Kasen: Fountain Valley, CA

A while back, Robert suggested that I try out this joint if I were ever in the OC and found myself craving some sushi away from home. He told me it was a small, unassuming joint in a strip mall that served up no frills, traditional sushi. I then remembered watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservation: Tokyo earlier this year and was in awe at how such a lovely meal was served so fast. He was served a 15 course sushi dinner in 20 mins at Sukiyabashi Jiro!!!!

I'm usually very hesitant about trying new sushi joints... its just one of those things I feel that once you've found YOUR place, stick with it! So it took quite a bit of back and forth, an on the whim day trip up to the OC and both Setsy and Robert not working at Sushi Ota for me to give this place a shot.

I called the number I had on hand and was greeted graciously over the phone. The woman than made it very clear that this was a sushi only place and not to expect teriyaki or California rolls. I assured her I was very aware of what they served and we set a time. Arriving at the location, the same woman who took my call earlier sat us down and we discussed what we wanted. There definitely weren't many seats in the house... I think 8 seats at the bar, then a few tables off to the side and a private room closer to the back.

My dinner at Kasen was not as fast as Anthony Bourdain had experience but I did feel like it was marathon sushi eating. I'm used to leisurely eating at my own pace at Ota's and taking bout 2-2.5 hrs for a sitting. I was in and out of this place in under an hour! It was quite amazing what a machine the chef was with keeping a piece of sushi in front of us when we were finishing up the last piece. There were 2 other parties in the restaurant at the time and they were also siting at the bar so I could see it being manageable for the chef to be attentive. The waitresses were also on top of their game as I never saw the bottom of my cup, dirty bowls/plates were promptly taken away, sauce bowls were changed out at appropriate intervals and I was asked from time to time how my meal was going.

Towards the end my meal, I saw a raggedy looking teenage couple straggle in. The waitress gave them a loathing look and then told them only sushi was served at the establishment. The couple played it cool and said thats what they were there for. Then just as they were being seated, the waitress said the magic words "no California rolls"! The couple looked stunned, said what the heck were they gonna eat and made a B-line for the door. I'll admit that I could really go for a California roll or spicy tuna roll at times but this definitely was not the place to get it at.

My meal was overall wonderful though I wasn't a fan of the sea urchin roe or salmon roe. I've had sea urchin roe several times and it always hits the back of my throat the wrong way. Am I just eating it wrong? Nevertheless, being the only blemish of the meal, this was truly a delightful sushi experience. The following are photos of my meal:

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Average meal price: ~$100/person for food+ moderate amount of alcohol+tip

Food: SUSHI

Ambiance: Calm and orderly

Service: Probably the best service I've ever had

Kid-friendliness: Keep the kids at home

Cleanliness: I think I could have done my make up from my reflection on the counter

Overall: A must go if you are in the OC and want some gosh darn good, no fuss, no dynamite sauce sushi

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9039 Garfield Ave
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
714-963-8769

Mon-Tue, Thu-Sat: 12pm- 2pm and 6pm-11pm
Sun: 6pm - 11pm

The Boiling Crab: Garden Grove, CA

NCT is my connection to the OC. A trip to visit her always involves lunch at some awesome little hole in the wall or a joint with a real cult following. This time was no exception! I was totally craving some seafood so she suggested The Boiling Crab. There were quite a few patrons all with their sleeves rolled up and shamelessly wearing tacky plastic bibs. All around me I saw customers loudly sucking away at crevices of crawfish shells and conversing happily over the blaring speakers spewing out some local radio station... it was quite a site.

We were seated at a table close to the front, handed some modest small plastic menus, a large roll of paper towels and those lovely plastic bibs everybody else was sporting. I glanced over the menu but since this is NCT's regular haunt, I let her take over the ordering.

