los angeles - gardena: shin sen gumi yakitori

tommy gets sticky at shin sen gumi takitori in gardena...


kakuni: braised pork belly


chicken meatball, chicken thigh with green onions and house sauce, asparagus wrapped in pork belly, shiso leaf wrapped in pork belly


fried sweet potato


cream crab croquette


chicken liver


sliced mountain yam


remnants of the yellow tail

tommy says: the fried sweet potato was amazing! perfectly crisp on the outside, and unbelievably sweet and fluffy on the inside. kakuni wasn't as tender as it should've been, but had good flavor. chicken meatball was the best of the skewers. cream crab croquette was very tasty. sliced mountain yam was not what was expected and had a slimy sauce -- will be avoided in the future. the staff is incredibly friendly. all in all a yummy experience!

shin sen gumi yakitori

18617 s western

gardena, ca 90247 [map]
http://www.shinsengumiusa.com/G_yakitori/index.php

los angeles: sake house miro

tommy goes for sushi at sake house...


salmon and garlic butter albacore


california roll, scallop roll, spicy scallop roll, spyder roll


fire tornado roll





butterfish


sweet shrimp


happy roll, shrimp tempura roll


green tea and vanilla ice cream
mango and vanilla mochi ice cream

tommy says: the fish was pretty fresh. wasn't a fan of the fire tornado roll... the mochi ice cream had a weird texture... an ok sushi joint, nothing spectacular, but it is kinda of difficult to be fair since just coming back from japan...

sake house miro

809 S La Brea Ave

Los Angeles, CA, 90036 [map]

(323) 939-7075
http://www.sakehousemiro.com

venice: chaya

tommy settles back in lalaland with happy hour at chaya in venice...


spicy tuna tartare


albacore sashimi salad


fried calamari with curry mayonnaise dip

tommy says: ok food menu for happy hour, but drink specials are limited to 2 cocktails! not even a beer special!! albacore sashimi salad and spicy tuna tartare were pretty good, but the tuna tartare didn't have any heat. happy hour food specials are $4 or $5 and lasts from 5-7pm. Good for happy hour, but the regular menu seems pricey...

chaya

110 navy street

venice, ca 90293 [map]

(310) 396-1179
http://www.thechaya.com/

chicago: gale street inn

tommy gets messy eating ribs at gale street inn, his last meal in chi-town...


ceviche, spicy crabcake over portobello mushroom


chicken tomatillo soup


full rack bbq ribs and garlic mashed potatoes

tommy says: the ceviche wasn't bad, i wasn't fond of the crabcake though. not much crab, mostly breading and i wasn't feeling the portabello with it. the soup was excellent with a nice kick. ribs were finger-lickin good and mashed potatoes were good too. yuuummmmm...

gale street inn

4914 n milwaukee avenue

chicago, il 60630 [map]

(773) 725-1300
http://www.galestreet.com/

chicago: sopraffina marketcaffe

tommy grabs lunch at sopraffina marketcaffe...


assisi sandwich: artichokes, roasted red peppers, roasted tomatoes, marinated red onions, smoked mozzarella, lettuce and chipotle mayonnaise on multigrain flatbread
asian chicken slaw
tomato mushroom bisque

tommy says: not bad, not bad at all. the sandwich was quite filling, the soup was quite tasty, but the slaw was poorly dressed. pretty good for a quick lunch. similar to a panera bread...

sopraffina marketcaffe

aon center - retail lobby level
200 e randolph st

chicago, il 60601 [map]

(312) 729-9200

http://www.sopraffina.com