The Counter – Marina Del Rey

Having heard of The Counter from Yelp, I finally had the chance to visit the Marina Del Rey location twice for lunch with the husband and some of his coworkers.

Based on the crowd inside, this was a pretty popular joint for the lunch crowd.  The first time, we managed to snag seats at the bar but on the 2nd visit, we had to wait about a 1/2 hr for tables to open up to accommodate our group of 8.

When you get seated, the waiter hands you a clipboard with a menu and a form.  The menu lists sides, drinks and some classic burgers and sandwiches.  The form is if you want to go the build-your-own-burger route.

First visit:

After looking over the menu, I noticed an apple pie milkshake.  SOLD!  This was an amazing milkshake.  Vanilla ice cream blended with real apples, cinnamon, graham crackers, it tasted like apple pie a la mode.  Rich, thick, creamy, this shake was everything a milkshake should be.  DELICIOUS!

Step 1 – Choose a burger.  You have a choice of various sizes of beef, turkey, veggie, and grilled chicken.  All beef burgers come cooked Medium unless specified otherwise.

Step 2 – Choose a cheese.  There’s a large selection of cheeses from Feta to jalapeño Jack to American.

Step 3 – Choose up to 4 toppings.  The list included the usual onions, lettuce and tomato but also had more exotic items like Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa and dried cranberries.  There is also a premium topping list which costs a little extra.  This includes guacamole, fried egg, bacon and chili among other things.

Step 4 – Choose a sauce.  From horseradish mayo to spicy sour cream to a sweet bbq sauce, there’s quite a large variety.

Step 5 – Choose a bun: English muffin, hamburger bun, honey wheat bun.  You an also opt to go lo-carb and have your burger served on a lettuce blend or mixed greens.

The Counter - My husband's breakfast burger

The husband did his usual – beef burger with Swiss, bacon and a fried egg on an English Muffin.  I call it his breakfast burger.  It’s actually really good but ugh, my heart always stops for a moment when I see it.  This falls very much into the “comfort food” category…not to be abused but used for those times when you need a hug via your stomach.

The Counter - my custom burger

The Counter - closeup of my burger

I opted for a 1/3 beef burger, Medium, with jalapeño Jack, lettuce, tomato and scallions, apricot sauce on a honey wheat bun.

When our burgers arrived, I had a mountain of a burger sitting in front of me.  There was no way I could pick up the entire thing and eat it so I had to cut it in half.  As you can see, the toppings all look fresh and the burger moist; however, it looks more medium-rare than medium to me.

The nice thing they do here at The Counter is serve the sauce on the side.

After my first bite, my first regret was not getting the regular bun.  The honey wheat bun was dry and the taste was akin to cardboard.  As I took more bites, pouring the apricot sauce prior, I realized that the burger itself was fairly bland.  Did they not season the patty?  When I commented on this to the husband, he agreed that his beef seemed un-seasoned to him as well.  Hrmmm…

The Counter - Fifty-Fifty

We also split an order of the “Fifty-fifty” – sweet potato fries and regular french fries.  It also comes in an onion ring variation.  The fries and sweet potato fries were both good – crispy, not overly oily.  I ate more of the regular fries for some reason even though I’m a sweet potato fanatic.  The aoli sauce in the back was really good as a dipping sauce.

Overall, the first visit wasn’t as good as I expected.  The concept is smart but the resulting  burger just wasn’t impressive.  In-n-Out has a better tasting burger, I think.  However, I would come back here for that apple pie shake any day…

My first visit to the counter receives 3 NOMs mostly for the awesome milkshake.

Second Visit:

We returned a few weeks later.  This time, I decided to stay away from the beef and go with chicken instead.  I, of course, order the apple pie milkshake again.  I also noticed that they have monthly specials – a burger of the month, a sauce of the month and a shake of the month.  The burger of the month was a lamb burger and while looked tempting, I stuck with the chicken.

This time, I went with a southwestern flair, choosing Roasted Corn and Black Bean salsa as a topping and going with a regular hamburger bun.  I have to say, this 2nd burger was a lot better than the first.  The chicken had more flavor (is that salt and pepper I taste on it?) and was moist and the salsa was delicious.  I may give the beef burger another chance but I would probably try to pick more flavorful toppings as well.