Cajun Fries: I noticed this side on quite a few tables and NCT said she always orders a side of these when she comes. I can see why. Theses fries were perfectly fried and seasoned with savory spicy Cajun seasoning. I'm constantly on the quest to find great fries and its always a treat to find something more than satisfying.
Raw Oysters: NCT isn't such a big fan of the consistency of raw oysters so I had these babies to myself. They were quite fresh though not as sweet and meaty as the ones I've had at Blue Water Seafood.
Crawfish: The waiter came by with a giant metal pail and pulled out a large plastic bag filled with these steaming critters along with two small ears of corn and sausages all tossed in "the whole sha-bang" seasoning". I understood why there was a sheet of butcher paper over the table very quickly. Indulging in these crustaceans requires a bit of work and can be quite messy for so small a harvest. NCT says she often brings a bag of these to her mom's and they'll gorge but I honestly think it'd be way too messy to eat at home and would rather eat it out where the cleanup is taken care of by somebody else.
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Average meal price: ~$15/per person... depends what you get

Food: Messy, pull-up your sleeves seafood

Ambiance: Modest, nautical inspired

Service: Friendly

Kid-friendliness: Shellfish isn't exactly easy eating for kids but I did see them gnawing away at the sausages, corn and whatever little morsels the parental units handed over

Cleanliness: Considering how messy it is to eat, its quite a wonder how clean the place is kept

Overall: A must stop for some fun with family and friends while feasting on some seafood you wouldn't mind putting some work into eating.

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13892 Brookhurst St.
Garden Grove, Ca 92843
714-636-4885
Mon-Fri: 3pm-10pm
Sat-Sun: 12pm-10pm
http://www.theboilingcrab.com/

Sonoma Chicken Coop: San Jose, Ca

On a recent trip home, my siblings and I decided to venture into Downtown and check out what was new. Not so long ago, Downtown San Jose was not really a place that people wanted to hang out. However, Downtown has been revitalized over the recent years and now its a hip happening place.

We parked our car and started wandering around, ending up in San Pedro Square which is doted with several restaurants and hosts a weekly farmers market.We finally decided on Sonoma Chicken Coop. The name caught my attention and it seemed quite busy. People are always a good sign right? Its an order and pay type of place like Panera. So we checked out the menu, placed our order and was handed a buzzer that would notify us when our food was ready.
Fried Calamari: I personally was fine without but DV wanted it. It was cooked very nicely... not too chewy. The batter had a nice flavor but it could have been more crunchy. The sauce was a little ... ketchup-y tasting.
BBQ Chicken Pizza: I'm such a crust fanatic. If the crust is great, you'll find me tearing the crust of the pie and leaving the rest for whoever is eating with me. I didn't really find myself doing that with this pizza. I found the pie a bit saucy... the sauce was bbq sauce and the chicken was drenched in the sauce as well. Sauce overkill!
Lime Grilled Chicken: I'm dark meat girl but was pleasantly surprised by the moist juicy tenderness of these boneless chicken breasts. The seasoned rice was very flavorful and a nice compliment to the chicken. Didn't care so much for the leek mashed potatoes or the slice of pizza. Penne with Marinara Sauce: I can't really say anything bout this as CV totally commanded and destroyed it. Hah! I guess it was good?

The one thing that really annoyed me was that a slice of pizza came out with each entree. If I didn't know the name of this place... I'd think they were trying to sell pizza and not chicken.

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Average meal price: ~$10

Food: Variety of pizzas, salads, sandwiches etc. featuring chicken

Ambiance: Clean and modern

Service: You pick up your own food but they are fast with the orders and bussing any empty dishes for you

Kid-friendliness: Kids welcomed :)

Cleanliness: Very clean!

Overall: Not a bad deal for a fast casual meal in Downtown San Jose

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31 N Market St
San Jose, CA 95113

(408) 287-4098
Sun-Thu: 11 AM - 9 PM
Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 10 PM

