brace yourself summer is coming.
happy ice aka water ice
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El Muelle 8 (Downey)
I’ve been curious since I saw the EaterLA article and this pop up on Bill Esparza’s IG stories.
Finally made it over with a friend.
And it did not disappoint.
She grew up spending summers on the Mexican shores and continues to summer with her family now with her own kids.
While it way my idea to come to lunch, she was happy to do all the ordering for us.
El Muelle 8 takes over a former Greek restaurant. The parking lot is tiny, but the restaurant is fairly large with an open kitchen. The folks are super welcoming as you walk in. Tables are stocked with at least 5 different salsas for all of your jarred/bottles condiment needs. Try the dark red sauce which hits of chipotle and ancho while also having a nice lemon-lime finish.
Marlin gobernador
Pulpo enamador - calling all octopus lovers! This one is for you. Perfectly tender octopus stewed and stuffed into a freshly made corn tortilla.
Chicharrone de pulpo - crispy octopus in a taco?! The slaw on top was cooling and a little sweet. I’d prefer this over a fish taco from Ensenada.
Jay Platillo - chilled shrimp and fresh from
Sinaloa scallops with salsa negra…the scallops were lovely.
The menu is huge, and we both agreed we need to come back soon to try more dishes.
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Thanks for the intel. This place has been on my list as well. Lots of good reports online.
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I’d park at the JITB at the corner or in the neighborhood next to the shopping center.
Memela and Costillas at Tacos A Cabron in East Los.
Warms drinks across the street from a nice Tia. This atole de galleta is my favorite. Never had it before.
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Is this the one near the Citadel outlets? If so, how was it?
This location was on Atlantic and I think Verona (near the post office and Wienerschnitzel).
I like the ribs! God I hate that intersection by the Citadel I always end up in the wrong lane.
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I had Soufflé Pancakes at Morning Glory in San Diego.
Unfortunately, after I ate 2/3rd of the 1st pancake, I noticed something thin and hard like metal sticking out of the remaining pancake. It looked like something you tie a bag of sliced bread with. I pointed this issue out and one of the servers took that back and I got a new one in 10-15 minutes. What reasonable request I could have made when this happens to me again? I was tempted to ask for some small appetizer for free or for the bill to be compt, though I wouldn’t know what would have been appropriate. I could’ve swallowed that thing!
I could’ve imagined that there are less berries this year than when I last had their Soufflé Pancakes about 12 months ago. I remember the berries add on cost $5 for both years. I guess they kept that pricing the same, though they lowered the amount of berries per plate.
Here’s Summer 2022 version:
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come up north for a good time.
Mentone (Aptos):
stracciatella
mixed salumi
gnocchi
'marg
n’duja
lemon curd 'zert
Grossman’s Noshery and Bar (Santa Rosa)
baby artichokes
footlong hot dog with deli debris
keep going up more north…
SingleThread Farm Store (Healdsburg)
get the barrel aged ponzu
ok go back down a little south
SingleThread Farm Restaurant (Healdsburg)
iconic spread
Most surprising thing? How good the non-alcoholic pairing was. Not as great as the one at Atelier Crenn, but it’s pretty good.
champagne of sakura
now head east for a little bit…
Addendum (Yountville)
chicken sando. it’s just ok.
off menu item: cornbread. just ask to order it.
bucket o’ chicken. get this. pass on the sando.
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Thanks! That is the one I was thinking of. I have wanted to try this place for a while, but the one time I actually went, they seemed to be taking the night off. 
Nice to know there is an option for atoles and champurrado nearby!
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Did someone at least come out to apologize? Glad you did not get injured.
Happy Independence Day!!!
Corner Beef Noodle House.
I think they are one of the best Taiwanese places around. The beef noodle soup is probably my favorite outside of my grandma’s. The tendon melts in your mouth and the meat has very generous pieces. Certainly better than those 2nd gen Taiwanese places in NYC and the bland Lanzhou beef noodles (good noodles but boring broth).
Not pictured is the zhajiangmian. This is spectacular. Better than Dai Ho and Cindy’s. The sauce has a little of their housemade XO sauce to give it that extra umami boost and flavor. They also make Hakka mochi with black sesame and peanuts. Taiwanese sausage is served with plenty of raw garlic. I’ll have that dive in to some of the other offerings because this place goes hard. I think I saw the Taiwanese auntie who probably is making the food/her recipes.
Being gone for a few years really puts a place like this in perspective and how rare it is to find good Taiwanese food. Take this as a friendly reminder Corner Beef Noodle House is Taiwanese AF and some of the non-beef noodle stuff is freaking great.
Also when asked what type of noodle you want the answer is always wide/thick.
My only issue is I they never asked how spicy I want it.
Also remember back in the day Taiwanese places would give you a cup of pickled greens (same cup size as those tableside chilli oil) to add to your beef noodles or pork chop rice.
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Quesadillas Estilo D.F. - Cudahy (Patata Street Food Row)
Why are these gorditas de chicharron prensado not a thing? Fresh, handmade gorditas filled with chicharron prensado, onions, cilantro and cheese and crisped up a la plancha and served up with a delicious salsa verde and a pretty fuckin spicy salsa roja. It was my first experience with chicharron prensado and I wish I had discovered it sooner. What makes it even better is the tias making them fresh to order.
Fri - Sun around 4pm til close
Patata Street and Atlantic
I was told to go around 7pm and most of the vendors will be set up by then.
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I’m looking to stuff my face full of nigiri sushi.
I’m from OC and I was looking at Here Fishy Fishy in LA, but there are no reservations left for this weekend and it’s much farther. I was excited to try their premium selections (once each) for $11 more.
I might look at Sushi Damu in Tustin. Their lunch is $4 cheaper at $36 than their dinner at $40. Edit: They recently raised their prices to $45 for any day any time. That’s a 25% increase for me.
Is Sushi Damu worth $45 at lunch?
Where do you go for AYCE sushi?
I haven’t done AYCE sushi in a long time, but, back in the day, I used to go to Midori Sushi. Not sure if you want to drive all the way to the SFV for that, though.
Cash only? I may actually not be terribly far from that area on Saturday…
Not sure, but I did pay cash.
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I’m with @paranoidgarliclover.
Quarantine made me realize that AYCE sushi is something I can live without.
My friends and family enjoy the following:
Damu (Tustin)
Aikan (Cerritos)
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There are no lunch/time discounts for Sushi Damu and prices hiked to $45/person.
Knowing that it costs 25% more, I’m taking this as a challenge to eat as much as possible. I’m aiming for at least 30 nigiri pieces.
Any tips for eating as much as possible in 2 hours?
Not familiar with Sushi Damu, but some place I used to go to in mid-city would spontaneously give you specialty/novelty rolls (presumably to fill you up). Tell them to begin w/ that you don’t want rolls and, if they bring you rolls, politely decline.
Drink lots of fluids. Chew thoroughly. Keep on eye on the clock. And, strangely enough, pace yourself. You still want to enjoy whatever you eat.
get your doctor or GP on standby to start chelation therapy. or have a bunch of charcoal tablets handy.