800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria

I'm pretty sure all of you know by now that I love to drink. And if you didn't, know you know that I do. I also love tacos too, and fried chicken... and burgers.. and french fries and pasta and sushi. I know I get carried away.

It was my coworkers birthday, celebrated on a Friday night. I was staying back a bit at work to help out a colleague with some reports. Our anxiety was off the charts. But that's what booze is for. The first stop we headed to was Edward Mills in Old Town Pasadena. With $3 drinks and appetizers till 7, it doesn't get any better than that. Or, does it?

Thinking the party was almost over, I was hungry and ready to roam the streets for food. One coworker was ready to head over to King Taco which is genius after the drinks. I didn't know what I wanted. I just wanted something good.

I don't know how it happened, but we ended up here at 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria. My colleague mentioned an Instagram special where you order their pizza of the day. $5. No substitutions. But, you better check instagram first to know what the pizza of the day was. We were lucky and they were kind enough to let us slide. But next time we don't check, we just get bread sticks.

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This is their Bianca with red onions, spinach and smoked provolone. A definite wowsers.

What I love about Neapolitan Pizzas is how thin they are. It also has a nice chew with a beautiful unique tang/sourness from the yeast. And honestly, the simpler the better. I feel like with Neapolitan pizza, it's all about the dough, the fresh sauce, cheese and just a few ingredients. Drink with a glass of wine or a nice cold brew is something I can envision myself doing on a casual afternoon.

For $5, it's definitely worth it. Seats were plentiful. I left my cellphone, and was definitely thankful no one took it... yet at least.

Find them on Instagram @800degreespizza to figure out what the next pizza of the day is. You might find me there.

Tokyo Central

One of the questions I kind of get stuck on answering is always "What do you like to do?". I'm always thinking what do you mean? like, as a career? oh... you meant on my free time.. It's kind of like asking someone what do you cook? or what's your signature dish? I want to get a pan and whack someone every time I get asked that. It can't be something simple either. If I say steak and white rice, I get this "Oh.." Umm sorry? were you expecting me to say some fancy bouillabaisse?

So day off. What do I like to do. To be extremely honest, I love to go grocery shopping. But, on a really good day, you will find me here at Tokyo Central. It's fantastic. It has the best meats you can find for shabu shabu or a night of sukiyaki. If you want to crank up some yakitori, they sell shichirin and coals for you to do so at home. If you want to make sushi, they have a great fresh variety of seafood as well as different oshinkos and tsukemonos for you to make a spread. From different shoyu to different tare, you will also find tons of Japanese snacks to host at your next sports fare.

Oh, don't ever forget to stop by their liquor selection. From a wide range of sake and shochu, they also carry a few Japanese whiskeys that's worth some fancy quarters to put on your top shelf. But, hurry before they sell out.

What I love about Tokyo Central, like many Japanese markets, have a pretty kick ass food court. Tokyo Central in particular, has a pretty glorious sushi bento selection. From decadent chirashis, to cute little nigiri boxes, to your basic cut rolls and colorfully stuffed inari. With that being said, you cannot beat the price. They focus mostly on sushi for their bentos, though they do a few bentos with salmon shioyaki, katsu bentos, curry and some pasta.

Cutting to the chase. Me. Super hungry. Need food now.

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I can't pass this up. Once I got my eyes on this, the anxiety of walking around the selections thinking someone might snatch this box got me feeling a bit uneasy and violent. What is also included in this bento besides ikura and uni, is ika. And if you don't know what any of these are: uni=sea urchin, the best mother f*cking tasting part of the ocean. Ikura = salmon roe, pops in your mouth with sweet sea salty pockets. And Ika, squid, snappy and slightly slimy as you chew it. But flavors are mild and slightly sweet.

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But what's the kicker here. I obviously mentioned the price before. But you can't even guess. $7.49. I mean I can stop there, or I can keep going about how f*cking awesome it is. The uni was extremely fresh and creamy, exactly how it looks and why I was drawn to it. If you don't know, uni and ikura are like a match made in seafood heaven. You can't beat these 2 together, ever.

