Nobu

Nobu, Los Angeles, CA

Wagyu Beef Tacos, Lobster Tacos, Toro Roll, California Roll, Rock Shrimp Tempura

My experience at Nobu was a good one. I heard a lot about this place from celebrity news to a young and hip Japanese lounge hitting the magazines. Nobu is a Japanese and Peruvian fusion restaurant/lounge that serve a la cart style dishes for a group. The key experience here is a family style dining experience with all the trimmings.

My friends and I came here for an early dinner and just ordered our own food rather than sharing in the middle. The drink menu is extensive with lots to choose from. I highly recommend ordering their sake to pair with their food. Their exotic cocktails are made with unique mixes of ingredients and are sure to please you.

I ordered the Wagyu Beef Tacos which were small in size but great in taste. It comes in two; a crispy fried shell with finely chopped beef inside. Each taco can be eaten with a single bite because of the small size. The meat is sweet with a lightly salted coat. The flavor from the meat totally bursts out and resembles sweet pork from Chinese steamed pork buns. This is pricey for $14 but worth the try.

The Toro (bluefin) cut roll sushi was ok. I can taste the fresh fatty taste to the toro and it was great except the portions were too small; 6 small pieces for $16. This roll wasn't anything too special, just the fact that it's the most expensive roll on the sushi menu.

Overall, my experience was nice! The employees here work quick and efficient without giving that "Hurry-up" vibe. As each dish is eaten and finished, a person comes right away to take the plates away. The tables are cleaned fast and ready for the next guest. I also loved how even though this is a high-end restaurant, the ambiance isn't uncomfortable. People are dressed casually and the workers aren't stuck up. This place is worth trying with friends or a small group!

Photo by: Allister de Vera
Nobu, Los Angeles, CA

Grégoire

Grégoire, Berkeley, CA

Potato Balls

Grégoire is this famous stand/restaurant in North Berkeley that serves high-end type dishes at an affordable price. The ingredients are fresh, the menu changes weekly/monthly, their customer service is excellent, and their cooks are well trained. The food here is French-style with American influence. Everything is made from scratch and cooked to perfection. Most of the ingredients are seasonal and straight from the local area and imported from different regions. One of their most popular dishes is their famous Grégoire Potato Puffs; they are golden crisp with a soft & cheese-filled inside. The texture starts off crispy then chewy but pillow-soft as you chew down. It comes with house-made aioli sauce that pairs great with the puffs. It offers a zing to the tongue; possibly due to the hint of horseradish? 

I recommend Grégoire to the people visiting Berkeley. This is a hometown staple and is widely known for it's quick service yet fresh and hardy meals. Enjoy!

Photo by: Allister de Vera

Grégoire, Berkeley, CA

Kenji Sushi

Kenji Sushi. San Jose, CA

Popcorn Lobster Sushi Roll

Shrimp Tempura Roll

Red Bean Mochi Ice Cream

Green Tea Tempura Ice Cream

Kenji Sushi is this new sushi & grill lounge right on Winchester, San Jose, CA. It's located directly across from Santana Row which is a perfect location to hold another lounge-type restaurant.

Kenji serves fresh cuts of fish/sashimi on the daily and is prepared by well trained sushi chefs. Their service is wonderful and they make sure you're orders are served on time but with perfection. The plating on the entrees including desserts are just beautiful. It literally looks like a painting on a plate.

I ordered the Popcorn Lobster sushi roll which is almost like a California roll but with a special sauce and a crispy fried baby lobster meat on top. There is a hint of spice to it which is just right; more like a small zing. The shrimp tempura roll is great tasting too! The fresh breading from the tempura gives off the perfect texture with each bite.

For dessert I had the tempura ice cream; green tea flavor. It's drizzled with a sweet chocolate syrup, frozen berries and whipped cream in between each tempura cut. This dessert was fantastic. The green tea has a pure matcha taste to it which gives off the natural taste of green tea while the tempura cover is deep fried with a crispy texture to compliment the ice cream. My friend Wes ordered the red bean mochi ice cream which was plated beautifully. The texture of the mochi was soft and delicate. The desserts here is a must try and well worth the price; not that bad.

