no tacos for pops, just silverlake ramen

my dad has some busted old teeth but the funny thing is he likes his occasional hard shell taco and would walk down the block to a little family owned mexican restaurant in the same strip mall as silversun liquor store to buy his occasional taco crunch. my dad did it for years and the restaurant was there for years. ahhh, memories.

about a year or so ago, i had to break it to him that his go-to hard taco place was no more. it is now replaced with silverlake ramen. they serve eatables like THESE which do not resemble a hard taco AT ALL. sorry pops.

crispy rice with spicy tuna ($4.50). it was a good way to start the meal says the spicy tuna whoreasaurus.

spicy tuna bowl (which came with the combo meal but otherwise would be $4.50/$7.50 depending on the size). filling it was, though the bowl was rice heavy. i skipped much of the rice when i witnessed my flappy underarms jiggle as i reached for my glass of water.

a blossoming side salad offering you the only greens of the night, that is, if ruffiage is important to you and all. it's not? what?! are you like a constipated cave man?

tonkotsu ramen ($8.50) with the most custardy broth in the world. if i was to use a straw to suck up the broth (which i won't but if you do i won't judge) i don't think it would even go through. the sucker is thick and per their personal description of the broth, "our ramen broth soup is boiled for 16 hours for richness and taste." i wouldn't say i was a fan of the broth, but it was definitely full of flavor.

so those are a few things you can eat at silverlake ramen. sorry no more hard taco shell tacos for pops, though his younger daughter did offer him a taco bell run. i hope he says no.

Silverlake Ramen
2927 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
http://silverlakeramen.com/

price: $
verdict: it's aight

yuchun cuz why not?

i am currently interviewing folks to be my token korean friend. yeah, i know, that sounds kinda wrong, but seriously, i need to delve into korean eats that goes further than nak won or hodori on vermont if you know what i'm sayin'. now, this token korean friend must love to eat and whether s/he totes louis vuitton accessories is a plus, but not neccessary. and yes, you have to speak korean.

yesterday, i went to dinner with a potential candidate. she took me to yuchun restaurant off of olympic. i've been here once before when she took a few of us for dinner and had yuchun's mool naeng myun (cold noodles) which is what this place is known for. i recalled it was yummy, but this time, we didn't order them again because i had a cold and didn't feel like eating something cold, ya dig?

being that she is a slim korean gal and i'm trying to slim down myself (a.k.a. mission impossible), we only ordered two dishes. i know, what a travesty! we started off with the kimchi dumplings which were plump and superb. they were hot pockets of meaty love with shredded veggies to keep you regular. the first bite immediately warmed up my soul.

oh yes please. three for you and three for me. wheeeee!

i also requested the dduk bok kki which is spicy korean rice cakes. i love, love, love the chewiness of rice cakes and the sweet burn you get from the gochujang was the perfect way to do it. the big hard boiled egg sitting in the middle of this red mess was also flippin' fantastic.

as with most korean meals, the end is near when you have a plate smeared with gochujang, and smeared it was! overall, i thought yuchun's food was solid and the entire meal costed us $20, tip included.

AND was it important to have a korean speaking friend with me for this meal? YES, cuz we almost didn't get our banchan but with her sharp korean eyes, i got my kimchi baby. so friend, thanks for your company! don't be suprised (or annoyed) when i call upon you for some more belly aching eating tasks! woot! come on, you know you likey :0

Yuchun Restaurant
3185 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 382-3815

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

mochi + pizza = mochizza @ strawberry cones

mochi is so versatile! you can make boobs out of them (reference to a previous post), eat them with all kinds of fillings inside, celebrate the new year with them, pile a few powdery bites on your froyo, or put them on pizza. PIZZA?! yes. pizza. enter strawberry cones in san gabriel, a japanese pizza shop that specializes in japanese style pizza now available for your consumption in our very own sgv.

