L & E Oyster Bar for a non doggy related silverlake experience

you don't have to be a four legged pooch or a skinny jean wearing hipster to enjoy the stroll down silverlake blvd towards the dog park. in my opinion, the neighborhood around the reservoir and the poochy playground is THE gem of silverlake. come on, what isn't there to love about doggy friendly facilities, a meadow for kite flying and picnic enthusiasts, a basketball court for the next up and coming jeremy lin, and just an overall chillaxing environment for walkers, runners, and people watchers alike. BUT if you catch your belly grumbling as you strut your stuff in the area, then you may find yourself wrestling with limited dining choices. let's see, there's lamill, reservoir, leela thai restaurant, and if you're desperate, 7-eleven for their hot dogs and a slurpee. not a lot to choose from unless you want to drive out of bounds that is.

however, dustin lancaster and matt kaner of bar covell recently gave the neighborhood a 5th option, L & E Oyster Bar, an oyster haven for those of you who like it raw....and in a shell....and on ice. methinks not a bad choice following your 7-11 slurpee appetizer.

they have a nice wine and beer menu which covers the basics so unless you're looking for very specific libations, i'm sure you can find something tasty to sip on while you're there. i settled on the lambrusco ($11) which had sweet, fruity notes with a slight fizz to the tongue while my sister settled for a glass of cold abita ($6).

the meal started with complimentary sweetened hush puppies with whole corn kernels nestled inside.

then we moved on to the daily dozen ($28) which is a must order when you're here. you get 3 types of oysters at 4 oysters each for a total of 12. if you were a third grader, i would explain, 3 groups of 4 oysters equals 12. 3 x 4= 12 but divided by 2 big mouths equals zero. you get my point yah? the oyster selection varies daily and that night, our daily three were the kumiai ($2/per), shigoku ($3/per), and my favorite, the marin miyagi ($2.50/per) which was nice and meaty. the oysters were served with cocktail sauce, "vinegar," and horseradish shavings. man they were good!

we also ordered grilled oysters, the rockefeller ($12), which was hefty in flavors. the ricard, bloomsdale spinach, lemon zest, and cream weighed down the oyster, but was still fetching in taste. obviously, if you're an oyster purist, you may want to stay away from these oyster renditions which does a great job in masking its oystery essence.

the cajun crawfish pie ($15) with itty bitty bits of crawfish tail was pretty to look at but awfully sweet and not at all spicy. i definitely wouldn't order this again and i highly suggest that you don't either unless you enjoy living regrettable moments.

the fries with aioli ($6) was yummy, as all fries are meant to be. thin, crispy, with slivers of fried garlic nestled in a tuberous mound makes it great nibbling fodder for all nibblers.

overall, my oyster eating experience at L & E was positive. i think the oysters are absolutely fresh and tasty and i will most certainly come back for more. i do, however, think they need to step up their dinner menu so they can offer their patrons a more complete dining experience unless sucking down oysters is all you need to eat for dinner. due to the limited space, they are also over eager with turning tables which may or may not bother you especially if you're trying to woo a lady and need a few more minutes to hit a homerun. anyways, come here and have a glass of wine and order the daily dozen and then head off to dinner somewhere else...that would be my game plan.

L & E Oyster Bar
1637 Silver Lake Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 660-2255
http://www.leoysterbar.com/

price: $$$
verdict: tasty, try it!

the magical number that brought me to providence

here's a few facts about the number 40. it's an even number. if you double 20 then you will see 40 again. if you get your speedometer up to 40 on a residential street, then a speeding ticket you will make. and lastly, if you're my dear friend eric, turning 40 will get you to....

if done right, turning 40 can be an elegant celebration indeed. one willed into reality by celebratory thoughts and a unanimous love for great food and great company. as i sat there peering at all the folks that came to celebrate our friend eric's 40th birthday, i thought, "you really picked a good one my friend. providence is infamous for its divine intervention to the tongue."

