santa monica: bangkok west

tommy drops in to bangkok west in santa monica for lunch...


salad


red curry


spicy eggplant with beef


tom yum kai

tommy says: tastiest thai in the area! the lunch specials include salad and egg rolls. the red curry was yummy! the eggplant tasted more chinese than thai, but was still good. the soup was quite good as well! the salad dressing and dipping sauce for the egg rolls were finger lickin good. they did have other asian and fusion dishes (pho, sashimi, etc) which raised a red flag when glancing over the menu, but the food delivered. fantastic flavors all around!!

bangkok west thai
606 santa monica blvd
santa monica, ca 90401
(310) 395-9658
http://www.bangkokwestthaicuisine.com

west la: nanbankan

tommy goes for yakitori at nanbankan in wla...


veggies and dipping sauce


soboro don: ground chicken over rice
miso soup


shiso pork, bacon wrapped asparagus, shishito peppers


soft-shelled crab


black cod


quail eggs, chicken wings, veggies


house special onigiri


beef tenderloin


chicken meatballs, chicken with green onions


lychee ice cream

tommy says: tasty grilled meat on a stick. the complete dinner ($23) comes with miso soup, shiso pork, bacon wrapped asparagus, quail eggs, chicken wings, veggies, beef tenderloin, chicken meatballs, chicken with green onions, rice or soboro don ($1 extra for soboro don), and ice cream. favorite skewers were the chicken wings, beef tenderloin, and chicken meatballs, and the extra charge for the soboro don is worth it! the house special onigiri was disappointing and bland and not worth ordering, but maybe the other flavors are better. the black cod and soft-shell crab were quite good.

nanbankan
11330 santa monica blvd

los angeles, ca 90189

(310) 478-1591

los angeles - little tokyo: kushi shabu

tommy continues his all-you-can-eat trend at kushi shabu in jtown...


veggies, noodles, tofu, and sauces


beef


goodies bubbling away


gelatin, fruit and red bean in syrup

tommy says: ayce shabu shabu! on tuesdays and wednesdays before 7pm, you can get 20% off. the meat is pretty good and the ennoki mushrooms are yummy. for carb lovers, they also give you two kinds of noodles. the sauces aren't bad, and the dessert is a nice treat. go when you can eat enough to feed a small village.

kushi shabu
weller court
123 s. onizuka st #305
los angeles, ca 90012

santa monica: monsieur marcel

tommy drops in at monsieur marcel at the promenade in santa monica...


croque monsieur


french onion soup


mac and cheese

tommy says: everything was bland and heavy. fries were the only thing worth eating. the panache (half beer, half lemonade) was quite tasty. come for a quick drink and maybe some fries.

monsieur marcel
1260 third street promenade

santa monica, ca 90407

(310) 587-1166

http://www.mrmarcel.com/

los angeles - koreatown: manna korean bbq

tommy does all-you-can-eat korean bbq at manna in ktown...


assorted banchan


meat

tommy says: another korean bbq restaurant that lets you stuff your face silly. panchan are ok, and meat was decent -- as good as any other ayce korean bbq joint. wear pants with an elastic waistband and let loose.

manna korean bbq
3377 w olympic blvd

los angeles, ca 90019

(323) 733-8516

http://www.mannakoreanbbq.com/

los angeles: el taurino

tommy gets spicy at el taurino...


carne asada tacos


carne asada combo burrito (steak, rice and beans)

tommy says: the hot sauce is super spicy and tasty and makes everything taste good. the rice and beans got in the way in the carne burrito, the plain all-meat burrito is probably a better bet, but the combo burrito was still good. the tacos were yummy too.

el taurino
2306 w 11th st

los angeles, ca 90006

(213) 738-9197

http://www.eltaurino.com/

west la: echigo

tommy falls in love with echigo in wla...


japanese snapper and albacore


toro


scallops and skipjack


bonito


kampachi





halibut


butterfish


blue crab roll

tommy says: omakase selection was superb! favorites were the butterfish, toro, bonito, and blue crab roll. the rice is warm and the fish is fresh. sparse decor, but who needs it with food this good! best sushi in la to date.