3 NOMs still for The Counter.

The Counter Marina Del Rey

4786 Admiralty Way

Marina del Rey CA 90292

(310) 827-8600

http://www.thecounterburger.com/

Memorial Day Weekend – Los Olivos

After our morning in Solvang, we decided to make the short drive over to Los Olivos.  The husband and I were told that most of the wineries in the area had their tasting rooms along the main street.  When we got there, we noticed that practically every shop along this 500yd street was a wine tasting room.  O_O  Oh dear…

Los Olivos - Cheese Plate

After a couple of hours of  tasting, it was decided that I needed to get something solid in me to counteract the effects of the wine.  Since we had plans to go to dinner, we just wanted a little nibble.  We stubbled into a little restaurant and ordered a cheese plate.  This was a nice little snack – grapes, diced dried apricots, peanuts and a variety of cheese ranging from Swiss to a mild Blue.  It was served with garlic crostinis which were absolutely addicting.  Crunchy, incredibly flavorful, I chowed down on these the most.

It was a bad thing eating so many crostinis because I was still full a couple of hours later when the other half decided it was time for dinner since everything was starting to close down in Los Olivos.

Los Olivos - Brothers Restaurant Sign

We ventured over to Brothers Restaurant at Mattie’s Tavern.  The building housing the restaurant is a historical one, having once been the stagecoach stop for the town.

We were greeted by a friendly hostess and quickly seated in a side room.  We noticed the bar area was filled with people and quite a few tables were occupied.  Guess this place is pretty popular.

At this point, I was starting to feel a little ill.  I think the combination of heat and wine hit me hard.  Nothing on the menu was appealing to me because of this and the still-full stomach (darn those yummy crostinis).  I decided something light and cool would be in order so I opted for their Chinese Chicken Salad while the husband went with the top sirloin, well-done.

Brothers Restaurant - Chinese Chicken Salad

Brothers Restaurant - Top Sirloin

While we were waiting, a plate with several breads was delivered along with butter.  There was an herb foccacia, a regular white bread and a cheese biscuit roll.  I nibbled a little bit on these and they were all good and served warm.  The cheese biscuit roll was my favorite.

Our entrees arrived and at this point, I couldn’t really do much other than rearrange pieces of lettuce on the plate.  Bummer as this salad was quite tasty looking – Napa cabbage mixed with what looked like romaine lettuce, big chunks fo chicken, black and regular sesame seeds and crispy strips of wonton all tossed in a spicy wasabi vinegarette.  Dan’s steak looked really good as well, topped with a garlic butter.  The mashed potatoes were creamy and fluffy.  The beans and peppers looked liked they were fresh (of course, my husband completely ignored them).  The steak was cooked to order; the small bite I took was well-seasoned and despite being too over-cooked for my preference (I like medium-rare/medium), was still tender and moist.

We had my salad boxed to go and later that night when I felt okay again, I chowed down on it.  When the menu stated spicy, I didn’t think much of it.  However, this salad had quite the wasabi kick to it.  I felt it in my nose…  It was too much and masked some of the flavors.  A good salad that could have been great if not for the heavy hand when it came to the spiciness.

The service was perfect and our waiter was friendly and attentive. As for the cost, it was reasonable given the quality of the food.  It’s one of those places that you go to for a “nice” meal without breaking the bank.

I give Brothers Restaurant 3 1/2 NOMs.

Brothers Restaurant at Mattei’s Tavern
2350 Railway Avenue
Los Olivos, CA 93441
(805) 688-4820
http://matteistavern.com/

Memorial Day Weekend – Solvang

On our 2nd day of vacation in the area, the husband and I decided to venture to Solvang in the morning.  Since my other half detests vegetables, he didn’t eat his breakfast quiche at our B&B, claiming it had been “tainted” and instead, drank an entire carafe of Ghiradelli hot chocolate. (facepalm)  When we reached Solvang, he was starting to get hungry so we had an early lunch.

Solvang - Clock Tower

Solvang, being a tourist destination, does not have a shortage of places to eat.  We decided to stop in at a cafe that had patio seating.  I can’t recall the name of the place but it was near the clock and was part of a little shopping center that had an ice cream shop and a sandwich shop.

Solvang - hot dog

Solvang - Heineken Dark

After perusing the menu (which contained breakfast and lunch items), the husband opted to get a hotdog with cheese and fries along with a Heineken Dark to drink.  I went with the split pea soup in a bread bowl and a mimosa.

