Back from Hiatus – Tsuruhashi!

For those of you who have been wondering where I’ve been, I was flattened by a nasty little bug and then ran over by a final project for my class. But we’re much better (except for a lingering cough) and my project has been turned in.

So where did we leave off? *flips thru photos* Let’s review…Tsuruhashi!

Tsuruhashi is a Yakiniku place on Convoy Street in San Diego. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, think of Yakiniku as the Japanese version of Korean BBQ.  The restaurant is tucked away in a small shopping center filled with plenty of restaurants and very easy to miss.  I recommend you don’t as it was good eats.

Tsuruhashi - interior

The interior is very small.  It’s filled with about 8 booths like in the picture and 3 tables.  Because of the size, or lack thereof, and the fact that they are only open for dinner, stick to small groups or go early.  Large groups should definitely go early so they can grab the 3 tables which are movable; otherwise, the group will end up being split between booths.  Tsuruhashi does not accept reservations and can get quite busy, especially on the weekends.

Tsuruhashi - table grill

On each table is a grill.  In case you don’t know, Yakiniku involves you cooking your own food.  You order cuts of meat or seafood and grill them.  At Korean BBQ restaurants, side dishes (panchan) and rice is included.  At Tsuruhashi, you have to purchase these things separately.  My friend and I opted to skip the panchan and just order rice.  The panchan menu consisted of a variety of kimchis, seaweed, marinated garlic, and green leaf lettuce with a miso sauce.

Tsuruhashi - Meat Special

Tsuruhashi - Seafood Mix

Tsuruhashi’s menu boasts some wonderful cuts of meat.  There are a couple of US Kobe offerings, several types of USDA Prime beef, pork, chicken and some more exotic choices like organ meats, tripe and tongue.  There’s also a seafood mix and a couple of vegetable-only dishes.  They also offer some soup, noodle and rice dishes.

We noticed a special on the menu that’s offered only Monday thru Thursday before 8pm.  For $23, you get ribeye, skirt steak, boneless short rib and chicken.  My friend and I opted for that and an order of the seafood mix ($9.50).  The ribeye and skirt steak were not marinated. However, we were provided with two standard “sauces” to dip in.  I believe one was sesame-based.

Tsuruhashi - Chicken and Boneless Short Rib

Tsuruhashi - Ribeye and Skirt Steak

Tsuruhashi - Shrimp

The beef had nice marbling and color.  Because the pieces weren’t big (two bites), they cooked quickly.  I recommend keeping an eye on the meat.  Otherwise, you may end up with overcooked beef and that would just be sad.  The ribeye and skirt steak were pretty tender; there definitely is a difference between grades and USDA Prime is gooood.  The short rib was a little tough and chewy, though, so that was a little disappointing.  The chicken was marinated and had good flavor.  This was a decent dish for people who want to sample a few different things or aren’t adventurous in trying the more exotic cuts like tongue.

The seafood was wonderfully fresh.  We grilled the salmon and calamari first.  The salmon was okay and really could have benefited from a marinade or even salt and pepper.  I love mussels and these were great.  The shrimp were huge.  Because they are whole, you do have to peel them.  The scallops seared quite nicely and were plump.  For the price, this was quite a good deal.

Tsuruhashi - Black Sesame Ice Cream

The amount of food we ordered was decent for a comfortable meal.  However, I was enticed by the offering of black sesame ice cream ($1.50).  Having never encountered it before, I couldn’t pass this up.  I’m so glad I ordered a scoop as this was the highlight of the meal.  It reminded me of coffee ice cream without the acidity.  Not too sweet, creamy…a perfect way to end the meal.

The Catty Critic gives Tsuruhashi 4 NOMs.

Tsuruhashi Japanese BBQ
3904 Convoy St
(between Kearny Mesa Rd & Ostrow St)
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 279-8929
http://www.tsuruhashibbq.com

Hawai’i

The husband and I just spent the last five days on the Big Island celebrating our first wedding anniversary. It’s been a great vacation and we had some good eats including a stop at Cafe 100 in Hilo and a luau at the Hilton Waikoloa where we stayed.

Stay tuned for scenic pictures and a review of some of the eats!

