The Best In Town (Saga Japanese Cuisine, Monterey Park)

Hands down... No Contest... Absolutely the Best in Town. Well... the best hirekatsu (filet portion of pork cutlet) in town at least. For those people who are familiar with Japanese food, hirekatsu is basically the same as tonkatsu (pork cutlet), but it usually comes in smaller portions and is much more tender. So tender that there is no need for a knife. Just bite into it and enjoy. The menu here at Saga Japanese Cuisine is limited as well as the seating. At first thought, I wished that they had a more diverse menu, but soon realized that it is much better this way. This is what makes this restaurant special. They don't have much on the menu, but what they do have, they do really good! Everything from the hirekatsu, tempura, sukiyaki, and from what I hear, the butter salmon, is excellent. My sister raves about their butter salmon. She swears that its the best salmon. The hirekatsu is so crispy, light, and tender. Most other restaurants that make a tonkatsu, make it crunchy but it tends to be heavy and greasy. Saga Japanese Cuisine really knows how to deep fry. Their dishes are all light and crispy. The sukiyaki is also one of the best that I've tasted, besides eating at home. Especially when my father was alive. My father's sukiyaki was the best. Even years after he has passed away, we still talk about it. Most dinners come with a Chawan-Mushi (steamed egg custard), entree, and some sort of dessert. Although I don't like the chawan-mushi, everyone says that Saga makes a real good one. As far as their desserts go, I could take it or leave it.

Sukiyaki

Hirekatsu

Saga Japanese Cuisine
122 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA
626-282-9829

Delizioso !!! (Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles)

Simply put... Delizioso !!! Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton's restaurant Osteria Mozza was absolutely fantastic. Having just been to Mario's other restaurant Babbo in New York, it made me want to compare restaurants and the perfect time had arose. It was "Mrs. Gohan" and my 10 year anniversary. I can't believe that it has been 10 years already. What a way to celebrate such a milestone!
Walking into the restaurant, the aroma was mouth watering and expectations soon began to make my stomach growl. My initial impressions of Osteria Mozza was that it was much smaller than I had envisioned. If there was any correlation of the mood of the patrons and the food, I knew that we would be in for a treat. Similar to Babbo, the noise level was definitely boisterous. The obvious visual difference between the two restaurants, besides the fact that one is in New York and the other in L.A., was the style of the decor. Babbo had more of homey feel where Osteria Mozza was definitely more contemporary.
We did not have high expectations of Osteria Mozza since we had just been to the renowned restaurant Babbo in New York. We figured that Osteria would not even come close to Babbo but, we were pleasantly surprised. After reviewing the menu we were tempted to order off of the menu, but we stuck to our original plan and ordered the pasta tasting menu along with the wine pairing. Come to think of it, there was really no other choice. Since we ordered the pasta tasting menu at Babbo, it only made sense to also try it here at Osteria so that we could compare the two restaurants.

Amuse Bouche

After our deliberation, we couldn't wait for the food to come out. The waiter first brought us the Amuse Bouche, which was a bruschetta with ricotta, olive tapenade, and basil which was very good and made me more anxious for the tasting menu to start. Sitting there I couldn't help but think of what was about to come. When the first course came, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. The Farfalle with green garlic, fave e noci , did not have the Wow factor that I was expecting from a Mario Batali restaurant. By no means was this course a bad dish, aucontraire, it was delicious, but it just did not WOW me. The second course of the pasta tasting menu was a deviation from what was listed on the menu. The second course was supposed to be a mussel and saffron dish. We had asked the waiter if we could make a substitution because we don't like mussels, so the waiter said that he would just tell the chef that we were allergic to seafood. Exactly what I was thinking of doing, I just didn't have the cojones to do so. The second course ended up being the Butternut Squash Mezzalune with Amaretti. This dish was delightful. The pasta was perfectly cooked and had just the right amount of sweetness. The third dish which was the Tortellini burro di Luigi Guffanti e Parmigiano was absolutely devine! The filling in the pasta was what the waiter explained to me as a gourmet type of bologna. It was ground up chicken and pork wrapped up in the Tortellini. Although I felt that the waiter could have come up with a better analogy, simply put, you could call it what ever you would like and it would still kick ass. The fourth course was the Francobolli di Brasato with passato di pomodoro. These were absolutely delicious. Basically, this dish was a type of ravioli stuffed with a savory short rib served with a pomodoro sauce. Babbo and Osteria both serve a pomodoro pasta dish, but I felt that the one here at Osteria was much better, although 'Mrs. Gohan' disagrees. The fifth savory course was the Pici with wild boar ragu which was my favorite dish of the night. Just the thought of wild boar conjures up feelings of repulsion, but this dish was anything but repulsive. All in all, the savory dishes were absolutely delicious and lived up to all the hype. In my opinion, the dishes got progressively better as the night progressed, but 'Mrs. Gohan' and I both agree that the savory dishes were slightly better at Mario's restaurant Babbo in New York.