when i was told about this place, i was puzzled but intrigued. mochi + pizza? as if pizza wasn't fattening enough on its own, now you have glutinous rice cakes on it to really kill you. anyways, i wasn't deterred by the not so healthy aspects of this mochizza so a few friends and i went there last night for dinner. the menu is rather extensive (click on the pic to get a better look at the offerings and the pricing). they also offer a few competitively priced combo meals if you're totally over the golden arches but only have a few bucks to spare for a meal.

we started off with their karaage (fried chicken) appetizer ($3.75). the fried chicken had a thick breading to chicken ratio. the ranch dressing that was provided for dipping was light and airy, almost like a whipped ranch dressing which was nice, but overall, i found the whole thing to be a tad oily and not yummy enough for a repeat order.

we also decided to share a small teriyaki mochi chicken pizza ($11). the toppings consisted of chicken, mochi pieces, red onion, nori strips, mozzarella cheese, teriyaki sauce, and MAYO. yes, MAYO. the initial bite was tasty and the mochi chunks provided a fun, chewy texture to the pizza bite. but after the first slice, i decided the overly sweet teriyaki sauce spoiled it's potential. not to mention the oily mayo pools that you found on top. i don't understand the love affair japanese folks have with mayo...it's everywhere!

the box.

the teriyaki chicken mochizza.

here's a close up of a piece of mochi in the pizza.

we also ordered a half and half pizza with avocado and salmon on one half and margherita on the other half. this is where some spicy tomato sauce would have been nice because the margherita side tasted bland. there's not much of a flavor profile when it's just a wedge of tomato and basil leaf on cheese. i could have skipped this combo pizza entirely.

we ended the meal with one of their desserts, the california walnut and raisin pizza ($9.80), which is made with chikutan dough (bamboo charcoal mixed in the rice flour pizza dough). the crust looked a little off putting because it had a gray/blackish color to it which if you cook enough in general would instinctively make you wonder if it's burnt. i found my first bite to be tasty, but subsequent bites revealed a rather dry and overly sweet dessert pizza. i was done.

another look at the blackened chikutan crust.

i appreciated the complimentary green tea and coffee you got there, but no matter how much green tea i drank, i could not wash away the heavy and greasy mochizza ball i had in my belly. the hook of having mochi on the pizza brought me in, but the toppings and taste in general failed. i WOULD NOT come back again and that's my story and i'm sticking to it like mochi to teeth.

Strawberry Cones
227 W Valley Blvd #118-B
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 293-1852
http://www.strawberrycones.com/

price: $$
verdict: not worth my time

getting toasted at ichiza

no buffets for me here in vegas, but i do like a spread of eats to choose from when i grub. i think that explains why the concept of small bites or tapas style appeals to me especially if i'm not looking for a meal but rather a "buffet" of things to nibble on to stave me from mad hunger.

while in sin city, i had a craving for japanese food. i learned that ichiza had yakitori so i immediately thought of my beloved shinsengumi in gardena and hoped i might find its likeness here.

like many eateries in vegas, ichiza too, is located in a strip mall. the inside is cozy though and has a bar area, tables, and tables with sunken footing so you can pretend that you're sitting on the floor when in reality, you're just posing like you're doing it authentic style when you're really not. crazy posers.

i decided to sit at the bar because of the cooking action. besides, i like the informal feeling of eating at one.

a slew of things were immediately ordered. the spicy tuna roll started the eating frenzy. it was ok, but nothing special.

garlic chicken gizzard with long green beans. the gizzard was severly overcooked which made it tough and elasticky AND it was way too salty. i felt like i was eating salty garlic flavored rubber bands.

grilled beef tongue which was also overcooked. instead of being tender, it was super duper chewy. ichiza has NOTHING on shinsengumi when it comes to the grilling.

grilled liver. the sweet teriyaki sauce they used to cover the liver overpowered its natural taste. i like my liver lightly grilled, slightly undercooked with a sprinkle of salt...and with a helping of fava beans....muhahahaha. again, no comparison to shinsengumi grilling.

grilled gizzards. tough mofos these were. bleh.