I don’t know about the rest of you but I never put cheese on my hot dogs.  My husband is the first person I know who does this and it strikes me as odd for some reason even though, thinking about it, it makes sense.  Anyways…  This was a pretty big plump sausage, not your little wimpy store-bought Oscar Mayer wiener.  They were quite generous with the cheese as well.  The other half thoroughly enjoyed it, stating it was a good juicy hot dog.  The french fries were great – perfectly cooked to give them  a nice crispiness and not overly oily.  I can’t comment on the Heine as I’m biased against most beers.  Guinness is one of the few that I will drink.  And only from tap.

Solvang - Split Pea Soup

Solvang - Mimosa

My split pea soup was disappointing.  I was hoping that being in a Danish town, the soup would have been excellent.  I found it a little bland and grainy.  The bread bowl seemed a little stale so I barely touched it.

The mimosa, on the other hand, was just fantastic.  It possibly could be the best mimosa I’ve had so far.  The champagne to orange juice ratio was perfect for my lightweight self.  However, what really stood out was a sweet, almost honey-like flavor in it.  I asked the waitress if they add anything to their mimosas and she said it was the standard mixture – sparkling wine and OJ.  Hrmmm…

The service at this place was okay.  We were told to sit wherever but it did take a while for our waitress to finally make her way to our table to take orders.

As for cost, the prices here are inexpensive.  I believe we spent around $30-35 for the entire meal.  Would definitely have been less if we didn’t have our drinks but hey, we’re on vacation!

Looking around at other customers’ tables, a lot of people were getting breakfast entrees.  There were quite a number of omelettes that looked tasty.  There were also a number of large sandwiches.  This place also does dinner though I don’t know what is on that menu.

I give this place (if I could only remember the name…) 2 1/2 NOMs.

94th Aero Squadron

The 94th Aero Squadron is a unique restaurant in the middle of an industrial area.  The building on the outside looks like a old French farm house from the WWI era, complete with models of bi-planes and ivy climbing up the walls.  Inside, they continue the theme with old photos, coats and helmets hanging on the walls and music from the times coming from the speakers.

I guess you could say I’m a little biased towards this place since the Mister and I had our wedding reception here.  We didn’t want to hold our reception at a traditional venue (hotel ballroom) and wanted a place that had character without having to break the bank.  The 94th offered that.

Their dinner buffet option was $37-ish a head and included cake-cutting, a glass of wine with dinner, champagne/cider toast, 4 hors d’oeurves choices, 6 “salad” choices, 3 hot entree choices and 2 side dishes.  It all adds up to a lot of food.  They do add on an 18% service charge and of course, there’s the usual sales tax but given how a lot of places charge $100+/pp just for food, this was really a bargain!

The buffet ended up being really good and people were quite happy with the selection and quality.  We had a couple of vegetarians and food allergies on our guestlist but the 94th accommodated us on both with ease.   What little I ate was delicious.  While it’s not cuisine that people are going to rave about, it is good, hearty and filling food that people will be happy with and not go home hungry.

As for the bar, we were able to do an open bar for $1K for the entire time (minus the last hour – give people time to sober up).  They don’t over-price their drinks  - a Jack n’ Coke is like $5 so not only were we able to do the open bar, we didn’t have to limit selections.

The service was fantastic and we didn’t have to deal with any issues at all.

The only issue I had was with the layout which actually worked out in the end.  Because of the size of our party, we ended up having to seat guests in the side room so it sort of separated them from the main room but it did keep our more “liberal” friends from our more “conservative” family.  :D  Our friends actually liked it because it allowed them to be as rowdy as they wanted as well.

What was also nice was that there was an outdoor patio for smokers and a huge area with a duck pond for kids to run around and stay entertained.

In terms of regular dining, this place is pretty good.  I’ve been here for their lunch buffet which is alright for the price.  Some of their dishes like the salmon are a miss but there’s a lot more hits.  They are great at doing meat dishes – love the carved prime rib – but not so much on seafood.  I do recommend going earlier in their lunch hours as towards the end, you get the stuff that’s been sitting out for a while.

