get shaved.

lilikoi and melona with condensed milk :)

hash house a go go.

i had a fun meal with some fun people at hash house a go go in las vegas.

the huge caesar salad...

the portions here are incredible! needless to say i didn't finish. :(

meat loaf pasta...

i realize that meat loaf pasta sounds a bit...different. but it tasted really good. it was a little spicy, with a tex mex kind of feel. with the tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, cheese, pasta, and the meat loaf - it all worked. and the crispy parmesan tuille on top was a fun addition to the dish. the meat loaf is one of the signature dishes at hash house, and even though it was on the pasta, it didn't disappoint. (the crispy parmesan tuille was also on my caesar salad!)



hash house a go go (imperial palace) * 3535 las vegas blvd. s * las vegas, nv 89109

the ramen tour, stop #7: santouka ramen.

santouka ramen is located in the food court of mitsuwa marketplace in torrance. it is part of a chain of ramen shops in japan, serving hokkaido style ramen, and they have several locations in california. lucky for me! as it is by far one of my favorite ramen places in and around the home digs. my friend y and i, neither of us are very big on ramen (she likes it less than i do) and even she likes it, so i think that's saying something. my favorite ramen there currently is the miso chashu ramen, and of course i have to order the seasoned egg on the side.

there are several slices of yummy roasted pork, along with some menma (bamboo shoots), kamaboko (fish cake), kikurage (woodear mushrooms), and of course, negi (green onion). for me, the broth totally has that umami factor.



you can get shio (salt) broth, shoyu (soy sauce) broth , or miso (soybean paste) broth for your ramen. santouka uses a pork broth as a base for all of their ramen. they have two bases as the miso ramen uses a different pork broth base than the others.



of course, given that the miso chashu ramen is my current favorite at santouka, that's what i ordered. c ordered the shio ramen. the shio ramen is topped off with an umeboshi (salted plum). we barely made it there in time to order our ramen - although the marketplace is open until 8pm, most of the stalls in the food court close earlier, and we both learned that day that santouka takes their last order at 7:15pm.

there's no question that i will go back!

santouka ramen @ mitsuwa marketplace * 21515 western ave. * torrance, ca 90501

starry kitchen.

starry kitchen was once an illegal + underground restaurant in north hollywood. i didn't know about it back then, but i initially heard about it sometime last year, probably about a little over a year they started up (which was may of 2009). i'm sure i would have gotten there eventually, but thanks to blackboard eats it sweetened the deal. 30% off! :)



(before we go any further...i apologize for the darkness of the photos...i only had my iphone...)

k, liz, and i headed out to starry kitchen a couple of weeks back. located in the courtyard of california plaza, they must do really well during lunch since they aren't open for dinner every day. there was a bit of a crowd to order when we got there, and nguyen tran (husband of the husband and wife team behind starry kitchen) laid down the rules of how to order. first - pick your protein. they have a rotating menu of proteins, the only mainstay being the lemongrass chicken. then you pick your vessel (wrap, salad, banh mi style sandwich, or rice plate), and then pick any sides. they also have a few other items on the menu that you can order. so i opted for the korean spiced pork belly on a rice plate. i upgraded the rice to basil fried rice, and it was accompanied by japchae (korean noodle salad) as well as goi (a vietnamese salad). also, for an appetizer i ordered the double fried ginger glazed wings. as good as my plate was, those wings were by far and away the best thing i ate that night. (i even got an order of wings to go!)









starry kitchen * 350 s. grand ave. * los angeles, ca 90071