butane, binchotan, both?
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Off menu, right? What’s the best way to get my hands on this?
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I believe a mixture of both, depending on the neta type. The taira-gai definitely has a hint of binchotan smokiness.
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Da boyz is so twisted and entertaining.
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Got some really good birria de res at Pepe’s Red Tacos! Thanks @TheCookie for the rec from what feels like years ago now. Got a variety of tacos - dorados, suaves, and quesatacos. There was a ton of flavor, prob more spicy than La Unica if not as meaty. The only knock was some of the meat was dry, but not a big deal. Their homemade salsas are all great, especially their aceite, which was like a slightly sweeter version of La Unica’s.
Overall, I liked it more than LA Birria and a LOT better than Teddy’s!
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Oh yay! So good. I love the broth! 
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Parents 50th anniversary at The Ranch. The place was pretty much packed. Almost every table taken on the patio and inside booths on Sunday at 6pm.
Steaks and salads here are the best. 4 of us ordered the Delminico prime dry aged NY strip on the bone. It’s a beast of a steak but tender, with a little funky and perfectly pink throughout.
Enjoyed all of the salads and the fig burrata toast. They have their own farm and like the seasonal specials. The ceaser salad dressing was on the lemony side.
I think the sides are the weakest element here. Creamed spinach, creamed corn and healthy version of green bean casserole were all fine. Some of the fries were incredibly salty.
They forgot one of our steaks so it came out ~15 late. They poured us 2 free glasses of wine and comped our desserts. The waiter and manager was very apologetic. Not a big deal and happy they took care of some items. The pecan pie and Milky Way are good desserts. But man we were full. Everybody took home the bone and some steaks.
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What a lovely meal! Happy anniversary to your folks!
Did you get any popcorn ice cream by chance?
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Hahah now you tell me. We were so full. We only ate half of the comped desserts.
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I thought you knew about the popcorn ice cream. It’s quite delightful.
anajak thai
disappointing takeout. the chicken had crispy skin but was way overcooked and dry, could barely chew through the white meat. the scallops were tiny and colorless and looked nothing like the excellent scallops I had before. and at $25 for 5 tiny scallops the qpr wasn’t there either.
there was also a very unpleasant burning oil smell that filled the dining room when I picked up, don’t know what was going on there.
maybe I need to try their thai taco tuesdays or alleyway dining, but right now I’m not seeing what all the influ-grammer hype is all about.
southern thai fried chicken
scallops, xo
before
after
Anajak Thai
14704 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
http://www.anajakthai.com/
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You kinda answered your own query there…
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From the IG pics I thought this place was going to be the next big Thai restaurant to hit the scene…(actually they been around but kinda reinvent themselves via Son)
We ate at the anajak alley on a Tuesday and the fried chicken was very good and crispy and not dry. It was piping hot and just out the fryer so maybe it could be take out thing. The Thai tacos are pretty good—destination worthy? Probably not at least for us pasadena folk.
I will say this about Anajak—IG influencer hype or not, Justin is doing a fantastic job of reinventing his family restaurant in his style. Not dissimilar to what Kris yembamgroong did with night+market years back @JeetKuneBao .
Where vast majority of restaurants are struggling—I would argue he’s actually thriving. There was line half block down before he even opened at 5 pm on Tuesday night. His innovations, collabs with dry age fish guy, and @JLee tomorrow, to the support of other fellow chefs has not gone unnoticed by restaurant community.
Perhaps being raised in an immigrant family has something to do with this. They know adversity and how to survive. Similarly, the daughter of Ayara thai in the westchester has done similar innovations—pinto Thursday’s which we love, drive in Thai movies, and this up coming thai hot pot looks amazing
So in a way @JeetKuneBao, I do think anajak, Ayara and also holy basil are on to something—they are actually all doing thai that hasn’t been done before—whether it’s great sourcing, new concepts, or just bold flavors, it’s the 2nd gen leading the way.
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Tripp Burgers pop-up (Palms) is hitting all the right notes with a damn good Westside smashburger. All that, and a bag of Utz…
Oliboli Donuts (Tustin) celebrated their 2nd Birthday with a Golden Ticket Celebration. - Two Golden Tickets, each granting the bearer one free Oliboli donut per day for 365 days (!) were hidden inside two random boxes which could only be purchased on Thursday. Though I failed to find my Golden Ticket despite buying no less than four golden boxes, my taste buds sure won out. Their banoffee (banana+coffee), seasonal pumpkin mousse and guava cream donuts are absolutely ridiculous!
SoCal Indo Food (pre-order delivery) was spot-on yet again. Delicious tastes from Indonesia, couriered by always-smiling Aaron straight to my door. Mie goreng, dadar jagung (corn fritters with lemongrass), and pandan roll cake. Terima kasih!
Kiriko (Sawtelle Japantown) ushers in a taste of autumn. Battera (on request) is just wonderful right now. Ikura don with tamago delighted our little one (and also myself when I stole a bite from kiddo). But most importantly, Ken-san’s to-go version of matsutake no osuimono is my Bite (Slurp?) of the Week - Just a supremely-executed delicate, earthy broth with a gorgeous lingering finish. I early-harvested a yuzu from my backyard tree, squeezed in a few drops of juice and WOW! It’s as close as I’ll get to traveling to Japan this year…
That, and roasted Japanese chestnut and red beans over Kiriko’s housemade vanilla ice cream, accompanied with a cup of hoji-cha, are a perfect way to finish the meal.
Project M Matcha Café (Sawtelle Japantown) is dishing out soft serve which has become a regular treat for me. Though my serving today was a bit more anemic than usual (WTF I paid $6 for this), just a dab of azuki made it all OK again before I shot it against their Insta-wall…
Patisserie Chantilly (Lomita) offered a deal today: Six of their legendary choux for $18! I went to town on their black sesame choux. Outrageous. The pudding, pommier and marron cake (not pictured ‘cuz hungry spawn scarfed it too quickly) were quality through and through.
Stay safe, y’all.
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That’s a legit haul @J_L. I would have been thrilled if you won the Oliboli golden ticket.
Gotta get my butt down to Chantilly. My wife’s birthday in 2 weeks and she has requested their cake.
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Bang bang down the street at La Espanola while you’re at it. Their bocadillos are off the chain! (filete de caballa pictured)
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Sorry you didn’t win the ticket! But we went down there today and agree… these Donuts are something special… Love that they have several savory options too!
I have to ask… where did you get your Yuzu tree?! I think I killed my Mini Cherry tree and now have a pot availability… LOL!!
–Dommy!
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