Viewing entries tagged
oysters

Big Catch Seafood - Downtown Alhambra

November 15, 2016

Do you guys remember how Downtown Alhambra used to be like? It was nothing. Besides the Edwards Renaissance or Johnny Rockets, and ok from time to time Diner on Main, there was pretty much nothing to go there for. In a huge leap of a decade, it's evolved into this whole beast of, perhaps, gentrification.

There are so many new restaurants on Main street it's become the new location to hang out and mingle. Big Catch just opened their doors the past week and boy does this change up the scene. Downtown Alhambra now has an innovative restaurant that doesn't just serve great food, but also provides an amazing ambience for date nights, hang out with friends, celebratory dinners, and just a great destination to wow your families in town.

Below are a few, but not limited, of the different dishes I got to try.

Dirty Fried Rice

Truffle Sliders

New England Clam Chowder

Oysters : Around 7 oysters to pick from.

2 S Garfield Ave Ste 100 Alhambra, CA 91801

**Recommend to make reservations.

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EMC Seafood & Raw Bar - Irvine, CA

August 29, 2016

All you Los Angeles natives out there have been crazing over EMC. And if you aren't not from LA, the chances of your friends taking you hear is pretty high. Just like the poke craze, ice cream donuts, and even F'ing churros, you know have tons of restaurants serving up their own raw bar. EMC was one of those top hitters that made it popping first with their location in K-town. It's like 10PM and my friends would still want to head out for Happy Hour. Well wait no more because they also have one open in Irvine. I'm not sure how long the wait can get considering how packed the location in K-Town gets, but those of you that huddles in one car for this, that live out of LA can worry no more.

14346 Culver Dr, Irvine, CA 92604

Best part yet is that they are conveniently right off the 5 on Culver. Not even a mile off the exit to find yourself the grand restaurant waiting for you to devour everything they have.

And they have a lot:

Lobsters are still alive. Oysters are still shut. Sea Urchins just laying there, looking dead, but you know they are hella alive and waiting to be popped out of their shell. Whole f'ing branzinos. I can go on and on, but it won't be fair for me to relive this moment at home.

Crispy Garlic Brussels Sprouts. I know. Before you start talking about how I am ranting about the seafood, and I start showing you a bowl of sprouts. Because these were so delicious! Just so perfectly cooked and extremely flavorful. And, I am a huge advocate about having some kind of greens with your meal. Like a big steak with a piece of broccoli. That good balance talk, you feelin' me?

We had 1/2 a dozen of Kumamoto oysters and 1/2 of Kusshi. Fresh, sweet, perfectly shucked, with cocktail sauce and jalapeno lime. Always a must order.

I know. Here I go again. Now, what the F does fries have to do with anything? These are fries with truffle mushroom aioli. Like shut the front door who the hell comes up with this stuff? That garlic you see right THERE is some good umami-mouth-gasm right there. Fried so crispy with soft centers, ooooo that just gets me right here *points at my heart*. And for the record, it's on the starters menu so it ain't no side dish psssshhh (I literally did the hair whip).

The glorious Uni pasta. Also, that one Uni pasta that everyone talks about. It really does live up to the rave. The spaghetti was perfectly cooked and coated in a cream, Fish Roe, Chives, and Dried Seaweed concoction. The fish roe did it for me. I love-love-loved the texture that it gave the noodles.

If this is the only thing you came here for, by all means do it. If you want to eat a lot of other items, make sure you get this to share. It's a heavy dish even though a delicious one.

Toro Toro Roll - Ground yellowtail and albacore belly inside, topped with chu toro and caviar on top. The kind of fishes you want to eat simply. A touch of wasabi and soy sauce to compliment the fattiness of the fishes. Cleanse your palate with some ginger after before headed for your next bite.

Lobster roll definitely winning. Served with a slice of lemon and melted butter. I am sensitive to butter. Makes me really tired if I have too much so I just use a tad. But what's really a tad when it's melted? Feels like you can easily pour the whole thing on, no regrets. The lobster is cooked in Tarragon Butter, Sea Salt, and stuffed inside a Brioche Bun. Thumbs up for the flavor combo.