then i sat back, mesmerized by the tea light nestled in the beaded sea anemone and waited for the rebirth of my taste buds a la providence style.

the celebratory night started off with an asian pear cocktail. fruity, sweet, and smooth, i felt the spiked pear juice wiggle itself down to the core of my belly and subsequently warmed me through and through.

the bread basket that was then circulated amongst us was overfloweth with all manners of carbs. though challenging to narrow down the options, it really wasn't.

you ALWAYS pick bacon, and bacon it was. tiny flecks of porky bits dotted this rather delicious bacon roll that went straight into my mouth.

the amuse-bouches of the night included a yummy foursome; a petite rectangle of icy mojito, spherified greyhound, a cheesy gougere, and last but not least, a shot glass of cured trout with lemon jelly.

edible gold flecks dotted the cured trout for a decadent touch.

the first course of the night was the japanese kanpachi. crispy rice crackers gave each bite texture while the soy creme fraiche with pickled endives added tartness to the fish. delicious, fresh, and craveable.

the second course was bobby's block island sea scallops with buckwheat, dashi, and nappa cabbage. the perfectly cooked, sweet centered scallop was deliciously bathed in a savory dashi foam bubble bath.

the third course was the wild alaskan halibut with fresh cranberry beans, meyer lemon, red pepper, and mussels. i really enjoyed the burst of acid from the meyer lemon as the flavors interplayed with the subdued flaky fleshed fish.

the fourth course was the sous-vide veal tenderloin with tahitian squash and broccolini. the veal was wonderfully tender and melted in your mouth as one would expect from meat prepared in this manner. the crispy veggies were addictive as well.

the night could not end without a cheese plate which was an addition to our five course tasting menu. we had a compilation of muenster reserve cheese, an award winning blue cheese, black truffle cheese, artisanal goat cheese amongst many others. take that lactose intolerance! who says asian folks can't eat dairy?!

my belly was stuffed at this point...but a plate of well crafted cheeses i cannot resist....

the fifth and last course was the banana bread pudding and barley ice cream. i really enjoyed the tart coating over the banana and the bread pudding was the perfect size to indulge your sweet tooth.

the mignardises of the night included cubes of elderflower jelly, chocolate macarons, and hand crafted chocolate marshmellows. i.was.stuffed.

and that concluded our two michelin star rated gustatory experience with our three michelin star rated friend. happy slappy birthday eric! here's to many, many more!

-five course tasting menu is $65/$100 with wine pairing (october deal. follow them on twitter for updates)
-full tasting menu is $110/$165 with wine pairing
-chef's menu is $160/$245 with wine pairing

Providence
5955 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 460-4170

www.providencela.com

price: $$$$
verdict: omg, i love it!

newport seafood has rockin' lobster!

rare are the instances when you walk into a chinese restaurant in the sgv that you actually take note of the decor. that's exactly what happened to me. i was a bit suprised that it looked so modern! what happened to the overdone wood paneling, banquet style dining tables with the spinning lazy susans, and the uncomfortable wooden chairs with barely there flat cushions? my, it's a chinese restaurant that actually looked "nice."

light and lots of it. plenty of open spaces for chillaxin eating.

pink lamp shades overhanging your table while you grub. fantastic.

it was clear to me as we walked to our table that when you come to newport seafood, you HAVE to order their house special lobster. if seeing this dish at EVERY TABLE wasn't enough of a clue, then i'll have to whack you on the forehead with this sign "ORDER THEIR LOBSTER." yummmm....the lobster was cracked, lightly breaded, then stir fried with chopped chilis, green onions, and garlic. it was a delicious dish and i suggest that you don't waste what is leftover from the lobster dish and spoon the excess green onions and chilis on your rice.

we also ordered their garlic stir fried "dou mui" which i think means green pea sprouts/leaves in english. the flavors were garlicky and the leaves were firm and not limp which happens when it gets overcooked or when it watches bad porn.