Ate this with some wasabi, soy sauce, and some citrus ponzu. By the way, a shiso was hidden under the ikura (normally the case). A lot of you don't know what shiso is. I don't even know, but I can tell you how it taste. It's citrusy and slightly spicy in a not hot in your mouth way (kind of like arugula spicy), but people don't normally eat this. Your life is missing out. Eat the shiso with the ikura and a bit of rice and you will have a mouth explosion.

So that is my hobby. And one of the things I love to do. Not just shopping for groceries, but going to specialty markets like Tokyo Central to enjoy a great experience.

1420 S Azusa Ave, West Covina, CA 91791

Breakfast with Dad - Ledo Cafe - Rosemead

It's my first meal with my dad for the New Years. How's everyone feeling about 2016 so far? Even though it's already been over a week, I am really feeling like I'm living into this year already. I am feeling pretty positive and ambitious for this year. I don't really know what to expect this year, but I'm going to make sure it's going to be a whole hell lot of fun with family, friends, and new faces.

I called my dad this morning like every Saturday morning to have breakfast. I mean, it's pretty obvious where my dad wants to go, but it's always nice to confirm because once in a while he will throw a curve ball at me and suggest a different restaurant. Not today. He's been craving his steak from Ledo Cafe in Rosemead.

Open 7AM - 2AM

8168 Garvey Ave, Rosemead, CA 91770

Chinese Hong Kong cafes in this area is the spot for us around here. I don't know what it is besides cheap eats and some nostalgic feels for our hometown. The food is "alright". Not just saying for this place in particular, but just all across the board. From cafe to cafe, you will literally find the same items on the menu: steak and eggs, instant noodles with spam and eggs, spam and eggs sandwich, preserved egg congee with your choice of: soy egg noodles with sprouts, chinese donuts, chinese radish cake, etc, you get the point.

But my dad loves the steak at Ledo's. He's also saying the same thing EVERY time his order comes. He would raise his glasses above his head and look at his steak very closely. And picks up that one piece of rosemary and say "They use rosemary" (in cantonese) and smile thinking it's super fancy. I'll give it to him though, after eating a bite of it every Saturday from his plate, their steak is starting to grow on me as well.

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He orders his steak medium rare with over easy eggs. He grabs a toast, spread a little butter, put one egg in, squeeze the toast in half so the yolk oozes out, and eats it like an egg sandwich.

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When you order chow mein, unless you are chinese, they probably won't ask you if you want it "2 face golden". Which basically means the noodles are fried on both sides. If you don't speak any cantonese, say "learn-mein-wong" and they will understand. If they look at you like you cussed, just tell them in english noodles fried on both side.

By having the noodles golden on both sides, it doesn't just create texture, but it adheres to the sauce better. The chow mein here wasn't bad either.

I ordered a cup of 1/2 coffee 1/2 tea called "yean-yern" which basically means ying yang. My dad just ordered coffee.

The rest of the conversation we had though, is classified. He did mentioned to me where he took this hot shot of himself:

Happy 2016!

Kareem's Mediterranean Restaurant

First of all, save this address:

1208 S Brookhurst St. Anaheim, CA 92804

I got the opportunity to taste some home style Middle Eastern food in Anaheim. What's special about Kareem's, is the history. They've been opened for 20 years with the same owner. The father of the restaurant, named it after his son, Kareem. Over the years, a few other Arab restaurants opened up. About 20. Though some closed, Kareem's still stands as one of the flagships landed on Brookhurst.

I've had plenty of Middle Eastern food, but I never know what to expect. I know there are small regions all over the place that serves the same food, differently. Kind of like Asia. From Chinese dumplings, to Taiwanese, to more Southern, it's all similar but different. What was special about Kareem's was not just their family recipe, but how the mom still cooks in the kitchen. But that will be saved for later. There are a lot of intimidating dishes that I'm sure a lot of people won't be too comfortable eating. Like, lamb liver. I am definitely going to come back to try this.

With that said, I left the choices up to Kareem himself.