echigo
12217 santa monica blvd ste 201
los angeles, ca 90025
(310) 820-9787

santa monica: rosti

tommy goes italian at rosti's in santa monica...


arugula & parmesan salad with tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette


bruschetta


spinach and ricotta ravioli with beef ragu

tommy says: the bruschetta was yummy and the ravioli was pretty good too. a decent italian option for the neighborhood.

rosti's tuscan kitchen
931 montana avenue
santa monica, ca 90402
(310) 393-3236
http://www.rostituscankitchen.com/

west la: don antonio's

tommy checks out taco wednesday at don antonio's in west la...


carne asada and chicken tacos

tommy says: $1 tacos on wednesdays. the chicken and potato (not photographed) tacos were the tastiest. the salsa was so-so. the tacos themselves are ok, but when the price is factored in, pretty decent.

don antonio's
11755 w pico blvd
los angeles, ca 90064
(310) 312-2090

santa monica: bravo cucina

tommy grabs brunch at bravo cucina in santa monica...


egg sandwich


eggs benedict

tommy says: the egg sandwich was pretty bland. the hollandaise on the eggs benedict had a nice kick, but otherwise wasn't anything special. eh.

bravo cucina
1319 third street promenade
santa monica, ca 90401
(310) 394-0374

los angeles - koreatown: pho 4000

tommy tries goes for vietnamese at pho 4000 in ktown...


vermicelli rice noodles with beef, shrimp, egg roll, and fish sauce

tommy says: beef and shrimp were over cooked, tough, and inedible. the egg roll was whatever. fish sauce was ok. the server was super nice which makes it tough to give a bad review, but this dish just wasn't good.

pho 4000
414 s western ave
los angeles, ca 90020
(213) 252-4401

los angeles - gardena: shin sen gumi hakata ramen

tommy slurps up some ramen at shin sen gumi hakata ramen in gardena...


ramen




sweet potato with butter

tommy says: good, but not as orgasmic as people hype it up to be. you get your choice of noodle texture (firm, medium, or soft), and oiliness of the broth. they also offer a half size ramen as well as extra noodles to accommodate all appetite sizes, which is nice. while the ramen here was good, would rather drive to jtown for an equal if not superior bowl.

shin sen gumi hakata ramen
2015 w redondo beach blvd
gardena, ca 90247
(310) 329-1335
http://www.shinsengumiusa.com/G_ramen/index.php

los angeles - koreatown: haus dessert boutique

tommy goes for something hot and cold at haus in ktown...


drip coffee


shaved ice with fruit and red bean

tommy says: pricey. drip coffee was $8 (though it was quite a presentation -- they come a pour the water over the filter and it drips down into the pot, and did make 3 cups) and shaved ice with fruit (and red bean and rice cakes) was $10. the decor was modern and fun, but honestly, not really worth the price.

haus dessert boutique
3826 w 6th st

los angeles, ca 90020

(213) 288-5311

los angeles - koreatown: chilbomyunok

tommy chows down at chilbomyunok in ktown...


yetnarl bulgogi


assorted banchan

tommy says: the yetnarl bulgogi was fantastic! the grill pan that the meat is cooked on has a moat around the edge that is filled with broth. as the meat cooks, the meat is pushed into the moat and then picked out to eat. so yummy! the nengmyun (both bibim and murl; neither of which was photographed because they were devoured too quickly) is good here too!

chilbomyunok
3680 w 6th st
los angeles, ca 90020
(213) 387-9292

san gabriel valley - arcadia: din tai fung

tommy goes to the legendary din tai fung in arcadia...


appetizer


shrimp fried rice


rice cakes


dumplings


handy directions on how to eat the dumplings

tommy says: tried the new location, which is right around the corner from the original. the appetizer (that is literally what the menu lists it as) was really tasty. it had bean sprouts, bean curd, and other goodies. the shrimp fried rice was good and didn't seem as heavy as other fried rice. the rice cake dish was a lil on the bland side. and of course the infamous soup dumplings were tasty. had the pork & crab and the pork dumplings. the pork flavor overpowered the crab, but were still good. honestly, probably a bit over-hyped, but definitely a tasty meal.

din tai fung
1088 s baldwin ave
arcadia, ca 91007
(626) 446-8588
http://www.dintaifungusa.com