www.sonomachickencoop.com

Aki's Bakery: San Jose, CA

I had heard of Aki's Bakery years ago as it is quite a fixture in San Jose, serving the community since the 1960's. My Honor's World History/ AP US History teacher in high school would rave about and of course I remembered to add it to my "to visit" list. However, I never mentioned it when I was living at home since I figured nobody at home would be down for venturing away from the Chinese style cakes they were so familiar with. Recently I felt my family became be more open to venturing into new styles of cakes so I suggested it and it was an emphatic go.
D and I arrived bright and early before opening but as you can see... there were others anxiously awaiting to grab some goodies. Parking is very limited in the front to street parking so we decided to park in the back where there was plenty of parking since we were driving the parents' shiny new car.
Once we were in, we were overwhelmed by the choices. Look at all the cakes! All so pretty and yummy looking. We managed to be first in line and considering there were several patrons waiting behind us, we decided it'd be wise to not step out and wave people on. So we stepped up to the counter and the attendant was great at helping us to find the cake we were looking for. Specifically we wanted a cake low in sugar yet wasn't plain tasting and the signature guava cake was recommended to us.
This pink treat consists of two layers of guava chiffon cake, filled and iced with guava whipped cream and topped with a light guava puree. The attendant said it was imperative that we put the cake back in the fridge if weren't going to eat it within the hour so we did as we were saving it for after lunch.
Check out that slice! The cake layers were light and fluffy... and had a delicate guava flavor. I'm such a fan of whipped cream as it is airy...making it less of a guilt trip to consume than butter cream or cream cheese frosting. This whipped cream icing was no different and again lightly flavored with guava. When I first saw the guava puree, I was a little skeptical that it wouldn't be overly sweet. But it really wasn't and provided a lovely different texture to the cake.

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Average meal price: ~>$20 for a 7'' cake

Food: cakes, pastries and cookies

Ambiance: mom and pop shop feel

Service: friendly and helpful

Kid-friendliness: kids welcomed!

Cleanliness: neat and clean!

Overall: a must visit for a special cake for any occasion

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355 Meridian Ave, San Jose, CA 95126
Tel: 408-287-5404
www.akisbakery.com/Welcome.html

Chino Farms: Locally Grown Organic!

Thanks for bearing with me :). I sit in front of a computer all day at work so the sight of my laptop at the end of the day kind of disgusts me. I'll try my best to get on here more often... I owe it to you readers.

These photos have been sitting on my computer for a little while but they should still be inspiring since I took them at the end of June and there's still time to enjoy the summer bounty! The first time I heard of Chino Farms was when I visited Mille Fleurs. The name was tossed around so much I got sick of hearing it but the meal was incredible so I decided I'd visit the farm to pick up some produce myself. Lucky for me... the farm is just a hop, skip and a jump away.

Growing up at home I was very used to freshly laid eggs daily and seasonal organic grown fruits and veggies. So it was quite a pleasure to visit the farm stand in the middle of quaint Rancho Santa Fe. I love that you get your own shopper here who will follow you around and can help make suggestions on what to get. The stand looks a little small from the street but there really is a lovely variety of seasonal treats picked that morning! My personal favorites at Chino Farms are the corn, melons and strawberries YUM! Check out my latest catch there:


Green Romanesque cauliflower, yellow cauliflower and some white and yellow ears of corn.

A basket of multi colored cherry tomatoes.

Green and red leaf lettuce.

A basket of French strawberries.

A basket of raspberries.

Sorry no photos of the meal created with this catch but you can use your imagination :). Please visit to see a feast for the eyes yourself.

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6123 Calzada del Bosque, Rancho Santa Fe, CA

Fall/Winter: Tuesday - Saturday 10-4; Sunday 10-1
Spring/Summer: Tuesday- Saturday 10-5; Sunday 10-1

When a good thing( Elizabethan Desserts) gets discovered…

I used to be such a big fan of Elizabethan Desserts when I first discovered it… about 2 months after it first opened. First impressions are everything right? Well I got an awesome first impression from this cute little bakery tucked under a red roof in a plant nursery in Encinitas.

I remember I was in a rush... in the midst of projects at school (I was taking like (6) 4 unit classes...phew thank goodness I survived!) and eking out some hours at work for a little spending money. I didn't have much time to check out bakeries, was not going to pay Extraordinary Desserts prices for a whole cake and I'm really not a fan of Asian style cakes. I remember LH had read some awesome commentary on Elizabethan Desserts on Chowhound so I wrote down the address and decided to check it out. I arrived a little before closing and Elizabeth luckily had a spare block cake she had made for a baby shower. Oh how helpful she was and delicious the cake was. I went back another time but pre-ordered and again she was graciously accommodating to my wishes. The service was really what I loved. Getting good food is part of the package but when there's awesome service, it completes the deal.

Some months drifted by as we were trying to work off the pounds and I started to notice that Elizabeth was getting some new help ( It used to be just her and one helper) when I'd drop in to pick up a goodie to go. I knew then that things would be changing. Elizabeth had been getting very popular and it was only natural that she was going to need more help in the front and the back. However, I do think once an owner starts hiring on more people that it's difficult to convey to the others how exactly she would like service to be run.