We also ordered their black pepper filet mignon to those allergic to seafood. Delicious, tender, and perfect with the bowl of rice it comes with. We also had their crispy pepper calamari that's served with spicy aioli shown below:

14346 Culver Dr, Irvine, CA 92604

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Magnolia House - Pasadena

June 27, 2016

When people say Pasadena, the first thing I really think of is Old Town. It's until recently the past few years that people are starting to reach their endeavors elsewhere. The Paseo has really become that place along with the few around Colorado and El Molino. But to go even further, you now have Lake Ave booming with new restaurants and concepts. From Sunlife's Acai Bowls, to Sugar Fish by Chef Nozawa, you have classic old school fine dining like Smitty's and not so long ago Del Friscos that just made it's way on Lake about a year ago.

With that said, there's Magnolia House. It's tucked away on the corner of Lake and California. It's a great hang out spot for the local workaholics to get away after a dysfunctional 8-5. Trust me, I know a few.

Magnolia House launched a few cocktails that will sure help you escape the monotonous cycle of the case we call Monday's. But I like to just accept the fact that I will use any excuse to grab a drink.

I'm not a cocktail person, but I will honestly say I enjoyed each and every one of these sippers. I've been drinking old fashions pretty consistently lately as my beverage of choice. I would easily pick any one of these, especially a hot humid day like the ones we've been facing in LA.

These finger licking wings are available for Happy Hour. For $6, you get 3 pieces, fried and doused in Korean sweet and spicy sauce with a side of pickled chili cucumbers.

Beer Cheese sauce with vegetarian toppings. Vegetarians are safe as this contains no meat.

Local yellowtail, yuzu vinaigrette, Pickled red onions and micro shiso. Would love more citrus kick from the yuzu, but the portions of the yellowtail were generous and lump-sum. On the Happy Hour for $9, you get 3. Loved these bites.

The sweet onions are, obviously, caramelized and mixed with smoked gouda. Fried and served with a dipping sauce of greed goddess. Sounds pretty amazeballs to me. Happy Hour, $5 you get 3.

You can always find fresh oysters here as well. 6 for $16 (not on Happy Hour) served with mignonette, horseradish, and cocktail sauce. Get your afrodisiac on. It's always a great topic for conversation. Haha..

I say yes to everything pork belly. Don't even ask me. They use a heritage duroc pork served with cherry puree, pickled lady apple, frisee, and french breakfast radish. The pork was briny from the cure, but that fat is just melt in your mouth stuck in the back of your neck goodness. Paired nicely with the cherry puree, apples, radishes, frisee, basically everything to cut down the richness of the fat.

The brussells sprouts are cooked down with smoked bacon and tossed with a cilantro pistachio pesto. Topped off with a fried egg with Pecorino shavings. All vegetables need to be eaten this way.

Yup, you should plan your next happy hour accordingly. Remember to invite me when you do. Every excuse to drink remember? Happy grubs!

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Anchor Hitch - Mission Viejo

May 31, 2016

I know. Mission Viejo is more than just a drive for a LA native like me, but there isn't any opportunities I would miss to be able to try new things. When I think of Mission Viejo, I think of this location as a pit stop on my way to San Diego. And honestly, I don't really know what's in Mission Viejo. I was fortunate to taste a few items on the menu of Anchor Hitch during their soft opening. Coming from Santa Monica, the drive took literally 2 hours. And yes, it's far. If you are passing this way, I would recommend you stop by for their hot and cold seafood tower. I love raw seafood, but there's something extremely satisfying about cooked shellfish I would rather prefer. And if you are coming just for this, I would suggest renting a hotel nearby to crash. So lets eat up and drink up.

27741 Crown Valley Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA 92691

The cocktail that was recommended for the night was the Apple Martini.

Their version of Apple Martini was made with whiskey. This was quite delicious. If you think about Washington Apples, this was a much subtle version of the sweet cocktail we all love. The granny smith apples does give it a slight pucker. This will be a great cocktail for summer.

The hot seafood is composed of prawns, maine lobster, and king crab. The cold seafood consisted of oysters, clams, and a scallop carpaccio.