Overall, my experience was awesome! Service was great and our waitress kept checking up on us which was helpful. The sushi is fresh and prepared with skill. And the dessert...well let's just say it's something you must try. period.


Photo by: Allister de Vera
Kenji Sushi, San Jose, CA

Fountain Coffee Room

The Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles, CA

Fountain Coffee Room

Silver Dollar Pancakes

The Fountain Coffee Room is an intimate diner-type room with a touch of elegance. There are hand painted forest leaves on the walls as you walk down and into the cafe. There are about 19 bar stools, two servers, and one cook.

Tables are set with stainless steel utensils, a tray of sugar & jam, a white silk placemat and of course a pink Beverly Hills Hotel bib/napkin. Food is served at a decent time due to one cook:19 guests ratio. The cook works extremely hard and knows the ingredients from the back of the head.

I ordered a cup of coffee and Silver Dollar Buttermilk Pancakes. The pancakes were more like mini sized pancakes with a freshly cut strawberry on top and butter balls on the side. The batter is fluffy and buttery. The texture isn't stiff and the pancakes weren't burnt; it was made perfectly. To make things even better, there are bottles of authentic Vermont syrup from The Beverly Hills Hotel. The syrup is Grade-A and has a rich vanilla-honey taste. It's not gooey like most syrup; it drips like water and is sweet. This has to go over your pancakes no matter what!

Overall, I like the size of their menu; it contains most of what breakfast menus should have. They use fresh ingredients and there is a wide opening inside the kitchen where the cook prepares the food and people can see what he/she is doing. This is a great place to eat while staying in the hotel. You might want to come early to beat the line due to the limited space. Great cafe to come with a friend or date because its a fun little diner with a touch of glamour.

Photo by: Allister de Vera
Fountain Coffee Room, Beverly Hills, CA.

Mr Chow

Mr Chow, Beverly Hills

Mr Chow portrait

Allister de Vera

Mr Chow; engraved fork

Crab Claws, Honey-Walnut Prawns

Fried Rice, Gambler's Duck, Lamb, Bok Choy

Weston Simpson; Birthday Celebration

Mr Chow is a restaurant where food is served "family style" in a communal setting. Food is ordered and placed in the middle of the table for the guests of the table to share. This would be the traditional way of eating in China. 

Mr Chow is a high-end type Chinese cuisine that serves most of what regular Chinese restaurants would be serving but with "fresher" ingredients and prepared by well-known chefs. The quality of the food is expected to be nothing but the best. The food has to match the service; clean, well prepared, quick and ready at your service. 

As you walk inside the restaurant, you are greeted by a host and about three servers. When you take you seat, one of the guys unfolds the napkin onto your lap and then sets the table. They recommend ordering the Mr Chow package; two first course starters, two final entrees, and complimentary fried rice & veggies. In depth we ordered the Gambler's Duck w/ pancakes, Walnut Prawns, Lamb w/ onions, Crab Claws, Bok-Choy, and Fried Rice. A total of $162! 

The Bok-Choy is so far the best I've had; its buttery and fresh. Each bite through had a clean snap sound to it. The Gambler's duck was amazing! the skin was crispy like pork skin made the right way. The meat was tender and easily separates like carnitas. The best way to have it is by ripping off some of the meat and putting it inside the pancake. Then you top it with oyster sauce and green apple strips. This is THE ONLY way you can have the duck. The crab claws tasted like shrimp balls, the honey walnut prawns weren't anything too special, and the fried rice was just like any other. 