However, the big thing is the Sunday Champagne brunch.  For $22.95, this is a great brunch buffet.  Omlette bar, pasta bar, fresh waffles, shrimp cocktail, crab legs, mussels, eggs benedict, bacon, bread assortment and a HUGE dessert selection…yummy chocolate cake and chocolate fountain!  I do wish they carried smoked salmon as that is a staple for a brunch buffet in my book but there’s enough other stuff to keep me happy.  And they are not stingy with the champagne.  They will keep filling your glass up till you start acting drunk or tell them you are done.  There’s orange juice for mimosas as well.  It gets really busy though so I highly recommend making reservations for this, even if it’s just for a party of two.

I give 94th Aero Squadron 3 1/2 NOMs.  The food isn’t memorable but the value, service and atmosphere is.

94th Aero Squadron
8885 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 560-6771
http://www.94thaerosquadron.signonsandiego.com

Tender Greens

While the food is pretty and tasty, I just can’t get over the feeling that I overpaid for what I got. They use really good quality ingredients but the portions, especially for the meat, is a little skimpy for the price which usually ends up being around $15/pp (including tax) with a drink.

I usually get something involving the seared tuna. They always get this right and the fish is never fishy-tasting…very fresh. They have great mashed potatoes, creamy and buttery.

Even though I always enjoy my meal here, I can’t get inspired. I never have a craving for this place and we usually end up eating here because someone else makes an executive decision.

The line is usually out the door so go early or late to avoid the lunch crowd rush.

It’s a salad joint; what else am I supposed to say?  ;P

Tender Greens gets 3 NOMs.  This cat prefers to spend her money on food that’s probably not really good for her.  Wait, I think I hear my waistline complaining…

Tender Greens
9523 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 842-8300
www.tendergreensfood.com

Honey’s where it’s at for finger-licking goodness

Forget Kentucky Fried Chicken…KFC stands for Kettle Fried Chicken!  I’ve been here twice and so far, mmm mmm finger lickin’ good.

First time around, I opted for their chicken strips meal. They don’t make these until you order so be prepared to wait a while. The 2nd time around, I opted for their 2-piece meal which was served up a lot faster since the chicken pieces are already cooked and sitting under a heat lamp. The strips are super juicy and have a great crunchy coating. For chicken that’s been tanning, the 2-piece was still crispy n’ moist. I wouldn’t mind a little more kick to their batter mixture but overall, I would say these were definitely better than what you get at the Colonel’s. The fried chicken here is greasier, though, which just makes it all the more better. I mean, if you’re gonna eat fried chicken, you mind as well eat FRIED chicken, y’know?

The 2-piece meal (choice of breast, leg, thigh, drumstick…though isn’t the leg and drumstick the same? Ask them. *shrug*) comes with fries and a biscuit as well as a side of sweet pickles. It’s $8.change which is on the pricier side but considering how much food you get, it’s actually worth it.  The pieces are HUGE.  It’s hard to finish the entire thing.  For $9, you can get the 2 breasts option.  Split the fries and order an extra biscuit and you have a meal fit for 2 people.

The fries are not quite steak fries but are meatier than regular fries and are coated with a nice spice (paprika?). The biscuits here are bigger than KFC’s and are fluffy with a nicely browned exterior. Drizzle on some honey and OMG… Biscuits like how Mama used to make them.  That is, I imagine that they would be like that if I were from the South and had a “Mama” that made biscuits…  My mama makes rice instead.

They have a pump station with honey, hot sauce and secret sauce. The secret sauce seems to be a blend of sweet n’ spicy and it’s oh so good for adding a little kick to the chicken.

There’s no fountain soda service; you order bottles. They have some sort of cola, Bubble Up, grape soda…

There’s an array of other stuff on the menu including sweet potato pie.  I have yet to try anything else beyond that…yet.  Stay tuned for an update cuz I’m sure I’ll be going back there again.

Honey’s KFC gets 4 NOMs and a lot of finger-licking…and used napkins.

Honey’s Kettle Fried Chicken
9537 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 202-5453

Marmalade Cafe – El Segundo

The husband and I wandered here on Sunday for a late lunch (2pm-ish).  It was our first visit.  The place was packed but luckily there was no wait for us.

There were two menus – the regular menu and their brunch menu.  I’m notoriously bad at trying to figure out what to order when I don’t have a particular craving.  Having two menus did not help.