we also ordered their clams in spicy basil sauce. plump clams with a great aromatic sauce that did not overpower their natural clam taste, if you know what i mean. juicy.

we also ordered a seafood rice noodle dish. this dish tasted pretty bland to me and the pieces of calamari and shrimp were chewy. i also did not appreciated the shlack of sauce on top and it was clearly the weaker dish of the four. i would not order this again.

after the grubbing and merry making, the bill came out to about $136 (tax and tip not included) for a party of 5. it's obvious that the lobster was the pricier dish of the four but in my opinion, it would be a shame for you to come here and not order it. if you are on a budget, i suggest getting the lobster and the pea sprouts/leaves and you will be fine. i think many of their other dishes can be gotten at other places for similiar/better tastes but with better price points. anyways, the decor, food, and good service drew in a diverse crowd of patrons and i think there's a reason why it's popular...it is rather good, that's why.

Newport Tan Cang Seafood Restaurant
518 W Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 289-5998
http://www.newportseafood.com/

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

i'm turning korean i really think so

Jun Won
3100 W 8th St#101
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 383-8855

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

a second tryst with korean food in a week. holy goguchang! in a rare meeting with fellow food bloggers and food supporters, i found myself at jun won yesterday hammering down a lot of korean seafood dishes while in the company of steve of infinite fress aka "silverlake hater" and sook of yutangsah aka "shit cracker." tony from sinosoul was there as well as other food lovas but since they sat at the other table, you know how that goes...in high school that means we are from opposite gangs and if you look at me, i might have to cut you bitch.

the meal started off with an awesome banchan. clearly deprived of a glory, glory hallelujah banchan experience, i was floored that there were so many, so tasty, so different. my favorite was the candy masking itself as marinated cuttlefish. i could have eaten that till the cows came home. moo bessie mooooooooo......

sook was kind enough to order the following dishes for us with recommendations from the owner. ahh, pork and kimchee. deliciously red and porky. think of it like a miss piggy in chris de burgh's song "lady in red."

cod fish. soft flesh sitting on top of radishes piled with mounds of green onions. it was tasty though saucy. this is probably my favorite dish out of the bunch.

seafood pancake. ack! mushy. mushy makes me think of flacid penises and yesterday, there was a whole platter of it. and the sad attempt at a "crispy" crust did not provide enough contrast to save all the flacid penises in the world. no bueno.

and here's the minnow dish? minnow? or min oh? not sure because i don't recall minnow being that big unless they were on steroids and played major league baseball. these pan fried minnows were good though not great. a bit too dry for my tastes and not enough flesh to entice my chopsticks back to it. besides, the other table "borrowed" it and eventually it was forgotten by us.

looking at this spread once again, it does look rather tasty, though i probably wouldn't come back again. i love hole in the wall eateries but this one did not speak to me much. all it said was "meh, i need to perfect some of these dishes." good times though and thanks foodies for another belly aching experience.

see food, eat food...all 10 of them

NBC Seafood Restaurant
404 S Atlantic Boulevard
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 282-2323

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

facebook is damn useful. it allowed me to reconnect with a few high school friends, it brushed up my word knowledge through scrabulous, and honed my skills as a bone fide stalker without any ramifications. it's also a great way to know the "status" of your friends. you know, like "amy is yelping" or in my cousin's case "(blank) is married." what the fuck?! he freakin' eloped!

fast forward a few months later and my cousin gets dragged back to cali to have a mini wedding banquet chinese style for family sake. that's how his momma wanted it and that's where i found myself, sitting in a small banquet room at nbc seafood restaurant. in true chinese fashion, there were ten delectable courses to consume. thank god too for the opportunity to stuff face because hands down, relatives ask you the most awkward questions. unfortunately, there's no way you can kindly tell your 50 year old auntie to fuck off so i just stuffed face instead when i wanted to avoid embarassing questions.