Fatoush Salad

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This is my favorite salad to order at a Middle Eastern Restaurant. I love the vinegar and the tanginess of the Sumak which was doused pretty liberally, just the way I like it. The pita was nice and crunchy. The greens, tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, were all extremely fresh and crisp. The amount of salad that you get are pretty generous, so I would recommend sharing this.

Falafel Plate with Hummus

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These home made bad boys are vegan. And boy OH boy are they bad to the bone in the best way possible. I've had my fair share of falafel, but never quite like the ones here. They are piping hot, and is forgivable even after eating them cold. They were very crispy on the outside. But on the inside? you be the judge:

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Super moist and seasoned perfectly. Their falafels is the same original recipe that Kareem's father created 20 years ago. These will even make your forget you are eating something that is vegan. I highly recommend getting these when you arrive. And if you would like to take some home, they are sold in local markets like Super King, Irvine Ranch Market, and a few others.

French Fries

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They must know I've been craving fries. These were perfect. Soft and slightly crispy, sprinkled with Sumak. I would order these again, and dip them in whatever I can. I was even eating these with the chicken instead of the rice. And I was also eating these together with the pita, falafel and hummus.

Chicken Kabob

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Grilled chicken Kabob was served with hummus and rice. The chicken was very juicy. Goes so well with the charred tomatoes and onions. Don't forget the hummus and pita. Extremely fresh and jaw dropping deliciousness.

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Here, you want a bite?

You must order their hummus. If it already comes with your plate, fine. But this was one of the best hummus I've had. Creamy and slightly nutty, doused with paprika. The olive oil and paprika just swims in the hummus. It was a beautiful sight.

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Going back to Kareem's mother. She was more than a sweetheart, she is exactly what she was, a mom. I felt her energy. The "Hi" to the "thank you for eating my food". I wanted to hold her hand. No I wanted to hug her. And give her a kiss on her cheek. She is the cook in their kitchen. And if this was my last meal, I would be content and happy. Because I know a loving mother made this meal for us. She told us to wait, as she brings us mint tea which was huge in their culture. But for me, I felt like it was my own mom telling me to drink some tea to digest the food. In no time, she comes out with:

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Ceylon black tea with fresh mint. Ceylon is a tea from Sri Lanka. It has a very robust flavor and works well with creamers if you love english tea. To some, this is familiar to the Moroccan mint tea. The tea though, is different in a Moroccan mint which is normally used with Gunpowder green tea. This was soothing, and cleansing after eating all that food.

At the end of the meal, we were extremely pleased not just with the food, but the service. We were the only asians in there. To everyone else, it's like going to moms. I am definitely coming back. I'm really tempted to order the same things again, but will try my best to order something else. Everything was too delicious.

This is what it's all about. If you want a hole in the wall, a good one, a restaurant with history, family oriented, this is the place you should definitely check out. I live 17 miles away, and will drive out to have home made Middle Eastern food.

1208 S Brookhurst St. Anaheim, CA 92804

Make sure you say hi to the mom. It doesn't get any better than that.

Smitty's Grill

Back here again for a Holiday lunch. I mentioned before that I would love to come here to slug a few martinis, but today, I slugged a few old fashioned. Who care it's the holidays! right? Our waiter came by and presented the daily specials. I was craving salmon, but when he mentioned hanger steak, I knew that's what I needed to order no matter how much steak I will be eating this week. And since we are in the holidays, I asked for a side of horse radish cream because I am addicted. It's been kind of my new thing lately to eat all my steaks with horse radish cream. Try it, I'm sure you will like it too.

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Hanger Steak here with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The steak is grilled and served with demi-glace sauce. Of course, it's medium rare or die. The meat was very flavorful, and tender, but more towards the center. I was in a happy place. The old fashioned made this taste even more decadent than it looks. I'm a carnivore and I love a red steak, but I could never order a rare steak. Medium rare is as far as I would go, unless I am eating tartare or carpaccio, of course.

I do recommend their specials. I noticed a lot of people order their pot pies. That will be my next hit list! Though I really want to have prime rib... Steak always prevails! but we will see next time.

Cheers and get grubbin!