The maine lobsters were outrageous. I knew there was something good going on with the stuffed head. That char and crispy bread crumbs. The head fat was scooped out and mixed with some sweet potato hash.

The crabs and prawns were also deliciously charred where their shells became brittle. Squeeze on some grilled lemons for zip.

Scallop Carpaccio is served with creme fraiche, edible flowers, shiitake mushrooms and a yuzu vinaigrette. Light, sweet and refreshing.

Oysters and clams are just as you would expect from a fresh seafood raw bar. This tower is great to share for 2 or 3-4 if you want this as an appetizer.

I can never get enough of Uni Pasta. No matter where I go, if it's on the menu, it's pretty irresistible. Creamy with little crunchy rice balls for texture. Served up with an over easy egg and a heaping of nori. Delicious.

If you have the stomach, lookout for their Tomahawk rib eye steak. The one you see above is their charcoal grilled rib eye steak with tempura green beans. Served with Chimichurri and a soy based sauce. The steak was cooked medium rare with a beautiful sear. I prefer the tempura batter to be lighter, but still tasty overall.

For dessert, these blueberry donuts will definitely make you come back even if you don't want to. Hot and crispy with a soft fluffy inside, scoop this with the sweet butter cream made with blueberries (or was it raspberry?) doesn't matter it was DELICIOUS. I'm not a sweet(s) person, but these are freaking addicting.

The restaurant is located inside The Union.

27741 Crown Valley Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA 92691

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C.O.D Restaurant - Seafood & Raw Bar - Beverly Hills

May 24, 2016

8408 W. 3rd Street Los Angeles, CA 90048 — 8408 W. 3rd Street Los Angeles, CA 90048

C.O.D hasn't quite officially opened yet. They are still undergoing their soft opening which means open to service. Fortunately, most of the menu items were available with some added additions not on the menu. The added additions are normally chilling with the others at the raw bar. It wasn't long before our tasting started. My drink of choice was a glass of red wine.

These were incredibly fresh and creamy. These were plump, sweet and had a slight lingering faint mineral taste. It was pretty much how it was described on the menu.

What I fell in love about C.O.D is the amount of items they had on their menu. You didn't just get seafood, but there were also other items like braised beef cheeks. See the whole spread below:

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice

Lobster Roll

Crispy Pork Belly

Tuna Poke

Braised Beef Cheeks

Uni Pasta

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Sweet Purple Yams

I was a huge fan of everything you see. Just to dance around the food, the spicy tuna crispy rice wasn't too spicy, but the rice was perfectly crispy with a nice soft chew from the rice. I'm not a fan of overly crispy rice cakes. This was nice and crispy on the outside and hot and fluffy on the inside.

I also loved the crispy pork belly. It was actually one of the favorites on the menu. I recommend ordering a beer to wash this done. It's sharable, but do you really want to? It's fine if you want to try a bunch of other dishes. This is a definite must order. The lobster roll was also extremely freakishly delicious. The lobster was perfectly cooked and jammed packed into a nicely crusted brioche bun. There's nothing better.

Then you have entrees like Braised Beef cheeks served over a creamy quinoa. This was definitely $$$$ quality and NOT something I would expect to find here. So delicious. I've never had quinoa prepared like the way it did here. Very decadent and definitely the show stopper. The uni pasta was also very unique. They use a nori fettucinni which causes the green color. The sauce had mentaiko folded in which is a very classic Japanese tradition used in some pasta dishes. The uni pasta also had truffle, but not over powering. Amazing subtle and friendly to the not so uni friendly crowds.

The desserts were rich and full of flavor. They will be getting coffee soon which will be great to get a jolt of pick me up.

Highly recommend C.O.D if you are looking for a place to dine. Beer, wine and sake are available. I believe a full liquor license will be on its way.

8408 W. 3rd Street Los Angeles, CA 90048

Cheers!

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Wine & Dine

Big Catch Seafood - Downtown Alhambra

EMC Seafood & Raw Bar - Irvine, CA

Magnolia House - Pasadena

Anchor Hitch - Mission Viejo

C.O.D Restaurant - Seafood & Raw Bar - Beverly Hills