OC 2, LA 0 – The hunt for Messican goes on

Since I started working in Huntington Beach, I’ve discovered that there’re several hole-in-the wall Mexican places nearby.  Some of the peeps at work do a taco run on Thursdays to Taqueria Mexico.  It looked really yummy so I had to give it a try.

Well, so far this place is the closest I’ve gotten to matching what I can get in San Diego at Roberto’s/Sombrero’s/Cotixan.  While the menu isn’t as extensive as what I’m used to, the fact that I can get something resembling a decent carne asada burrito makes up for that.  They offer up tacos and burritos and you get to choose the type of filling.  Tacos offer up the usual chicken, carne asada and some more adventurous choices like beef tongue and head meat.  As for burritos, you can get meat & cheese, rice, beans & cheese, beans & cheese…well, you get the idea.  And just so you know, the beans here are pinto beans, NOT refried.  The husband was a bit miffed by this.  The thing to get here, though, is the tacos.  Carne asada, onion n’ cilantro, cheese and hot sauce form inside a little tortilla to become awesomeness in your mouth.

Taqueria Mexico is open 24hrs which is great for that late night drunken munchies.  Cuz y’know, nothing goes better with drunk than some awesome Mexican food…well, that or Denny’s.

Based on a friend’s recommendation, I also tried George’s Mexican Food.  Now this was more of what I was thinking.  The menu was extensive, offering combination platters, tortas, taquitos, etc.  Once again, I discovered that the carne asada burrito included beans (what is it with the beans?!?!?!).  I had them take it out and put in guacamole.  I also ordered a bean and cheese burrito for the husband and an order of rolled tacos with just meat and cheese.

The burritos were smaller than what we usually get down in SD joints.  The carne asada burrito was decent, about on par as the one I had at Taqueria Mexico though bonus pts for George’s for having the option of guacamole.  The only issue was the tortilla which was starting to rip in places.  The husband thought his bean n’ cheese burrito was just okay.  They got the rolled taco order wrong and gave me a taco instead.  Let me just say, this taco was a heck of a lot better than the crap we got at Tito’s Tacos.

Over all, I think if I was craving street tacos, I’d go to Taqueria Mexico.  For anything else, I’d hit up George’s…which also had breakfast burritos (OMG bacon n’ egg?).  However, they only serve them in the mornings unlike Roberto’s which offers them up 24/7.  Not quite up to San Diego standards but decent enough to satiate the cravings.

Oh yeah, George’s has a drive-thru which is convenient!

Taqueria Mexico gets 3 NOMs.

George’s Mexican Food gets 3 1/2 NOMs.

Taqueria Mexico
14022 Springdale St
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 894-5850

George’s Mexican Food
6581 Edinger Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 892-5775

Beef at The Counter – El Segundo

Since my first visit to The Counter in Marina Del Rey, the place has really grown on me.  Over the weekend, the husband and I went to the El Segundo location for dinner.

I tried their beef burger again, opting to use an English muffin as the bun and topped it with mixed greens, tomato, grilled onions, Gruyere and peppercorn sauce.  I have to say, this time around, the burger was better and tastier.  The peppercorn sauce is a real winner.  I am also a fan of the horseradish mayo.  It has a good kick to it and is a great dip for the sweet potato fries…or regular fries!  Considering I’m not a huge mayo fan, that says a lot.  I think I’ll be using the English muffin again.  It’s just the right amount of bread and the toasted state gives a nice crunch texture-wise.

I also got a shake.  I wasn’t in the mood for apple pie so I combined peanut butter and banana.  A classic combo and oh so tasty!  The peanut butter was a little heavy and masked the banana a little;  the PB hit your taste-buds first but once that went away, you could taste the banana.

I have to say, a 1/3lb burger, shake and fries is really filling.  Two burgers, an order of fries and two shakes set us back about $36 and change.  It sounds a little steep but these aren’t fast food burgers.

And as extra incentive to go visit this place, every Wednesday night, this location offers 4 slider-beer pairings for $12.  I haven’t tried this as I’m not a big beer person.  However, if they ever offer up slider-shake pairings, you can be sure I’ll be there!

Apologies for the lack of pictures but I was starving and it was either die or eat.  I chose to eat….

The Counter – El Segundo gets 4 NOMs.