a small bowl of their "ichiza's ramen dx" to share which had kakuni (pork belly), bamboo shoots, green onions, half an egg, seaweed, and a small sheet of dried nori. the broth was complex and warmed my belly as it made its way down. the ramen was aldente and delicious. i liked this dish a lot and would order it again.

black cod fish fillet with miso sauce. the cod was super tender, buttery, and fell to bits when you poked it. it also had the right amount of saltiness from the miso sauce and was the best savory dish of the night by far. this dish is a must order if i ever come back here again.

the whole grub fest ended with a most delightful "honey toast" which was a half loaf of toasted bread with a ton of bad-for-you fixings. the middle portion of the bread was sectioned off into fours, then buttered, and drizzled with honey with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. it is such an omg dessert in so many ways! for a carb whore like myself, i really loved it though the zipper on my jeans tried its darndest to keep things together. i would come back to ichiza JUST FOR THIS:

breaking down the walls, breaking down the walls like the berlin wall. there were tears of joy in my eyes as i heifed this one down.

overall, ichiza had a few winners though the grilled items were sadness on a stick. i think for a japanese restaurant in las vegas with affordable price points, it was pretty darn good. like i said, i'm coming back here for the cod fish and honey toast.

Ichiza
4355 Spring Mountain Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 367-3151
price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

syrup in square crevices = tasty

if waffles and pancakes got into a fight, waffles would win hands down, in a breakfast ufc championship with maple syrup running all over. it would be a sticky, but delicious battle and waffles would walk away with a big blingy belt that announces him to be the CHAMPION of breakfasts in all the land. mmm...waffles so good.

while in vegas, we got a taste of the most delicious waffles ever! thinking about it makes me drool so i'm wiping my mouth vigorously as i type. they were CRISPY, not crunchy. LIGHT, not heavy with the most gentle waffle taste to grace these hardened tastebuds of mine. welcome to waffles cafe, a place where waffle dreams are made.

bright colored interior. it's like a burst of sunshine while you eat.

here's the co-owner jeff. he was really shy about me taking his pic so he asked me to take a butt shot instead. what do you think of his butt? super friendly, nice dude that makes you want to root for his business. i hope his cafe becomes a success so they can bring their business out to l.a. as well cuz he's korean and what the heck are you doing in summerlin? can you even get kimchee there?

the concept makes total sense, but i have yet to see one here in l.a. if you know of one, give me a holla. basically, you replace the bread of any sammich WITH A WAFFLE INSTEAD. pure genius? i think yes! but again, this ain't any ole waffle, it's jeff's secret recipe waffles which makes it delicious.

i ordered a tuna sammich that came with a side of potato chips. a scoopful of tuna salad was heaped between two waffle halves which gave this sammich such an interesting/odd taste and texture combo for my mouth. other than the disgusting sweet sauce that they squirt in all their sammiches (WARNING: ask them to WITHHOLD their sweet sauce or you'll be sorry. it is nasty), it was a truly yummy concept. i would have loved to have tried everything if my belly could have handled it.

the dessert waffle was decadent with fresh strawberries, nutella, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and a big lump of vanilla ice cream as its cherry on top. again, i appreciated the airiness and crispiness of the waffle and all the sweetness piled on top. if you don't want to get this "yooni's favorite," you can always create your own dessert waffle. each ingredient will have a different price point, but it allows you control over your own food.

after this memorable meal, we came back right before we left vegas for a farewell breakfast. i ordered the basic breakfast meal which was under $5 with coffee included (before 11am)! the waffles were heavenly once again. it's like biting into a crispy cloud with maple syrup drizzled on top. i really enjoyed this a lot as well.

i was given a card so that jeff can stamp my orders. a few meals later, i will get a $5 credit toward something delicious. i look forward to coming back here and eating everything all over again. mmm...drool. *wipe*

WaffleS Cafe
5165 S Fort Apache Rd
Ste 160
Las Vegas, NV 89148
(702) 597-9775
http://www.wafflescafe.com/

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

seven out for the maple tree

craps is my poison. here's the typical shit that comes out of my mouth when i'm at the craps table:

"2 dollars c and e"
"one dollar on all the hard ways"
"5 on 5, 5 on 4"
"hard ways back up"
"hard ways working"
"1, 2 on a hop"

and i always, always say PLEASE even though i'm flinging my chips at the dealers when i establish my bets. if i'm lucky, i can crap for 1+ hours...3 max. if i'm not, then i'm 7 out in 15 minutes. at any one time, i can have about $34 on the table for one roll. not bad, but in hindsight, not good either right? $34 can buy me food, a basic neccessity, or it can buy me the thrill of tossing those ruby red dice. my chinese blood always chooses the thrill...gambling is genetic and i won't deny my roots.

but sadly, i usually walk away empty handed from the craps table and i catch myself in a remorseful state the following morning. usually, the pathetic-ness of my situation heightens because i find myself in a whacked out establishment eating cheap food because me pockets be empty! the maple tree was such a place to wallow in remorse.

first of all, the positive reviews of it on yelp are WHACK. the maple tree is a nursing home meets greasy spoon and i don't want to be in a nursing home nor eat from a greasy spoon. if you ever go there, you'll know what i mean AND they play 80's music. weird. though i liked eating my eggs with tiffany's "i think we're alone now" playing in the background.

aiming for something simple after a previous night of gambling complications, i ordered myself their traditional breakfast. scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage, and bacon....the toast was really buttery. i could have wrung it out and hung it up to dry with a pool of butter forming on the ground and the toast would STILL be buttery. everything glistened with grease and the only difference between this plate and denny's would be the mom and pop factor of it.

a friend decided to get the fried steak which was a thinly hammered out piece of beef, battered then fried, suffocated under a ton of gravy. ewwww.....methinks deliciousness left this plate a LONG time ago.

i would never come here again. even though it was SUPER CHEAP, you will pay dearly as your heart clogs up from their generous use of grease. so in the end, who wins? certainly not i, as i sat there penniless with an extra fat roll given to me by the maple tree....i also recalled a lonely tear drop that rolled down my left eye as stared out into the distance thinking how vegas wronged me once again.

The Maple Tree
6000 Spring Mountain Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 362-5151

price: $
verdict: not worth my time

juicy las vegas

excuse my tangent, but does this butt look familiar to you? i swear i’ve seen this bally’s billboard FOREVER. anytime we pull off the 15 and i see these round buttocks, i know i'm not in kansas anymore.

the first night’s dinner was spent at hot n’ juicy. we saw this on man vs. food and decided to check it out cuz i'm gullible like that. i had sneaking suspicions that this joint was the vegas version of boiling crab….and i was right! oh phooey. don't get me wrong, i enjoy boiling crab, but to eat that here in vegas was a waste of time and money especially when i can do the same at home. it's located in a strip mall so look for it's signboard if you happen to crave some of these cajun spices.

we ordered a pound of crawfish in their hot n' juicy special sauce. you get to tailor your spice level so we picked "medium" because i didn't want my butt to burn the following day when i visit the toilet. the sauce was tasty with spices that were very reminiscent of boiling crab. the crawfish is a favorite crustacean of mine, but eating it entails a lot of work. there's a teensie weensie bit of meat in the tail so remember to suck the crawfish head and eat the tailmeat and then you're done.

we also ordered a dungeness crab in their lemon pepper sauce. we should have inquired about the size because the whole darn thing costed $30, holy moly. the meat was sweet and trumped over the crawfish because the spices weren't as potent so you can actually taste something other than sauce. here it comes out, suffocated and ready for consumption.

a side of cajun fries. very crispy. i likey fries.

the david and goliath of the seafood world.

see, i came here because of him. so the moral of this story is, stop watching t.v. and eating where this white man eats. fool. the food with tip came out to be $54.04 and honestly, it still left us a bit hungry but gambling dulled the hunger pangs a bit.

Hot N Juicy Crawfish

4810 Spring Mountain Rd

Ste C & D

Las Vegas, NV 89102

(702) 891-8889

www.myspace.com/hotnjuicy_crawfish

price: $$

verdict: it's aight