Farfalle with green garlic, fave e noci

Butternut Squash Mezzalune with Amaretti

Tortellini, burro di Luigi Guffanti e Parmigiano

Francobolli di Brasato with passato di pomodoro

Pici with wild boar ragu

As far as desserts go.... There is no question. Hands down Osteria Mozza was far superior! The first dessert course was Gelatina di Frutta della Passione e Sorbetto di Mandarina. It was a passion fruit gelatin served with a mandarin sorbet. The passion fruit gelatin portion of this dessert was one of the most tart desserts I've tasted in a long time. Just thinking about this dessert makes my mouth water. The sweetness of the mandarin sorbet perfectly counter balanced this dessert. It was Very Good! The last dessert was definitely a perfect ending to a perfect night. Cannelloni di Gelati, yogurt, pistachio & espresso. The trio of cannelloni was absolutely perfect. The outer crust seemed like a fried wonton skin which was perfectly crisp and the inside gelato was was simply devine. My favorites was the yogurt and pistachio. Although I totally thought that I would've like the espresso better. I could have eaten those all night if I wasn't so stuffed and buzzed from all the wine.

Gelatina di Frutta della Passione e Sorbetto di Mandarina

Cannelloni di Gelati, yogurt, pistachio & espresso

The comparison between Babbo and Osteria will be debated, but I feel that they are both unique in their own way. Babbo's pasta dishes were better but Osteria's desserts were better. Either way you can't go wrong! Our 10 year Anniversary was a very special occasion and I was glad that we got to eat a terrific meal to help celebrate the special day. I can't wait for the next special Anniversary. All in all, Osteria Mozza was everything that I had hoped for. Despite hearing some stories that Osteria was over hyped and not worth the wait or money, we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. What could be better? Spending time with a special person that you love on a special day eating terrific food. I couldn't ask for more.



Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA. 90038
323-297-0100

Eat and get your tires fixed? (Noodle Planet, Monterey Park)

How many places can you have new tires installed on your car while you are next door eating? Another local eatery that I love to dine at... Noodle Planet. I don't know what it is, but I crave the food here so much that I feel like eating here every week. We'd probably eat here every weekend if it wasn't for the Mrs. not wanting to eat at the same place every weekend. Thank God someone has some sense.

Don't let the location of this place fool you though... It amazes me how busy they are considering the location. The brave souls that get beyond their reservations of eating next to a tire shop will be pleasantly rewarded with savory dishes. The concept of Noodle Planet is very simple. They serve noodle dishes from all over Asia. If you are in the mood for either Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, or all of the above, Noodle Planet has what you are looking for. I've tried many different dishes here and I have yet to be disappointed. But my favorite dish has to be the Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles and the Chicken Fried Rice. The Hong Kong Pan Fried Noodles is served with beef, bean sprouts, and Chinese broccoli, stir fried with a type of soy sauce. This dish is absolutely delicious. I always add one my favorite sauces, Sriracha, to add that extra kick. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. The Chicken Fried Rice is also delicious. The main reason I order this dish is because its a rice dish. Like my blog's namesake "Mr. Gohan" I love rice and I can't go without eating rice especially with Asian food. Noodle Planet does a very job at serving good food despite their location.

Chicken Fried Rice

Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles

Noodle Planet
1935 S. Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA
323-881-9898

Quaint & Charming! (Briganti, South Pasadena)

Quaint and charming feel with big dollar taste. In the beautiful small town of South Pasadena, Briganti serves up fabulous Italian fare. While many people complain of the service here, I have yet to have a bad experience. The owner and waiters are always pleasant and food is always excellent. What else could one ask for?