the meal consisted of:

-cold plate (various slices of cold cuts, sliced pig ears, and jellyfish. this is usually my most favorite dish. but then again, it's usually the first dish that gets served and i'm easy like that).
-mayonnaise shrimp with candied walnuts (the mayo on this dish was way too thick. i felt like i was consuming globs of fat with a side of shrimp)
-peking duck (fatty duck skin stuffed inside chinese style rice buns. drizzle some hoisin sauce on it and have your mouth explode).
-fish (stir fried fish with a thick savory sauce served on the fried skeleton of the said dead fish. i really enjoyed the contrast in textures)
-lobster (saucy, fresh, high in cholesterol)
-shark's fin soup (so wrong, but i love it. i blame it on my mom)
-scallops stir fried with PIG INTESTINE (the pig intestine was crunchy. my aunt actually lied to us and told us it was calamari...i discovered we were duped a few days later when i saw the same looking intestines sold at ranch 99. bad aunt, bad)
-fried rice (standard fare)
-roast chicken (crispy skin. yummy)
-dessert was water chestnuts in a sweet syrup

the night ended with my dad slyly slipping me a business card for "future reference." err..thanks dad. the restaurant has gaudy gold decor and double happiness characters to remind you that commitment is not a foolish dream. the service was quick and efficient. in hindsight, it is an ok place after all to celebrate a belated elopement.

bad, ajima, bad

Pacific Fish Center & Restaurant
131 Fishermans Wharf
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 374-8420

price: $$$
verdict: it's aight

randomly finding myself in redondo beach with a group of hungry asians meant getting korean seafood. besides, one of the dudes in the group had fond memories of this joint as a kid and wanted to check it out again. SURE, happy to oblige since he used the word "great" and "food" in the same sentence.

we ordered quite a few dishes to try; their sashimi plate, boiled baby octopus which you dip in this sweet sauce they have, a sashimi salad that had a sesame oil dressing with chunks of sashimi and rice (the same fish you find on the sashimi plate minus the uni), and this huge spicy tofu soup with skate (a flat fish that looks like a sting ray). in good ole asian fashion, the steamed dungeness crabs were nayed because "it's too expensive and not a deal here..." hahahaha.

the sashimi plate was a bit on the untraditional side because of the inclusion of marinated cuttlefish, pickled scallions, and this orange japanese root. the tofu soup wasn't so spicy that night and skate is just a plain weird tasting fish with too much cartilage! i think the yummiest parts of the meal were the boiled boiled baby octopus because of the dipping sauce which was slightly sweet and spicy and the fresh uni. overall, the food was alright, but the rudeness of this one ajima was just plain annoying. i asked her to refill our water pitcher but she said there's still water left and promptly walked away. no really...melting ice is not considered water.

fortunately or unfortunately, the dude picked up the tab for the 5 of us. so for all that food, it came out to be about $140. do i think it's a deal? nope. i live too close to koreatown in l.a. and komasa for sushi to ever want to trek back over here.

passionless fish

Passionfish
701 Lighthouse Ave
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
(831) 655-3311
www.passionfish.net

price: $$$
verdict: it's aight

passionfish reminds me of all things that fall short...you know, like that sexy girl you trailed behind only to see a grandma's face when she turned around (yeah, go to forever 21 if you want to see some of that) or a good looking guy with small feet. come on now, you've felt the burn of expectations that aren't met! alas, passionfish is one of those.

after a great day at the aquarium, i was looking forward to having some good grub at passionfish based on the reviews that i read. everything started off pretty yummy. i had their crab salad which was tasty, a pork belly appetizer which was succulent, and finally settled on their duck confit entree which was good....UNTIL i took a bite of the potato gratin side which was smothered in this cheap cheddar cheese and took the meal down .5 stars. it seriously jacked up my tastebuds! it's like finding a piece of turd on your brand new christian louboutins....what a let down! and to add to the mehness, the sturgeon my eating buddy ordered tasted dry and totally underwhelming. that was disappointing too.

what began strong at passionfish slowly petered out into slightly above average food...and we all know that diminished passion (in anything) is never a good thing.

limey ceviche is goot!

