I think my baseline for chive pockets might be from Luscious Dumplings. Hui Tou Xiang and Dean Sin World are also respectable, though I haven’t been to the latter in a while.
1 Like
Barbacoa de borrego from El Borrego Restaurant in Lawndale. Nice and tender lamb barbacoa. Also came with some really delicious and hearty lamb consommé.
5 Likes
Inaba
Love this place, everything was as good as ever. The special eel and zucchini was ridiculously good, deep fried glazed eel sandwiched between two zucchini fries. Even the sushi is good, the battera was another standout with delicious mackerel on top of fluffy airy vinegared rice and the tekka maki was properly made with just the right amount of wasabi smeared on the inside. #friedisafoodgroup
Peach and prosciutto tempura
“Figs on a plate”
Shishito
Sweet potato
Eggplant
Pumpkin
Whiting
Squid
Shrimp
Eel zucchini
Squid
Shiitake
Whiting
Flathead
Onion
Scallop
Anago
Squid shiso roll
Uni shiso
Battera
Tekka maki
9 Likes
Pie (and cake) sampling at Pie 'N Burger in Pasadena! Strawberry cake, summer peach pie, banana meringue pie with extra whipped cream, butterscotch meringue and boysenberry pie…
Heavenly.
8 Likes
i think we can all now agree j_l is, indeed, special agent dale cooper, fbi.
2 Likes
Chargha House report:
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Hi @PorkyBelly,
Wow! Fig Tempura! How was it? 
Thanks for the reminder, I need to go back now!
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It was fresh, sweet, soft and crunchy, really good.
Try the eel and zucchini if they have it and the battera and tuna roll.
1 Like
RBTA
New “robata” restaurant in highland park, but feels more like a low budget asian fusion place more than anything. Everything was fine but the uni pasta was just plain bad. It had a burnt, acrid, bad uni flavor, I couldn’t even finish it.
Tori karaage - soy ginger marinated chicken thighs
Crispy and juicy, pretty good.
new york steak - yuzu butter, soy sauce and fried garlic
Tender, cooked about medium.
negi ma - chicken thighs and green onions
shiitake mushrooms
King oyster mushrooms
u10 diver scallops - spicy aioli and spicy rice cracker
These looked a little on the small size to be u10, but they were really tasty, the spicy aioli was just right to pair with the sweetness of the scallops.
shiba ebi shrimp
sesame tuna and avocado
blue prawn sashimi and uni
uni pasta - fettuccine, fresh uni, shrimp, and mushrooms with uni butter cream
4 Likes
= Running Back To Aburiya
4 Likes
Casa Bianca
Tried this place for the first time and… I don’t get it. I’m all for thin crispy crust but this tasted like a less flavorful roof shingle, the sauce wasn’t even detectable, and the toppings just tasted like salt. I’d rather eat a frozen totino’s pizza.
eggplant and sausage
5 Likes
Hayden (Culver City–the Platform)
This is a new hipster all-day eatery. It’s all that you might expect and then some in terms of the hipsterdom. In any event, the menu looked pretty interesting, and I ordered a Japanese breakfast bowl with smoked trout that was utterly delicious. Served with a side of sambal, this thing was everything I wanted–perfectly cooked rice, a melange of different textures, delicious smoked trout, and a perfectly cooked egg. The downside was the price–it cost $19, just enough to be too annoying to order again. There’s really no basis for them being 25% more expensive than a fully loaded rice bowl at Sqirl.
They also were selling foccacia squares from Bub and Grandma’s that looked quite good, but I was too full. Next time.
5 Likes
Thanks for the report @PorkyBelly. A few of my friends felt the same way; they have no idea why J. Gold put this on his best list for so many years. Canned mushrooms and generic ingredients, etc. I’ve been avoiding it for years because of their warnings.
1 Like
F. Mclintocks sidewalk grilling trip tip, artichokes, sausage, and other things.
Thursday Night Farmers’ Market, San Luis Obispo
10 Likes
quintessential SLO.
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It’s for people who grew up eating Mama Celeste frozen pizzas at home, and when they need an outlet (literally and figuratively) to stroke their pizza nostalgia they flock to Casa Bianca.
2 Likes
Mmmm…linguica sandwich 
Is it ok to admit that I like Tender Greens even though it’s a chain? 
I’m glad they opened up a location in Torrance.
Fried chicken sandwich (Jidori chicken breast, maple glaze, green cabbage, radicchio, & Fresno chili slaw, sweet & spicy pickles, spicy aioli, toasted Rockenwagner brioche bun). Comes with butter lettuce salad.
I thought this was pretty good. The chicken was juicy, crispy, and seasoned well. The slaw had a tiny bit of heat. Unfortunately it was a special, or I’d get it more often if it was on the regular menu. I washed it down with their always refreshing mint lemonade.
8 Likes