roe)
Ribeye Teriyaki
Everything is fresh and good, but their chirashi bowls are the ticket, imo. And if you have a hankering for fun American-style rolls, they’re churning out some tasty looking pieces.
With one large Kirin $59 + Tip.
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Okay, I forgive you. 
But no appetizer. This! With a big bag of tostadas. You can thank me (and @Sgee) later.
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Honmaguro akami (lean bluefin tuna, farmed off the coast of Spain) from a repeat visit to Masakazu (Westwood)… There is indeed profound complexity and depth from this farmed tuna. A tremendous piece of nigiri not just in terms of taste, but also in that it represents hope for conserving the species in the wild. It’s also worth noting that shari here is even better on my repeat visit.
Best damn kouign amann I’ve ever had in L.A. (a gift from a friend who steadfastly refuses to tell me where he got it)… The free use of butter, the caramelization, with just the right density - Mon Dieu!
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that’s a wicked looking KA.!
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Your friend won’t say where he got the pastry? That’s not nice for the baker. A person needs to make a living. Introduce your buddy to the concept of “word of mouth”. 
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I threw the best surprise party for my son’s birthday! It was so fun and my rodina all flew in from around the country.
I have no pictures of the food from the party itself right now, but I would like to say that Total Success Staffing is an excellent resource if you ever need a cook or server for a party.
The next morning, I picked up breakfast from Sorrento’s and we spent the day eating sandwiches and swimming. Great weekend all around.
Edit to add: This s the very first time I have thrown a party where ALL the protein was eaten by the end of the night. My brother, who had three teenagers, went shopping with me and he kept telling me to buy more meat, and I was like, okay, but I was thinking he’s crazy. Ha! Was I wrong.
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