Elite Restaurant - Monterey Park, California

新年快樂！恭喜發財！Happy Lunar New Year! Gong xi fa cai! May your new year be filled with joy, luck, health and prosperity! In honor of the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, a dim sum post for you :)


Address: 700 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754

Items Ordered:

• Pork siu mai, shrimp har gow, spare ribs, bean curd wrap, chicken feet (small items)
  
• Shrimp rice roll, steamed turnip, sticky rice in lotus leaf (larger items)
  
• Crispy snow bun, golden cream bun, bbq pork buns (dessert/buns)

Elite Restaurant is an order-off-the-checklist-menu dim sum restaurant, which I prefer since the food is more fresh and you don't feel as bad turning away the Chinese ladies hawking their food. My group of 5 arrived around 10:30am and the wait was only about 10 minutes long--come any later though, and your wait time can be up to an hour plus! I was really impressed with the quality of the food coming out of the kitchen and the pace of their service too. This was some of the best siu mai and har gow AND chicken feet I've had anywhere, and I've been itching to return to Elite Restaurant. The only thing that I wouldn't order again is the steamed turnip since I like the pan-fried version. Maybe it's the fatty inside me talking. Otherwise, I enjoyed everything from the food to the company, and hope you can make it out to Chinatown for a delicious visit sometime!

--y

Tartine Bakery - San Francisco, California

Address: 600 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Items Ordered:

• Spicy sopressata, fontina, broccoli rabe pesto sandwich
• Niman Ranch pastrami sandwich w/ horseradish & gruyere
• Croque Monsieur w/ bechamel, gruyere, thyme, & Niman Ranch ham
• Coconut passionfruit bavarian cake
• Chocolate eclair

You might think that if you visit Tartine Bakery on a random Tuesday at 11am or 2pm you wouldn't have to wait in line for savory sandwiches or moist delicious pastries. Well you'd be WRONG. There is always a line out the door at Tartine b/c their sandwiches are packed with flavor and perfectly melted ooey gooey cheese. The bread can be quite crunchy so it might not be the best place to bring Grandma :(. The mouthwatering pastries on display are hard to choose from, but you can't go wrong with anything you pick. Try not to eat too much here though b/c just a little walk away you can also visit Pizzeria Delfina and Bi-Rite Creamery--2 delicious San Francisco institutions. I'm experiencing some San Francisco withdrawal as I write this post so it might be time to plan a trip soon! Hopefully, I can snatch a morning bun at Tartine before they run out :O.

--y

Son of a Gun - Los Angeles, California

Address: 8370 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Items Ordered:

• Smoked mahi fish dip: celery, radish, crackers
• Lobster roll: celery, lemon aioli
• Shrimp toast sandwich: herbs, sriracha mayo
• Fried chicken sandwich: spicy b&b picckle slaw, rooster aioli
• Linguine and clams: uni aglio-olio, chili, breadcrumbs
• Roasted escolar: truffled pomme puree, chicken jus

HAPPY 2012!! Hope last year was fantastic, and that each new year continues to be better than the last! And now back to the food...

I was excited about trying Son of a Gun, the seafood counterpart to Animal, since I prefer seafood over random piggy parts, and the restaurant did not disappoint. First, the not-so-good: the shrimp toast was too oily for my taste, the fried chicken sandwich was overwhelmed by the tangy slaw, and the linguine and clams weren't that special for the price. With that said, we still polished off every plate. The goods: mahi dip was a smoky, creamy leap above tuna salad made in my kitchen, and the lobster roll was amazing! Too bad it came in such a small size, I recommend ordering one per person so you don't end up fighting over it. Last but not least, the roasted escolar was crispy and tender and probably one of my favorite dishes of 2011! The truffle potato puree was creamy and buttery, and the dish just really works. I would definitely return to Son of a Gun for the escolar and lobster roll. Try it and let me know what you think.

--y