Our server promptly arrived and took drink orders.  Husband was feeling the need for some alcohol and asked for a Captain n’ Coke.  Strangely enough, our server came back saying that they were trying to locate their bottle of Captain hence the slowness in delivery.  But the fact that he came back and explained the wait was just one sign of the great service we got.  I never had to ask for a refill on my water; our food arrived quickly and our waiter was attentive without hovering.

The other half decided on the country fried steak and I opted for the seafood risotto.  While we were waiting, a basket of nice warm rolls arrived.  Nothing special about them other than the fact that they were warm which is great for melty buttery goodness.

The country fried steak came with mashed potatoes and a medley of squash, carrots and broccoli.  I stole a bite of everything on Husband’s plate.  The potatoes were quite rich, creamy and buttery and also skinless.  It seems like a lot of places nowadays are doing “smashed potatoes”, leaving in the skins and not really whipping it up to the right consistency.  Marmalade Cafe did it right, thankfully.  The gravy was super thick, a little too thick, I think, but was okay flavor-wise.  The chicken was a little dry for my tastes.  It was breaded with Panko crumbs which had a nice crunch and wasn’t super-saturated with oil.  As for the veggies, they were cooked perfectly; they still retained a little crunch of freshness.

The risotto was a bit disappointing.  It was too soupy and thin, almost as if they didn’t spend the time to stir it to the correct thickness.  The dish looked more like seafood and rice mixed together with a little pool of broth at the bottom of the bowl.  The broth was tasty and the flavors simple.  There was a generous amount of seafood given which was a plus.  But it wasn’t really risotto in my opinion.

The cost was a bit on the high side.  The risotto was around $20 and I think the country fried steak was around $15?  But the portions were filling and we were both stuffed with our meals.

There were many things on the menu that were tempting, especially in terms of brunch items.  I think the other half and I were happy enough with our first experience to go back again.  I just don’t think I’ll be ordering the seafood risotto again unless I’m craving shellfish.

I give Marmalade Cafe 3 NOMs.

Marmalade Cafe
2014 E Park Pl
Plaza El Segundo
El Segundo, CA 90245
(310) 648-7200
http://www.marmaladecafe.com/

Rush Street – leisurely dining

As I mentioned before in the previous post, another restaurant, Rush Street, opened in the same stretch as Gyenari.  Dan and I have stopped in here for lunch a few times since they started serving.

Rush Street is styled after the hip eateries of Chicago – serving as a restaurant and a bar hang-out.  The two-story space has a dining room and a large bar downstairs while the upstairs hosts another bar and lounge area.  The alcohol list is impressive.  The shelves are fully stocked with all the usual culprits plus some of their lesser known relatives.  The wine list offers a nice selection and as for beers, there’s an impressive array of bottled offerings as well as a few draft selections.  And their specialty cocktails…mmmm.  It’s no surprise that everytime we pass Rush Street, we see a crowd.

The food on the menu is pretty good as well.  On my first visit, I tried the white pie & truffle oil pizza.  This was delicious.  Styled after Italian pizza (I’m talking about real Italian pizza, not American), the crust was thin with a little bit of crisp to it.  Since it’s been a long time, I don’t quite remember what came on it… ricotta, spinach and instead of marinara sauce, it had pesto?  I just remember rich flavor and creamy cheese.

Dan always orders the Rush Street burger ($11) sans onion strings and veggies – just meat, cheese, bacon and sauce.  Usually, the burger is well flavored and moist though on our last trip, it was a little dry and  bland.  It comes witha a side of seasoned shoe string fries.  I love the seasoning but wish they used a fatter fry than shoe string.

I’ve tried the mac n’ cheese ($6) here, too and it was definitely one of the better ones I’ve had.  It’s listed as a side dish.  The smoked duck breast salad ($12) is a real winner.  The salad – spinach, chestnuts, dried cranberries, cherries and currants and a cider vinaigrette was delicious and flavorful.  The smoked duck breast, served sliced and on the side of the salad was cooked perfectly.  Moist and with just the right amount of fatty skin, it went really well with the components of the salad.

As for pricing, it isn’t that bad…unless you order a lot of drinks. 

I recently discovered that they started serving brunch so I will definitely have to go check that out.

Rush Street gets 4 NOMs.