The Counter
700-A Allied Way
El Segundo, CA 90245
(310) 524-9967
http://www.thecounterburger.com

Quickie

Fresh n’ Easy (Manhattan Beach location off Rosecrans) sells pre-made burger patties…but not just any regular burger patties.  BBQ Bacon Cheese!!!

The Husband grilled these up last night and they were pretty good.  They cook quite nicely – moist and flavorful.  There’s bits of bacon and cheese mixed in.

They come in 2-patty packs and aren’t very expensive.    Perfect for a couple who is enjoying the lingering summer…

The Counter revisited

I heard The Counter had a Kung Pao shrimp burger as their Burger of the Month for September.  Being genetically pre-disposed to loving Asian foods and also being a seafood lover, this sounded nommy.  Fortunately, I didn’t have to try very hard to convince the husband to go with me for lunch one day.

The Counter - Kung Pao Shrimp Burger

The Counter - Kung Pao Shrimp Burger

I guess I’m a fan of The Counter’s non-beef burgers though I keep telling myself that I will try another beef burger again.  This shrimp burger was quite tasty – grilled jumbo shrimp topped w/ a pickled cucumber salad & fried rice noodles w/ lettuce, onions & a spicy Kung Pao sauce.

There were about 5 pieces of properly cooked large shrimp, enough to register with my taste buds in every bite.  The rice noodles gave a nice crunch to the burger and the sauce actually had a little kick to it.  It was a bit messy to eat and I had to, on occasion, use a fork.  But in my opinion, a good burger is going to leave you licking your fingers.

The Shake of the Month was a chocolate brownie coffee malt – Vanilla ice cream w/ real pieces of chocolate brownie, a hint of coffee, malt powder and topped with  whipped cream.  The husband ordered one so naturally, I drank about half of it.  OMG, this could give the apple pie shake a run for its money as my favorite.  The coffee was subtle and there was a nice balance of chocolate and vanilla.

The Counter is slowly growing on me and I’m figuring out combinations that I like.  If they made the Kung Pao Shrimp burger a regular item, I’d be happy.

This visit earned The Counter an upgrade to 3 1/2 NOMs.

Read about my earlier visits.

The Counter Marina Del Rey
4786 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey CA 90292
(310) 827-8600
http://www.thecounterburger.com/

Nozomi Sushi and Teriyaki

Nozomi

When Nozomi first opened, I used to come here a lot because their sushi rolls were cheap, tasty and HUUUUGE. As my taste buds migrated to preferring nigiri, I stopped coming here.  Last week, I wandered back for dinner last night with a friend. I noticed that while they still had their mile-long list of specialty rolls and non-sushi menu, they had added an “all you can eat” sushi option for $25-ish. Starving, my friend and I chose to try it out. BIG MISTAKE. I’ve been to different sushi restaurants in San Diego that had all you can eat options and was never disappointed…till now.

Nozomi - nigiri (scallops, salmon, albacore, hamachi, tuna, unagi)

Nozomi - Rolls (Dragon and ???)

The nigiri and some of the rolls are half-portions, meaning instead of the usual two pieces of nigiri, you only get one. Not really a problem…just got to remember to mark twice as much as you wanted. The huge issue was the quality. It was like they wanted to get rid of whatever old fish they had lying around. The nigiri didn’t taste fresh at all and frankly, some of it was disgusting. The rolls were better because there were other things like sauce to mask some of that fishy flavor.

I ordered an amaebi nigiri and this was probably the most foul thing of the night. There was still a piece of shell. The flavor seemed…off and I almost spit it out. The shrimp head wasn’t fried enough either.

The quality of Nozomi seems to have gone down and yet this place was packed. Frankly, even though the rolls were still okay, after that horrible nigiri experience, I’m not sure I’m keen on coming back here.

The location in the La Jolla/UTC area (Nozomi 2) seems to still retain some sense of fish quality as only a couple of weeks before, I shared a sashimi platter with a coworker and was quite happy with it. I think I’ll stick with that location instead of the Convoy St. one. Also, there seems to be some differences in the menus between the two Nozomis.

I would have given Nozomi a higher rating before but after this visit, they only get 2 NOMs from the Catty Critic.