That's what happened here!

She used to be open 6 days a week and then cut down to 5.... ok I'll give her that. A dessert goddess does need her rest too. However, the unhelpful and unaccommodating manner of her helpers is something I don't think I can get over. Elizabeth would work with you to find you something suiting to your tastes. Geez these helpers could gives a rat's ass what you get... lauding everyone of the creations. Hey everybody has different tastes you know. Someone who is a chocolate fanatic may not be a fan of the white cakes and so on.

So I tried on two occasion these recent past months to order cakes. One time I dropped in early on a Saturday morning to see if it was possible to get something done by the next day (that's when I found out they started closing on Sundays). Again the helpers weren't willing to work with me and Elizabeth must have heard the commotion and came over to talk. I had a gift certificate for a certain size cake and she was willing to give me the certificate's worth in baked goods. She also told me to my face that a 24 hr advanced notice was necessary to prepare a special order. Ok I'll remember that. So that's what I did the second time. I called in and one of her darned helpers picked up the phone and gave me a flat "NO... 48 hr advanced notice please." I tried to reason with her that I got the 24 hr notice ok with Elizabeth but she wasn't having it.

I was furious! I considered myself a good customer and to be treated in such a manner is unacceptable. I'm not asking for her and her staff to bend over backwards. If the rules have been stated and I come half way to follow them then I expect them to meet me there... not make me walk another quarter of the way. Wouldn't you expect the same?

Since then I haven't bothered to go back or request any orders. Someone will probably read this and notify Elizabeth. Oh well... I know her distaste for food bloggers. But there you have it... my beautiful gone awry experience with Elizabethan Desserts. Let me know when service has changed and I'll come back as a loyal customer again. You can ready my first post here.

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155 Quail Gardens Dr., Encinitas, CA 92024 (inside the Sunshine Gardens Nursery) * Tuesday-Saturday: 10-5, Sunday: 10-4 * (760) 522-4141 * contact@elizabethandesserts.com

http://www.elizabethandesserts.com/

Chicken Fried Steak at Harry's Coffee Shop (challenger 2)

I think you can't possibly like driving to the village of La Jolla unless you live there. Its not the easiest destination to get to in SD county, its always so congested and parking can be a bit tough to find when fighting for spots with tourists. Nevertheless, I still make my way down there to grab some breakfast and hang out at the cove or watch the seals at Children's Beach.

LH introduce us to this place a while back ago and it still stands as my most favorite place to get chicken fried steak. We usually wait till ML is in town and then head on down there but this particular weekend, EK and I had a monster craving so we made the trip down ourselves. The drive wasn't bad and parking was pretty good for a weekend- I got a spot in front of the shop!


There was however a wait as usual but it was short and we were seated promptly with menus when it was our time. Did we really need menus? We already knew what we were here for but we read the menu anyways. We both ordered chicken fried steak with hash browns, biscuits and gravy on the side. Only difference in our orders were the eggs- I like scrambled and EK usually gets easy over or sunny side up.

The chicken fried steak was almost everything I had hoped for as usual... moist, flavorful, crispy and crunchy on the outside yet tender on the inside. However, I feel that the portion size has been getting smaller every time I come back. The first time I came it was a gargantuan thing that dominated half the plate... kinda hard to see in the picture but now its like a third of the plate. Notice the gravy on the side- I like to cut up my chicken fried steak and biscuits and dip it into the gravy. Love the combination of textures- crispy, crunchy, tender, smooth and creamy! I think the chicken fried steak here is so tasty that it doesn't need the eggs, hash browns and biscuits as fillers if only it were slightly bigger but that's just me speaking.


The biscuits were very warm and buttery but a little on the soft side for me. I don't remember them being this soft before- maybe they were day old on this visit? I think next time I'll ask to get them toasted as I like it nice and crispy on the outside.


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Average meal price: < $10

Food: American style comfort foods

Ambiance: Old fashioned diner/coffee house

Service: Always a wait to get seated but very accommodating

Kid-friendliness: There's always a ton of kids

Cleanliness: Pretty clean

Overall: If you like chicken fried steak then you gotta come here

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7545 Girard Ave
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 454-7381

6am-3pm everyday

www.harryscoffeeshop.com