Rush Street
9546 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 837-9546

http://www.rushstreetculvercity.com

Eating our way thru the Bay…area that is.

Last weekend, Dan and I went up to San Fransisco to attend the wedding of one of my good friends from high school. Lovely lovely…(^_^)…interesting even what with the fire alarms going off (not during the ceremony, thankfully)! There’s something surreal about being at a Chinese style reception and hearing the mostly-Asian crowd singing “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi at the top of their lungs.

Since this is a review blog…food review from our weekend!!! I have to apologize that I don’t have pictures of the actual food save 1 item. We did have a camera but we just were so caught up in seeing old friends and having fun that we never really broke out the camera. =/ Instead, you’ll have to make do with the pictures I found on the intarwebs.

Chili's - Chipotle Bleu Cheese Bacon Burger

Chili’s at the LAX Airport – Chipotle Bleu Cheese Bacon Burger:

What a huge burger! The chipotle added a nice subtle kick. The bleu cheese was quite potent and sometimes overpowered the burger depending on how much was in the bite. The burger patty was moist. The bacon was thick and crispy. A fantastic burger that satiated my hungry tummy. Oh and yummy crisp fries that weren’t all air. This is a 4 1/2 NOM burger.

After check-in at the beautiful Hotel Sofitel San Francisco Bay, Dan and I paid a visit to their bar. Their specialty drinks were a bit unusual, using freshly made juices and organic herbs like basil. They had an avocado martini which I did not try. Instead, I opted to go with the dark n’ stormy – fresh ginger soda and rum. Supposedly, it’s a common drink in the Caribbean. Tasty, especially if you are fan of ginger. I also tried a mango drink that I liked even better as all I could taste was the mango. Dangerous! I just wish I could remember what went into it…bitters, I think.

For breakfast, we met up with some friends at the restaurant at the hotel, Bay 223. I had the cinnamon butter french toast with a side of applewood smoked bacon ($18). Dan opted for the steak and eggs ($22). My french toast was good but I wish it had more cinnamon on it as I could barely taste it. The bacon, on the hand, was perfect – cooked to a nice crisp. I tried a bite of Dan’s steak. I prefer my meat to be cooked medium rare/medium so his well-done steak was cooked too well for me but it was still moist and tender. We had unlimited refills on orange juice and coffee was delivered in a french press. The service was impeccable. We never had to ask for anything. Though the food was good, I found the prices to be expensive for what we got.  (3 1/2 NOMs)

After the ceremony, a group of us hung out at the bar again. We ordered some fried calamari and the Mediterranean platter (hummus, tzatziki and an olive tapenade with pita bread) to nosh on while we killed time till the reception. The calamari was disappointing as the pieces were tiny and half the basket seemed to be batter flakes. The platter, however, was not. The tzatziki was not your typical kind; instead of yogurt, they used cottage cheese as the base. It was nice as it added a good texture. The olive tapenade was excellent, if you like olives. The hummus was thick and fresh; it still had a little bit of a grainy texture from the beans and a strong garlic flavor. (3 NOMs)

The reception was at Zen Peninsula, a Chinese family restaurant in Millbrae. In case some of you aren’t familiar with Chinese weddings, it’s basically one giant food fest. You are seated at a large table with a lazy susan and the waiters bring dish after dish after dish after…well, you get the idea.

Anyways, when we got there, my first impression of the place was that it was bright and clean inside. There were the usual fish tanks, nicely stocked with lobsters, prawns and various fish. They had set up an open bar in the back across from the tanks. On the other side of the room was an appetizer station dishing out vegetable egg rolls and these little buns with bbq pork…not char siu bao (steamed) but baked/fried. The egg rolls were perfectly fried – crispy and not oily. I liked the buns more – moist filling and the bun was almost cake-pastry like.

On to the entreés:
Now, not everything looked like this (the chicken wasn’t a whole one) and there weren’t as many walnuts on the shrimp dish plate. But yes, this is what we got.

Barbeque platter with suckling pig - There was a nice arrangement of various parts of the pig, thinly sliced on the plate with a side of jellyfish. On the sides were pieces of pork belly and some other part I’m not familiar with but had before. In the middle was a section of pork with the skin still on, perfectly fried to a crisp. It was all tasty and none of the meat was dry. I enjoyed the jellyfish, something I don’t get to have often. It looks a bit unappetizing (Dan described it as looking like snot), but don’t let it deter you from trying it. The texture is similar to soft cartilage and the flavor light.