Nozomi
4637 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 569-7773

I love Tito’s Tacos…no I don’t

I’m still on what is turning into a never-ending quest to find a good Mexican place in LA near me.  My latest attempt landed me at Tito’s Tacos.  Some people, including LA natives, swear Tito’s is the place to go.  And they have this wonderful commercial:

When I got there, the building looked sufficiently “hole-in-the-wall”-ish and there was a line.  The set up was like a large taco stand.  You went up to a window, placed your order and sat at one of the few picnic style tables outside.  Promising…  I looked around for the menu which turned out to be a large board behind the counter with only a few listings.  Hrm…  I see “burrito” and the only options were beans, meat w/ beans and…that’s it?  What sort of meat?  Shredded beef?  No carne asada?!?!?!  Well, damn…there goes my hopes and dreams.

I ordered a meat burrito but without the beans; I’m a believer in the carne asada + guacamole + cheese + pico de gallo burrito.  None of that rice n’ beans filler stuff.  I want MEAT!   I also ordered 2 tacos for my husband, plain with just meat n’ cheese.  Since they only accept cash at Tito’s Tacos, I had to make use of the atm machine on the side of the building.   I waited for about 5 minutes before my order was called.  I paid ($9 + change) and got my food which was packaged in a box (think In-n-Out) with a cover.

Tito's Tacos

Tito's Tacos - Inside of their meat burrito sans beans

When I got home and opened up the box, I saw a fairly plump burrito, two very sad looking tacos, chips and a cup of salsa.

I didn’t try the tacos but the husband said they weren’t very good and that he would be fine if he never ate them again.  Taco Bell is better.

As for the burrito, it was stuffed full of shredded beef and some cheese but it was bland.  I kept throwing more and more Tapatio just to get some flavor.  It really was unappetizing and I had to force myself to finish it (“Thou shalt not waste food…”).  The amount of meat in it was…heavy, almost bordering on too much.  It is a filling burrito and if there was something for my taste buds to latch on to, it would have been okay.

I guess the best part of the meal were the chips which were a little stale and the very mild salsa.  I should have dumped the salsa into the burrito…

I don’t understand how people think Tito’s Tacos is great.  What am I missing?  This was probably the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had and I doubt I will return. The fact that I dished out almost $10 for it just adds salt to the wound.

For the first time ever, the Catty Critic gives out a hairball rating.

Now to convince the husband that, no, we really should move back to San Diego, if only so I can get GOOD Mexican food…

Tito’s Tacos
11222 Washington Pl
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 391-5780
http://www.titostacos.com

OKAN revisited

After my first visit, I knew I had to come back to OKAN. And bring friends. More people must know about OKAN and eat there!

On my 2nd visit, the same coworker came along and I dragged two friends with us.  Since one of them was a pescatarian, we stuck mostly with vegetarian or fish dishes.  This time around, we ordered:
- 2 Kabocha pumpkin salads
- eggplant
- Braised pork – Nagasaki style ($8.50)
- Pan-fried pork homemade dumplings ($5.50)
- Grilled Hamachi cheek ($12.50)
- Green tea tiramisu
- Pudding with black honey
We also ended up with some grilled hamachi ($8.50) because the waitress didn’t realize we wanted the cheek.

So we ended up ordering pretty much all the same stuff as last time, but it’s because it was all amazingly delicious!!

OKAN - Kabocha salad

The Kabocha pumpkin salad was as good as I remembered.  I pretty much ate almost an entire bowl on my own.  This is one of the “must order” dishes if you ever visit this restaurant.  There’s just something about the perfectly cooked kabocha paired with the crunchy cucumber and whatever seasoning they use that makes this dish magical.

OKAN - Eggplant

The next dish was the eggplant.  We attacked the bowl before I got around to taking the picture.  While it does not look appetizing, it was pretty good.  The eggplant was nicely cooked and seasoned and had a lot of flavor though the texture was mushy.  I think this may be a “special” menu item rather than a regular one as I don’t recall seeing it last time I was dining here.

OKAN - Braised pork Nagasaki style

Here’s a much better picture than in the previous post of the Braised Pork Nagasaki style.  I would consider this another “must order” dish for OKAN diners.  This really showcases how well the chef(s) at this restaurant handle red meat.  The pork is perfectly cooked; it’s got lots of flavor and is never dry.  I like how they leave a thin layer of fat as that just adds to succulence of this dish.