The owner of Briganti tells it like it is. One would expect to have a generic answer to what has to be one of the most asked questions in restaurants.... "how is this dish?" or "which dish is better?" Most waiters or owners will generally become politician-like and not take a stand, but Ignazio Mastromatteo does not hesitate to steer you in the right direction. Every time I come here, I'm torn between two dishes. And every time the owner will tell me which one is the better dish. And as of now, he's hit a home run every time. This past time that the Mrs. and I went to Briganti, we ordered the Rigatoni Amatriciana and the Fettuccine Bolognese. The Rigatoni Amatriciana is a rigatoni served in tomato based sauce with onions and pancetta. The rigatoni was al dente and the flavor of the pancetta is what made this dish, although it was a tad bit too salty. The Fettuccine Bolognese was also excellent. There was something about this dish that made it feel like a good old homemade meat sauce. I really enjoyed this dish. For dessert, we ordered the Pere Cotte al Vino Rosso (poached pear served in a red wine sauce served with a vanilla gelato) and the standard Tiramisu. Both of the desserts were excellent! For the charming feel, proximity to my home, and reasonable prices, Briganti has quickly become one of my favorite Italian restaurants. Briganti is excellent anytime of the year, but in my opinion, the best time to go is when truffles are in season. Briganti offers an excellent truffle menu for a very reasonable price and should not be missed.

Rigatoni Amatriciana

Fettucine Bolognese

Perre Cotte al Vino Rosso

Tiramisu

Briganti
1423 Mission Street

South Pasadena, CA

626-441-4663

Rolling the Dice (Foo Foo Tei, Monterey Park)

There is hardly an occasion where I crave ramen, but when I do, I like to get my fix at Foo Foo Tei in Monterey Park. You see, I am not the type of person that's going to drive very far to go eat ramen. I much rather go somewhere local to get my fix. Years ago, I actually lived in Tenri city in Japan for a short period. In Tenri there were a couple of places that only opened late at night that served GREAT ramen. Tenri is famous for a ramen called sutamina ramen. This was the only ramen to date that I'd actually walk miles to eat. Ever since then, I really haven't had a ramen that I feel that's worth the drive. That's the reason why I like to go Foo Foo Tei. Another thing I like about Foo Foo Tei is the variety of other dishes I could order along with my ramen. For the most part the food here is pretty decent. Their katsu curry (pork cutlet curry), mabo tofu (spicy tofu and pork dish), chicken wings, and gyoza (dumplings) are all pretty good. If I had my choice I'd much rather eat ramen at places like Koraku or Orochon in Little Tokyo or Hakata Ramen in Rosemead, but the convenience of Foo Foo Tei makes this place more enticing. Eating here is like rolling the dice. You never really know what you're going to get. For the most part it is pretty consistent and occasionally really good. But the last time I was here, I rolled the dice and crapped out. I ordered the mini katsu-don (pork cutlet rice bowl) and miso ramen. The katsu-don was just okay, but my miso ramen was terrible. The noodles were over cooked and soggy and the soup was lifeless. Luckily for my wife, her yasai ramen (vegetable ramen) was decent. Will I come back and try my luck? For the fact that it is really convenient and that I had many good meals here, I think I could forgive them this time.

Foo-Foo-Tei
750 S. Atlantic Blvd.

Monterey Park, CA

626-588-2010

Take me out to the ball game (Dodger Stadium)

"Mrs. Gohan" was able to buy Dodgers tickets from her work, so we decided to go and enjoy an evening at the ball park. But what an ordeal! The Dodgers game started at 7:45pm on a Friday night. Mind you, I only live about 20minutes away from Dodger Stadium. We left at 7:00pm and it took us about TWO HOURS to get there. The parking at Dodger Stadium is a complete nightmare. I could not believe it. But it didn't stop there. Before we sat down, we decided to get some food first. We were not only here to see the game, we were also here to eat some Dodger Dogs. That too was an ordeal! It took over THIRTY minutes just to get our food. By the time we sat down it was around 9:30pm and we missed half the game! Unbelievable. I was so frustrated! Another thing that frustrated me that night was the fact that my favorite team, The Lakers, were playing one of the biggest games of the season that night, and I had to be here waiting and waiting and waiting. On top of that, the food like any other sporting event is expensive. I don't mind paying for the food, but when I have to wait that long just for a hot dog. Forget it! I was literally sweating with frustration. As far the Dodger Dog is concerned, it was just OK. It might have been better, but I just couldn't get over all the frustration. Even writing about this is making my blood pressure rise. I hope the next time I go to a Dodgers game it will be better.