Mamita Peruvian Restaurant

714 S Brand Blvd

Glendale, CA 91204

(818) 243-5121

price: $$

verdict: omg, i love it!

i had a seriously debilitating craving for ceviche one night and dragged my buddy down to mamita's to 1) satisfy my crave 2) to try out a peruvian restaurant that i've been hankering to try. i love killing two birds with one stone!

it was inevitable that my eyes were bigger than my belly once we situated ourselves in a booth. we ended up ordering a seafood soup (it's the first one on the menu under soups...forgot the name), ceviche mixto, fried calamari, and lomo saltado. the ceviche was ON POINT! delicious! i LOVED the sourness and the spicy kick to it. it satisfied my ceviche craving for sure and the squid and octopus tentacles were fabulous. the soup was equally delicious. very hearty and stocked full of seafood to pick from. the lomo saltado was probably my least favorite dish out of the four. the beef is tough and based on my previous experience at mario's, i'm beginning to realize that perhaps this dish is just not my thang. tough meat does not excite me unless it's beef jerky. the fried calamari was good...but then again, when are fried things ever NOT good?

the dishes are a bit on the pricier side, but the food is consistently good which helps sooth the wallet a bit. i would come back when i get my ceviche cravings again.

peruvian done right!

frozen crawfish is EVIL

The Boiling Crab
742 W Valley Boulevard
Alhambra, CA 91803
(626) 576-9368
www.theboilingcrab.com

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

this location is very small and i can imagine it being super busy during peak hours. my prissy friends and i went right when it opened so we were seated immediately. we ordered 2lbs of crawfish, a dungeness crab, one basket of fried shrimp, and another basket of cajun fries. everything other than the crawfish tasted yummy, though the ambience perhaps did not fit the bill for everyone in our party. and to make matters worse, one of my friends splattered sha-bang sauce on our other friend during her zealousness to get to the crawfish tail. hahhahahaha...no, i mean, dang, sorry you have sauce splattered on you. and funky garlic fingers is not sexy for everyone. perhaps i picked the wrong location for our meet up.

but ahhhh, boiling crab. how you've disappointed me in another way!! when i heard the word frozen crawfish, i SHOULD not have ordered it! even being smothered in the whole sha-bang sauce did not cover up the funk that frozen seafood has. they did warn us though, so it was my fault for ordering it. no wait, it's your fault boiling crab for letting me order it!

i had a tasty experience at the garden grove location and had a meh experience here. i'm quite it had to do with many factors.

finger frickin' tasty

The Boiling Crab

13892 Brookhurst St

Garden Grove, CA 92843

(714) 636-4885

http://www.theboilingcrab.com/

price: $$

verdict: omg, i love it!

dear jenny craig,

you don't know me, but you will soon because i just went to boiling crab and GAINED about 10 pounds from my lunch.

here's what i ate:

-crawfish (or crawdaddies as we use to call them in the bayou) drowned in the "the whole sha-bang" sauce. oh holy jesus, god almighty, benevolent buddha, THIS sauce is so good! though i only ordered "mild," it was clear that i'm a wimp and couldn't take the heat. it felt like the devil himself licked my mouth cuz my mouth was on fire!

-cajun fries (nice crunch with seasoning. my friend dipped her fries in the sha-bang sauce. not a bad combo at all).

-etouffee (which tasted like congeeled butter on rice. probably won't order that again).

-fried shrimp with cocktail sauce (yummy! nice, crispy batter coating the butterflied shrimps).

i don't plan to eat again jenny. i've used up all my points for the next year and a half and besides, i can't fit into my pants no more.

