Pie Face - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Address: 289 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Items Ordered:

• Pie: Chicken & Mushroom with Mashed Peas & Potatoes and gravy

OMG can I open a franchise for this place in the US?? Open 24 hours on a main street in Melbourne, Australia, this place was full of cute little pies in all kinds of flavors including steak, eggs, chicken, sausage, etc etc! The mushroom and chicken one was delicious. We went for breakfast and the crust was a perfect flakiness and the contents were nice and warm and savory. In addition, we also got one with mashed potatoes and peas, and gravy on top - although I could do without the peas. Lastly, you can't help but love the smiley faces on them! :)

--v

T's Thai - Santa Monica, California

Address: 1215 4th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Items Ordered:

• Tom Kha Seafood Soup
• Panang Curry with Chicken
• Pad Thai with Chicken
• Pineapple Fried Rice

Located just a street away from 3rd Street Promenade, T's Thai offers a large selection of Thai dishes. My favorite dish was the Tom Kha Seafood soup that surprisingly, actually had a generous portion of all kinds of seafood - scallops, shrimp, crab and more. Everything else was solid - would recommend it for a meal after a long day of shopping on the promenade!

--v

Orochon Ramen - Los Angeles, California

Address: 123 S Onizuka Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90012

Items Ordered:

• Orochon Ramen (Spicy Levels of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) in Salt & Miso soup flavorings
• Gyoza

Lured here by the publicity of appearing on Man vs. Food, each of us set out to test our spice thresholds. They really aren't kidding when they say this bowl of noodles was spicy! I got the Salt #3 (Impact) and even though I was so hungry, I had difficulty eating it without gulps of water between spoonfuls. Adam Richman took on the Special #2 - the challenge was to finish the entire massive-sized bowl (noodles and soup and all) within a 30 minute period. I would be scared to even attempt it! Overall, I enjoyed my meal but I think my taste buds would have appreciated it more if they could actually taste it all after being numbed by the spiciness. Yes, I realize I just got the 3 (fifth spiciest), but I swear the Salt one is spicier than the other soups! Be prepared for long waits for the small restaurant, but definitely worth going to attempt the challenge (special #2 or otherwise)!

--v

Update

I'm finally back from my vacation so I'll be returning to blog on here soon. There's so many restaurants to blog about! Thank you YJ for blogging while I was gone!

--v

Alegria Cocina Latina - Long Beach, California

Address: 115 Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802

Items Ordered:

• Chicken Mole: roasted chicken in an Oaxacan mole sauce (over 100 years old!)
  
• Ropa Vieja: braised marinated beef Cuban style
  
• Pescado Negro: blackened butterfish over jalapeno mashed potatoes
  
• Paella Valenciana: saffron rice with beef, chicken, ham, mussels, clams & vegetables

This place was pretty empty for daytime happy hour on a Wednesday, but with only 1 waitress for our party of 8 and other tables, it was an advantage. We ordered 3 appetizers (appetizer tower) and 4 entrees to share, and that was plenty of food. The chicken, beef, and butterfish had distinctive flavors of Latin America, and I was glad this wasn't just another typical bar food type of happy hour. However, the paella was way too salty, and I would not order this again. We also tried the sangria, which was adequate, but not better than Cafe Sevilla across the street. Overall, it's hard for me to imagine coming back here when Cafe Sevilla is right across the street beating Alegria Cocina Latina in service, taste, price, and sangria.

--y

Guppy House - Anaheim, California

Address: 5642 E La Palma Ave, Anaheim, CA 92807

Items Ordered:

• Kim chi fried rice
• Pineapple fried rice
• Popcorn chicken
• "To-Go" shaved ice with mango and strawberries

The food at Guppy House is not particularly interesting, but the upside of the place is that it's a good hangout spot and the plates are GINORMOUS so there's always enough to share. The pineapple fried rice is a pass, but popcorn chicken and shaved ice are pretty tasty. The "to-go" option is the smallest portion they have, but it can easily feed 5 teeny bopper girls. The one in Irvine is always busier than the Anaheim location so keep that in mind for Fri/Sat night outings.