Dodger Stadium

1000 Elysian Park Avenue

Los Angeles, CA

Aloha! (Roy's, Downtown LA)

Chef Roy Yamaguchi is considered to be one of the pioneers in Pacific Rim fusion cuisine. As a child, I was fortunate enough to dine at his first restaurant which was called 385 North in Beverly Hills. Although I don't remember much. I've been to several of Roy's Restaurants, but I've never been to the one closest to me. I've dined at Roy's in Waikoloa on the Big Island of Hawaii and the one in Pebble Beach California, and finally the Downtown Los Angeles location. Recently, my wife received an email informing us that Roy's was celebrating their 20th Anniversary and they were having a special dinner menu. The menu was celebrating some of the original dishes from the past that has made Roy's famous. It was a four course dinner with a wine pairing. And the price tag for this dinner was pretty reasonable at $75. Because the dinner did not include one of my favorite desserts, we opted to order the set menu along with other dishes too. This way we were to able sample even more dishes. As far as the atmosphere, I was surprised to see how big it was. And the majority of the people seemed to be the after work crowd. On a side note, not that I consider Roy's to be a super fancy establishment, but I was surprised to see a few people dressed really casually in baseball caps, T-shirts, and jeans. Not that it bothered me or anything, it just caught me off guard. Overall, the food here was just as good as all my previous experiences at a Roy's Restaurant. The service was very friendly and the food was excellent.

The anniversary menu consisted of a crispy shrimp spring roll served with a sweet and sour black bean dragon sauce. These were very scrumptious. It had nice contrast between the crispiness of the fried spring roll skin and the tenderness of the shrimp and the balance of the sweet and sour sauce. The second dish was the Japanese braised short rib cassoulet. The short ribs were so delectable. Tender as can be. In typical fashion, Roy's Restaurant displays their uniqueness by serving the short ribs with a salsa on top. One wouldn't think that salsa would go together with a Japanese styled braised short rib, but it melded perfectly together. The last of the entrees was the Hakone-style seared Hawaiian Ono. This dish was a perfect end to the entree portion of the set menu. This dish was definitely on the lighter side. The warm macadamia nut tart for dessert very delicious, but not my favorite dessert served at Roy's Restaurant. For this particular reason we composed our own three course tasting menu.

Crispy Shrimp Spring Roll

Japanese Braised Short Rib Cassoulet

Hakone-Style Hawaiian Ono

Warm Macadamia Nut Tart

As far as our own three course dinner creation. We started off by ordering the Crunchy Golden Lobster Potstickers served with a spicy togarashi (Japanese spice) miso butter sauce. These were absolutely delicious. The potstickers were perfectly crunchy and tasty, although it didn't seem like there was any lobster in the filling. The filling of the potstickers tasted more like a pork potsticker. I hope they weren't trying to rip me off. For the main course, we ordered the Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish. This has got to be my all time favorite dish at Roy's Restaurant. The misoyaki butterfish is cooked perfectly and seems to melt in your mouth. The delicate sweetness of the miso blends perfectly with butterfish. This dish is pure perfection! And to top this all off we ordered the Chocolate Souffle. Which is also my favorite! After waiting quite awhile, our waiter informed us that they were having problems with the souffles breaking and that it was going to be an additional wait. In the meantime, our waiter brought us a Panna Cotta on the house. Although this was good, we were here to eat the souffle. After our bellies were already full, the souffle arrived. And it was definitely worth the wait.

Crunchy Lobster Potstickers

Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish

Bonus Dessert!!! (Panna Cotta)

Chocolate Souffle

Roy's Restaurant

800 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA
213-488-4994