OKAN - Salt and green tea salt

At this point, the waitress brought us grilled yellowtail.  We had ordered the cheek but that seemed to have gotten lost.  We told her we would eat it anyways since it was already at our table but we still wanted the cheek.  The grilled yellowtail (which I apologize for failing to nab a photo of…it was a beautiful piece of fish!) came with a side of salt and green tea salt.  I didn’t think the fish needed it as it was already seasoned well and had a bit of a soy sauce-based glaze on it.  I had to try the green tea salt.  Sadly, green tea being such a mild flavor, you didn’t really taste it.

OKAN - Pan-fried pork dumplings

OKAN - Pan-fried pork dumpling filling

The homemade pan-fried pork dumplings arrived shortly after we devoured the grilled yellow tail.  These were nicely fried with a crispy bottom.  The wrapper was not sticky or chewy and the filling was moist.  As you can see, there’s quite a bit of green stuff in there.  I think that overpowered the pork a little.  Not the best dumplings I’ve had but better than some I’ve had at other places.  If these were home-made, I couldn’t tell, because they were assembled as neatly as the store bought ones.  The only thing that would convince me that this was home-made is the filling as I’ve never tasted anything quite like it.  I’m not sure what the green vegetable in it was but it had a slightly peculiar taste I was not familiar with.  I would have asked but the waitresses barely spoke English. Most of the patrons are Japanese, which, in my book, is a sure sign that OKAN serves good and authentic cuisine.

OkAN - Grilled hamachi cheek

Our hamachi cheek arrived and it was just as good as last time.  Consistency!!  The top skin was cooked to a crisp; the meat inside was moist.  And as before, this was a huge serving.  The four of us did a number on this dish but we were already getting full from the previous entrees.  One thing about OKAN is that even though you think you’re not getting a lot because the servings seem small and you’re sharing, you’re actually getting quite a lot of good food for a great price.

OKAN - Green tea tiramisu

OKAN - Pudding with black honey

This time, they had the green tea tiramisu available.  We ordered that as well as the pudding with black honey.

The green tea tiramisu suffered an assault from 4 spoons before I remembered to take a picture so the perfect square was ruined.  However, you can see the nice green tea layers and the fluffiness of the lady fingers.  This was a tasty and light dessert.  You could actually taste the green tea which was nice.  However, I think the pudding is better.  The black honey…mmmmmm. For dessert, the pudding is imperative.

Overall, this was a better meal than my first visit because we didn’t have that horrible tuna and avocado roll.  The service was spectacular as always minus the order mix-up which actually turned out to be beneficial for us because we got to eat another great dish!

OKAN gets upgraded to 5 NOMs!!!

Wa Dining OKAN
3860 Convoy St., #110
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 279-0941
http://okanus.com

Pronto’s

Work is filling up my time and school starts tomorrow for me (going back for my Master’s!).  But I didn’t want to neglect this blog…

For those in the San Diego area, specifically near Carlsbad, there is a great little family-owned deli called Pronto’s.  They sell fresh home-made pastas that are delish!  My husband and I tried the beef cannelloni last night for dinner.  Pasta sheets rolled around ground sirloin seasoned with herbs and cheese.  This was very flavorful and cooked up quite nicely.  Because I was tired and lacked ingredients, I didn’t make a sauce from scratch; I just used classic Ragu and threw in some extra garlic and Italian seasoning.  Besides, the husband likes Ragu (*sigh*).  Despite that, the cannelloni really stood out and we both enjoyed our dinner immensely.

Pronto’s stocks a variety of pastas.  I picked up a package of seafood ravioli, pumpkin ravioli, herbed gnocchi and a blue cheese ravioli that also has orange glazed pears in it.  I plan on making a sage pesto for the pumpkin ravioli.  I’ll be sure to blog about that…

Pronto’s also makes sandwiches, pretzel rolls, salads, etc.  It’s a popular place for nearby workers to go to for lunch.  I can vouch for their egg salad sandwich.  Yum yum.

They also have imported bottled wine for sale, including a blood orange mimosa that was pretty good.  Oh, and they are a bakery as well if you want something sweet.

Pronto’s
2812 Roosevelt Street
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 434-2644
http://www.prontosmarket.com/