--y

Michael Mina - San Francisco, California

Address: 335 Powell St (inside Westin St. Francis), San Francisco, CA 94102

Items Ordered:

• Ahi tuna tartare appetizer (not pictured)
  
• Sonoma County duck trio: duck breast, seared foie gras, leg confit
  
• Brandt Farm beef trio: filet mignon, grilled ribeye, braised oxtail
• Cheese trio (not pictured)
  
• Catherine Schimenti's dessert trio: panna cotta, raspberry chiboust, chocolate mousse cake
  

While the concept of trio plates and presentation of dishes was extremely exciting, the same can't really be said regarding the food at Michael Mina. Some noteable dishes were the ahi tuna tartare, which was a generous portion of well-seasoned tuna and the panna cotta, which was light and creamy at the same time. On the other hand, not much can be said about the entrees. I might have had more succulent duck meat at Chinese restaurants and the foie gras was too oily/fatty for my taste (although that might not be the restaurant's fault). As far as the beef trio, my roommate concluded that it was really just unremarkable. Overall, the ambiance and great service at the restaurant still made it a good experience, and that's why there are plans to visit another Michael Mina restaurant, XIV in Los Angeles, sometime soon.

Honey's Kettle - Culver City, California

Address: 9537 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

Items Ordered:

• 16-piece chicken meal, 8 biscuits, fries, macaroni salad, mashed potatoes & gravy
  

Did you know that at one point in my life my nickname was "fried chicken?" That's b/c all things chicken, and especially fried are my favorites. I'm not sure why it took me so long to try Honey's Kettle but once I bit into the crispy chicken skin and revealed the juicy, savory meat inside I was hooked. This has really got to be the best fried chicken in L.A. that I've tried. Even better than Korean fried chicken and Popeyes! (:P). The biscuits were soft and buttery and so good with honey on top. YUM!! Also, I would recommend the mashed potatoes b/c the gravy has chicken pieces in it and makes you not want to share it with anyone. Even after re-heating the chicken in the microwave, it was still crispy and scrumptious. All I can say is: EAT HERE, IT'S DELICIOUS.

--y

Crawfish Montage - Various

Addresses:
1. Hong Kong City Mall - 11205 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77072
2. Crawfish & Noodles - 10613 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77072
3. Boiling Crab - 13892 Brookhurst St, Garden Grove, CA 92843

Items Ordered:

• Crawfish, sausage, corn, and potatoes

One of my most favorite things to eat in Houston has to be crawfish. During crawfish season between March and June, the crawfish are HUGE and inexpensive. At Hong Kong City Mall, the crawfish are usually the largest and cheapest ($4/lb!), and for non-spice eaters, the mild seasoning is the perfect choice. However, my new favorite place is Crawfish & Noodles b/c the seasoning is the absolute best of all I've tried thus far. At $6/lb, it is slightly more expensive than other crawfish restaurants in Houston, but since there's no line and their other seafood options are also just as scrumptious, this has become my new go-to place to take visitors and meet up friends. Lastly, I don't eat crawfish in California often b/c of the ridiculous prices and crazy lines compared to in Texas, but Boiling Crab in Garden Grove has the cajun seasoning down, along with a great atmosphere to enjoy with friends. At ~$12/lb for crawfish, we supplemented the usual 1.5-2 lbs per person with plenty of fries, shrimp, corn & potatoes to offset costs. The crawfish were a bit smaller than in Houston, but in late June, that is to be expected anywhere. I'm having some crawfish withdrawal right now after this post. Can't wait for Spring 2011 to get here already!

--y

Bing Crosby's - San Diego, California

Address: 7007 Friars Rd, San Diego, CA 92108

Items Ordered:

• Crab & shrimp stuffed loch duart salmon w/ sweet corn succotash & potatoes
  
• Grilled NY steak w/ Dianne sauce & garlic mashed potatoes
• Chocolate decadence
• Grand marnier creme brulee
  

How do you get to eat at some of the nicest restaurants in any city for free? You just have to sell your soul and attend a drug talk sponsored by a pharmaceutical company. Since Bing Crosby's was known for good food and atmosphere, I decided that 2 hours of nodding and feigning interest was worth it this time. We were seated in a private room so I didn't get to see people dancing outside or hear as much of the music as I would have liked, but the atmosphere was very lively when we ventured outside. The stuffed salmon was crispy on the outside and the crab tasted fresh inside. I really liked the concept of stuffed seafood. The steak was only okay as I found the Dianne sauce a little too salty. The chocolate decadence was kind of dry, but the creme brulee made up for it, and the meal ended on a positive note overall. As for the drug that was presented, I can't remember a darn thing about it.

--y