Stir-fried calamari and scallops over greens - The scallops were cooked perfectly and seemed fresh – buttery texture and no fishy flavor. I don’t recall trying the calamari since I had calamari earlier. The greens were sugar snap peas. Cooked lightly, they were still crunchy which was a nice contrast to the buttery scallops.

Honey walnut prawns – This dish comprises of prawn tails cooked in a light mayo sauce and garnished with honey covered walnuts. This is a great dish to order as it’s not too exotic for those with a less adventurous palette. I am not a big fan of mayo and sometimes restaurants will be heavy-handed. In this case, the cooks were not; there was enough sauce to coat the prawns but no more than that.

Braised shark’s fin soup with shredded chicken – I had never had shark fin soup before so this was a treat. I was a little disconcerted as it’s well known, the inhumane way some fishermen harvest shark fins. But since it was served, I went ahead and tried it. The soup was thick, like syrup.  The flavor was rich, like a meaty broth that overcame the flavor of the shredded chicken pieces. As for the shark fin itself…um…I’m not sure if it is like tofu and takes on other flavors or if it was masked.

Braised sliced abalone and shitake mushroom – I am not sure if I’ve ever had abalone before. This dish comprised of a large whole shitake mushroom and a thin slice of abalone. The abalone, like other shellfish, when cooked correctly, had a buttery texture though it had a stronger flavor than scallops. As a lover of mushrooms, I thoroughly enjoyed the shitake.

Stir-fried lobster with ginger and scallion – I’m not sure what they mean by stir-fried because this dish didn’t look like what I thought. I was expecting pieces of lobster meat with chunks of ginger and scallion. Instead, whole lobsters segmented into manageable pieces showed up, heads included. Dan thought this dish was too fishy but I thought it was fine. The lobster was a little overcooked as the piece I had bordered on rubbery.

Green tea chicken – This dish involved part of a roasted chicken, skin and bone included, cleaved into segments. Moist with a nice crispy skin, I’m not sure where the green tea came in. It’s a common dish you’ll find at restaurants like this, popular among the patrons.

Honey smoke sea bass – By this point, I was full so i don’t know if that influenced my opinion of this dish. I took one bite and deemed it too fish-flavored for my liking. Given my penchant for preferring sushi as my method of consuming fish, any slight bit of fishy flavor ruins dishes like this for me.

Stir-fried E-fu noodle – A simple dish, egg-noodles stir-fried. The noodles were good, not rubbery but not undercooked either and they had a nice flavor.

Yang Chow fried rice – I was stuffed silly by the time this dish came around. Sad as it looked really appetizing. Fluffy rice fried with shrimp, minced bbq pork, and vegetables, the few bites I managed to take were delicious. I wish I could have taken this back to the hotel for a midnight snack.

Dual wedding dessert – This involved a red bean-filled pastry, a puff pastry, and wedding cupcakes (the couple went with cupcakes instead of cake). All were delicious. The cupcake I tried was the most memorable. Rich chocolate with a coffee frosting, this was moist and delectable.

Red bean dessert soup – I opted out of trying this as if I ate anymore, I would be ill.

I give this wedding feast 4 NOMs.  As for everything else about the wedding, this Catty Critic had a ton of fun and is overjoyed for the newlyweds. Hope they have a 5 NOM life together!

The next morning we headed into the city to meet up with some other friends. We rendezvoused at Pier 39 and had lunch at Eagle Cafe. I had a bite of the crab cake appetizer which was very good. The crab tasted fresh; it was nicely fried and had a rich flavor even without sauce. I ordered their famous crab salad sandwich with garlic fries. Dan went for the fried shrimp with garlic fries. Since there was a mix up (our waitress was a bit lost or overwhelmed or something), I noshed on his fries while I waited for my lunch to arrive. A lot of times, garlic fries means fries with some garlic powder. These fries had minced garlic. The fries themselves were shoestring style so they were a little too thin; steak fries would have been a better choice of cut, especially to scoop up those yummy pieces of garlic. When my food arrived, the sandwich was quite huge. The crab salad was delicious. Like the crab cake, there was fresh crab and great flavor. It wasn’t too wet which signaled to me that this wasn’t prepared too early and left to sit out. The ratio of filling to bread was great and fresh romaine and tomatoes were included.  Eagle Cafe gets 3 1/2 NOMs.