*tears*

bagnatic

from bag to belly.

i want sum dimsum!

Ocean Seafood Restaurant
750 N Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 687-3088
www.oceansf.com

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

i brought two friends here for some dim sum because i was FLOORED when i found out that they've never been. "WHAT?!" i exclaimed in disbelief. "how can you live in l.a. for so long and never been to dim sum?" i immediately volunteered myself to become their token chinese friend. in my mind, i already had the perfect place to take them for their virginal dim sum experience, ocean seafood. my family have been patronizing this place for many, many years. i was confident that they will love their dim sum here as much as i do.

suprisingly, there was no wait when we came this morning. we were seated immediately and just as our tushies hit our chairs, we were bombarded with a bunch of dim sum carts (this is what i LOVE about dim sum, being able to eat immediately). since i speak cantonese, it was a nice opportunity for me to practice. HOWEVER, you do not need to speak the language in order to get great dim sum or good service. this restaurant has made a concerted effort to have their staff speak a few words in english because they are trying to expand their customer base. at the very least, you will be told what you're eating and what's in it. in fact, when i spoke cantonese, one of the employees there responded in english!

for my friends' virginal dim sum experience, i went for the following dishes because i knew they were easy on the the taste buds (i only know the cantonese way of saying some of these dishes so i will do my best to describe them):

-for our tea, we started off with "goke boe" which is a mixture of chrysanthemum and black tea. if you don't request a specific tea to start your dim sum experience, the default tea is jasmine which is also pretty nice. they don't have a tea menu just in case you are curious. i know they have "goke boe" because my family orders that all the time.
-ha gow (steamed shrimp wrapped in a transparent rice wrap)
-siu mai (nuggets of pork. yummy)
-seasoned shrimp (with the heads still on it. the shells are crispy enough for you to consume THE WHOLE thing, shell and all. do it.)
-seasoned calamari
-cheung fan (white rice rolls with a choice of shrimp or pork)
-chinese brocolli with oyster sauce for dipping
-baked cha siu boas (baked pork buns)

we stopped there. that's a lot of food. our bill came out to be about $42 for three people not including tip. i didn't order my typical chicken's feet, jelly fish, or seaweed, but it wasn't missed today. maybe in the future, i can convince them to be more adventurous and try these old favorites of mine.

a rosy dinner

Rosewood Grille
3763 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 792-9099

price: $$$$
verdict: omg, i love it!

don't let the poster of some guy holding a humungous lobster put you off. i know that poster reeks of cheese, but the food served at this restaurant is suprisingly yummy.

i've been here a few times now and the food has been really awesome. of course you're suppose to go there for their lobster, but their steaks are well executed and is of good quality, too...just in case you prefer to eat a land animal as oppose to a seafaring one. i also like their scallops and crab cakes. they have a good wine selection and at the end of your meal, every lady at your table will get a red rose. cute touch. good eats.

the 7 seas

El Siete Mares
3131 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 665-0865

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it

one of the best places for tacos in the silverlake neighborhood. i've been going here for years. when i hanker me some tacos, i usually order a combo of carne asada and al pastor. if it's a take out order, i ask for the sauce on the side to minimize sog action (i'm talking about the taco stand and not the restaurant).

i've also ordered their salmon burrito, ceviche, tamales, and their fried platter (fried fish, fried shrimp, and fries). all REALLY good too. i've never been disappointed with their food and the service is quick.

i typically don't sit there and eat unless i need my daily dose of ehaust fix. it is right on sunset and if you've lived here long enough, you know traffic has gone way out of control these past few years.

dead fish leaves bad taste

Pescado Mojado
610 S Rampart Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(213) 480-6620

price: $
verdict: hells no!

this place seriously lacks....soggy rice, dry fish, stale chips, old lettuce, and...and...it just sucks alright. i've had better in its price range and the restaurant can use a broom and a mop.

say no to PES MO!