I definitely recommend coming here on a date with a special someone but I don't see this as in option for a big group of people. The food isn't much and the expense is too high. Mr Chow is an establishment that people should at least experience at least once due to it's popularity and ratings. Overall, I had a great time with my friend and because it was his birthday, the restaurant serves a fresh slice of cake from their desserts. It ended up being a rich and creamy chocolate ganache cake with a mousse-like texture; basically it was great!

Now I can finally say I've eaten at Mr Chow right in the middle of Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills!!


Photo by: Allister de Vera
Mr Chow, Beverly Hills, CA

Trish's Mini Donuts

Trish's Mini Donuts

I’ve been coming here to Trish’s donut stand ever since I was a child. I remember going with my family to mini day trips to the wharf and munching on these mini donuts. I can still remember the taste and my first bite. 10-12 years later, things haven’t changed a bit. The place is still occupied with a busy line, fresh donuts being processed, and most importantly the taste has not gone away one bit.

I like to consider Trish’s Mini Donuts a staple here in the SF/Bay Area. I believe any tourists or whoever, should definitely try these famous cinnamon coated donuts. The texture is fluffy and hot with that cinnamon grind in between the tongue and teeth. The smell is like a sweet sugar factory with that batter fusion. The recipe is still the same and the process of making these donuts haven’t changed either. 

The lines here get pretty full but it moves by fast. With just a couple employees working, the lines are handled with a fast pace without neglecting the portion and taste of these amazing donuts.

This is the best way of experiencing Trish’s according to me: First, you stand in line with that crowd and examine the people anticipating the taste. Second, you smell the aroma of the batter and that sweet cinnamon-sugar in the air. Next you order a bucket of 32 donuts and as you order, make sure to look at the process of how the donuts are made. It all starts with the batter being made in the back then it’s molded into a ball-shaped mini hole. The mini donuts are then passed along the fryer and it crosses the cooling pan where the oil drips. Then finally, the cashier pours the donuts one by one into the bucket then coats and shakes the donuts with their famous cinnamon-sugar. BOOM! the bucket is handed to you in a friendly matter. Walk a couple feet away to the boating area where there are seats available under the shade. Enjoy every bite as you look out into the ocean where boats are going by. This is my way folks..the only way of enjoying the Trish experience!

Photo by: Allister de Vera
Trish's Mini Donuts, San Francisco, CA

Starbucks

Starbucks, Seattle, WA

Yes I am blogging about Starbucks but not just any one, no I'm talking about the original. I'm talking about the motherland. Yes, I'm talking about Pike Place Starbucks in Seattle, WA. Let me tell you about my experience.

As I was walking down Pike St. and around the market place, I knew Starbucks was a few feet away because there was a crowd waiting to enter in the Green Temple. Luckily I got inside the shop within just a few minutes. As I walked inside there were a couple baristas greeting and welcoming us as we entered in. The shop looked like a an old-rustic coffee shop with a museum-like atmosphere. There were old furnitures, pics, beans, that were all preserved and saved. I did feel like I walked right into history. There are more baristas in this location only because its a high volume store for tourists. The menu is the same and the drinks still taste the same like any other location.

Since I didn't have coffee to start my day, I ordered a simple tall bold roast which is my go-to. I took my drink and went straight to the bar to enjoy. I took every minute scanning around the store and breathing in the original beans in the air. Just being here at the original store and sipping coffee was a breath-taking experience. People were taking pictures everywhere; from selfies to front-store gatherings, etc. There is also a talented group of guys singing in front of the shop. They are the ones that draw the crowd with their amazing gospel-type voices. So you basically get the best of both worlds; coffee and a live performance.

One of the main reasons why I also made my trip to Seattle was because I have a deep passion for coffee. I remember having Starbucks for the first time and it was my very first cup of coffee as a kid. I know there's lots of better coffee shops out there but I had to pay my respects and witness the god-father of them all. Starbucks paved the way for local coffee shops around the U.S. so this is a great experience drinking coffee inside The store that started it all.


Photo by: Allister de Vera
Starbucks, Seattle, WA (Original Location)