Well, that concludes the culinary aspect of our trip!

I’ve got some other reviews to catch up. We watched “No Country for Old Men” last night and are watching “The Dark Knight” on Friday (in IMAX!!) so I’ll have to post reviews for those. And I have yet to see “Hellboy 2″; we are hoping to do so sometime this weekend.

Piknic, even better than a picnic!

There’s a wonderful little restaurant in Playa Vista that my soon-to-be-husband and I like to frequent – Piknic.

We heard about this great place from a couple of friends who lived nearby. When Dan and I found ourselves trying to figure out what to do for dinner one night, we decided to try Piknic out. Boy, were we glad we did because this awesome restaurant has quickly become one of our favorites.

Dan started out with the fried calamari while I opted for the “healthier” option of the Piknic Basket salad. The fried calamari was decent, not rubbery or chewy and not too heavily breaded. The salad is something I vividly remember and highly recommend. A wonderful array of mangoes, apple, berries, sunflower seeds, Roquefort cheese, candied pecans tossed with greens and a savory balsamic vinaigrette, this salad could serve as a meal on its own. The sweet fruitiness played well with the tang of the balsamic vinegar and the nuttiness of the pecans and helped tame the very strong cheese.

For our main course, Dan, being the carnivore, opted for a well-done steak. I went with their mac n’ cheese. The steak was delicious, flavorful and cooked to order. Their mac n’ cheese is a mixture of penne with a rich cheese sauce, sausage, shrimp and chicken. It’s a very heavy dish and I could only eat half of it after the salad. As far as mac n’ cheese goes, this has to be one of the better ones, definitely NOT your Kraft or Velveeta. It certainly was cheesy but I would have preferred a little more sauce as I am an avid fan of cheese. The sausage, chicken and shrimp were a wonderful addition, making this take on a classic dish a bit more upscale and sophisticated.

Of course, we had to have dessert. The tray came around and the selection made it hard for me to choose one. Dan opted for some sort of rich chocolate concoction – a box of hardened chocolate with a ganache/mousse filling – a must for anyone who is a chocolate lover. I went with some sort of berry-licious evil that had me forcing myself to finish it despite reaching the point of bursting.

Since that first visit, we’ve returned many times, mainly for brunch. They serve breakfast only on the weekends till 2pm.

The first brunch we had there, I opted for the smoked salmon omelet. The salmon was a bit fishy so I wasn’t completely thrilled with it. However, the lox and bagel platter is something I’ve ordered several times. Simple and delicious, the salmon has a wonderful smoked flavor, the bagel perfectly toasted and with a side of a generous-sized lump of cream cheese, tomatoes, red onions and capers, this dish is a filling yet somewhat light breakfast. The lox benedict is another dish that is worth ordering for breakfast or brunch. A twist on the traditional eggs benedict, smoked salmon replaces ham and the hollandaise sauce is infused with dill. And they don’t kid around with portions. Instead of 2 benedicts, you get 3 along with a side of fruit or potatoes.

They also offer people the option of creating their own omelets, offering up less-than-common toppings such as asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, veggie sausage, goat cheese and feta along with the usual culprits.

Their pancakes are another thing to come here for. Huge, fluffy and incredibly tasty, they offer up a small variety, including lemon-blueberry and banana-chocolate chip (with or without raisins). They also have an almond-encrusted french toast which is another one of my favorite dishes.

For lunch, their burgers are savory and huge, and their sweet potato fries addictive. They also offer up wraps and a wide variety of salads.

Another item on the menu that I absolutely adore is the banana date smoothie. I order this practically every time we go there for brunch. The dates soften the strong banana flavor and is a wonderful way to get in that glass of milk in the morning.

They also feature a full bar if you want a place to go for a couple of drinks and appetizers. They have a fenced patio with a fire pit and comfortable seats that makes this place a warm location to hang out.

The Catty Critic gives Piknic 4 NOMs.

Piknic
13020 Pacific Promenade
Playa Vista, CA 90094
http://www.piknic.us
M-F 11am-11pm
Sat-Sun 8am-12pm
Price: $$ ($30-40/couple without alcohol)