Japan – November 2008

japan – part 1 (days 1 and 2)

japan – part 2

Japan – part 3

Japan – part 4

Hawaii – November 2008

hawaii

Macau – November 2008

Things I did, ate, saw…

Macau

Hong Kong – November 2008

Things I did, ate, saw…mostly ate.

hong kong

there is an end to everything

i’m too lazy to double-post.  find my new timewaste by emailing me

for my non-US fooding, i’ll post to picasa along with all my other vacation pics.

thanks for your readership.

Pitfire Pizza (Westwood, Los Angeles, CA)
Pizza.  Quick and friendly service, clean locale, simple concept, plus a $10 off coupon makes this joint a pretty good one for a pizza place.

i got the Pitfire Sausage Pizza (local sweet fennel sausage, san joaquin tomatoes, red onion, bel paese, fontina and fresh mozzarella cheeses) – $9.95

he got the Folded Fennel Sausage (folded pizza stuffed with sausage, tomato sauce cruda and mozzarella) – $8.50

i traded one slice (quarter of a pizza) of mine for 1/6th of his.  It was a fair trade.  When in Rome / Pitfire, order pizza.  Don’t bother with the salad or pasta, and you won’t be disappointed.

One thing to note is that the crust is thick on the edge for a good handle but can be dry and hard – i think of it as a very wheaty breadstick.  you can choose to toss yours.  However, it is also thin enough to make a good bottom to hold your toppings (unlike the limpy NY pizza slices).

Fountain drinks were pretty standard.  I didn’t dig the iced green tea so much.

Father’s Office (Culver City, Los Angeles, CA)
American.   Don’t tell my bf that The Office Burger has blue cheese (Maytag blue) in it.  The burger is the only thing that piqued our interest.   Or anybody-in-the-bar’s interest, it seemed.   The frites too.  Sweet potato fries are pretty common and $7 is no reason to have it here, even if it is borne by a shopping cart

FO2 is much more spacious and less chaotic.  Plus easy parking.  Last thing i wanna do is eat while sitting on a barstool with my bf steals bites while standing behind me because the bar is packed like sardines (i.e. the normal scene of the original FO).

He had a Craftsman 1930s Prohibition Lager – good lacing, very hoppy.

I had a glass of Domaine Alfred Syrah Chamisal Vineyard 2005.  The red goes with the burger, but at a Ruth’s-Chris-glass-of-wine price of $14, I could have had another burger plus fries.   Not worth the dineros.  But i must thank my bf for treating me so.

If you’re one of those trend-chasers wanting to give Father’s Office a try, suck it up and go to the original one and cross it off your list.  Remember to eat the signature burger and have a glass on tap.

10/31 continued

Cock n’ Bull (Santa Monica, CA)
British Pub. i love this place. british pub with a cheeky nam, aptly-priced drinks, lots of space and tv for your football games (of the european variety), british bartenders, nasty and cramped loos, pool tables and dart boards – it’s as good as it gets for what it is.

i love this place because HH and ER throw their annual halloween party here, so if you’re lucky to know them, this is the place to be for halloween.

just remember to bring cash to this cash-only bar, and never ever whistle at the bartenders for their attention. they will flip out and chew you out (this happened to some guy and was immediately schooled)

i only had drinks here so i can’t comment on the food. sometimes the Guinness Girls show up and give out $1 off coupons and bottle openers and other goodies.

the rest of the pictures of the night can be viewed here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/picsfromwinnie/Halloween2008?authkey=HILFwQTKsdg#

10/31 Overland Cafe (Culver City, Los Angeles, CA)
American.   bifurcated between indoor and patio seating, this cafe tries to do everything, from serving breakfast to pizza and pasta to burgers and sandwiches to salads to steak and seafood.   i guess they want you to come back everytime you’re craving something.

unfortunately, this jack of all trades has no specialty and no lure for me to go back (i am usually reluctant about eating at the same place twice).  

service is excellent, especially for our party of 8.  my glass of arnold palmer was always refilled without request of prompt, and the waitresses were nice.  the cute asian one really should work at a bar and get more tips.

my mushroom bacon burger was loaded with mushrooms but unfortunately, the bacon was missing!  looks like they gave me the mushroom and swiss burger instead.  the waitress promptly brought out two slices of bacon on a dish (probably after hearing my friend joke loudly, “don’t these people know who you are?”  and something about this place is going down on yelp).

i think those of us who got burgers were happy but those who got other things like fish n’ chips were not as pleased  

next time i drive down overland towards venice blvd, i can say to myself…overland cafe…been there, done that.

 

Colori Kitchen (Downtown Los Angeles, CA)
Italian. situated on a dark, empty street with two of what my friends from Tennessee refer to as “sex clubs” (Club El Gaucho featuring hostess dancing, and the Golden Golpher with a bouncer in front of a pitch black portal to a dark, dark world inside), we would have never found Colori if it weren’t for a recommendation by their friend.

i have built up quite a bit of resentment and distrust over these few days so i was eagerget out for some fresh air. plus it was R’s birthday.

The three of us enjoyed good service but i have to take off 2 stars because: 1) i ordered the NY Straccetti ($17) but they brought me the ribeye ($27). The server tried to give it to me twice. She told me that the NY was the same as the ribeye (no, it’s not because my friend got the ribeye and it’s far from a salad) The waiter came back asking me why i didn’t take it. I told him when he explained that the NY Straccetti was only 4 ounces, i had said, “sure, i’ll take it.” he jogged down memory lane and remembered the conversation, and said, “i’ll be back with the ribeye.” ” i mean, NY.” o_O

The NY Stracchetti is really a salad that has tender cuts of New York steak braised with sun dried tomatoes and baby arugula topped with shaved parmesan cheese. $17 for a salad is expensive but i’ve never had italian beef that wasn’t in the form of meatball or ground. the 4 oz wasn’t as meager as the waiter described – when it’s in strips, it’s omnipresent everywhere in the salad. it’s good enough. plus it comes out in a really hot plate, so they really broil the beef on the plate and throw some salad on top.

The chicken masala ($16) had the most tender chicken ever – 2 breasts with mushrooms on top, broccoli and delicious potatoes.

The ribeye was also juicy and tender (even the fat was flavorful) but at $27 I rather eat a full steak elsewhere.

2) my second gripe was that since my food came out so much later, my friends had already finished their food early on. I asked for a small box to take my leftovers home. i took a picture of my leftovers for Yelp and when i got my box back, i only got half of what i left behind. Dude, i have pictures to prove how many strips of beef should be in this box, ya know.

3) as a frequent yelp user, i should have read others’ reviews prior to going but i was busy watching Gossip Girl online while waiting for them to show up. Reading Alice A’s review, I agree with her that there is too much salty sundried tomatoes and should replace arugula with spinach.

4) i like to keep my colons clean but not in an explosive way. i’d like to think that it has nothing to do with my rejection of the bastard child ribeye (it ain’t mine), but seeing the annoyed look on the server’s face, i can’t rule out sabatoge.

chicken masala

ribeye

my NY steak salad