The Copper Onion - Salt Lake City, Utah

Address: 111 E Broadway, Ste 170, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Items Ordered:

• Ricotta Dumplings: thyme, lemon
• Mussels: creamy black pepper sauce, toast points
  
• Sauteed mushrooms: fried farm egg, potato sticks, parsley, garlic
  
• The Copper Onion Burger: house-made bun, roasted onions, steak fries
  
• Mimosa

On a recent snow trip to Utah, we stopped by some restaurants we read about online. We decided to stop by the Copper Onion for lunch while on visit to downtown Salt Lake City. I still think about the Sauteed Mushrooms that I had there. I wish I could recreate that perfect mix of ingredients! I mean, egg? Potato sticks? Garlic? It was all my favorite ingredients in one mushroom dish. We wanted to try so many things so we got the entrees and also ordered appetizers to start. All the dishes had a lot of flavor and were made with a great mix of ingredients – very innovative! I enjoyed the burger, mussels and dumplings! Definitely a cute restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City!

--v

Tasty Garden - Alhambra, California

Address: 288 W Valley Blvd, Ste 110, Alhambra, CA 91801

Items Ordered:

• Walnut Shrimp
• French Style Filet Mignon
• Chicken & Mushrooms with Rice in Hot Pot
• Sauteed Fish Fillets
• Deep Fried Tofu with Dried Scallop
• Salt & Pepper Squid
  

Tasty Garden is my go to place for Chinese food in the San Gabriel Valley. One of my favorite Chinese dishes is the Honey Walnut Shrimp, and this is one of my favorite places to get it. The shrimp is crispy and has just enough flavor to go great with rice. My second favorite dish here is the French Style Filet Mignon. It is wonderfully marinated and a perfect level of tenderness. All the other dishes were good and went well together. It is great for a family style dinner. Every time I come here, I want to order everything off the menu, especially because the leftovers are great. Good thing I have SOME sense of self-control.

--v

The Tasting Kitchen - Venice, California

Address: 1633 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

Items Ordered:

• Mussels with saffron and fennel
  
• Clucks 'n frites
  
• Bucatini alla amatriciana (bucatini in spicy marinara)
• Bass, forbidden rice, mandarin beurre blanc

After our first bite of the mussels at Tasting Kitchen, we were madly in love with the restaurant. The mussels possessed a beautiful texture and the buttery toast was addicting soaked in the saffron sauce. The bucatini was our second favorite dish as the marinara sauce was actually spicy and the pork was extremely tender. Too bad we had to share the portion amongst 3 people :(. The roast chicken had a crispy skin and retained its moisture, but the taste was ordinary compared to the other dishes. However, it photographed beautifully and became the poster child for Tasting Kitchen when we were retelling our experience. The bass also had a nice crispy exterior and flaky interior. We highly recommend Tasting Kitchen and would definitely return; hopefully in the very near future.

--v & y

Geisha House - Santa Ana, California

Address: 2773 N Main St, Santa Ana, CA 92705

Items Ordered:

• Spicy tuna on crispy rice
  
• Beef robata
  
• Rock shrimp
• Black cod with miso (not pictured)
  
• Various sushi rolls

I would probably never go to Geisha House if they didn't offer 50% off food and drinks on Monday nights. It's not because I'm cheap, but because the food is way overpriced. With that said, I do enjoy myself whenever I happen to visit Geisha House. The spicy tuna on crispy rice is the highlight of their menu. The spicy tuna is fresh, packs some heat, and the crispy rice provides a nice contrast to the texture of the dish. The miso black cod is also a fantastic dish to try. The stellar seafood quality makes up for the inexperienced wait staff and overpriced drinks. A word to the wise, if you're not an 18 to 21 year old Asian teeny bopper (which I am NOT), I would avoid visiting the club/lounge on Friday and Saturday nights.

--y

Simpang Asia - Culver City, California

Address: 10433 National Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Items Ordered:

• Laksa - mild curry noodle soup served with shrimp, boiled egg, sliced fish cake, and shredded chicken
• Bihun Goreng Special - stir fry rice noodle with chicken, shrimp, beef ball, and veggie
• Lumpia Semarang - Indonesian style egg roll with chicken, dried shrimp, and veggie
• Potato balls

There's this food blog I frequent where tantalizing pictures of curry laksa, nasi rames, and Hainanese chicken rice are displayed once every few posts. I haven't eaten much Indonesian food, but after drooling over those photographs, I decided it was time to take my own Indonesian eating adventure. At Simpang Asia, my curry laksa came in a large bowl overflowing with shrimp and a perfectly hard-boiled egg in a creamy, mild curry soup. The noodles had a nice bite, and I was pleased that my first laksa was a success. Victoria's stir fry noodle dish had a nice smokiness and great flavor, and I couldn't stop eating her food either :P. The appetizers were on special for $2/plate; they were alright, although the potato balls definitely fell short of Porto's version. I enjoyed Simpang Asia, and am on the hunt for more authentic Indonesian restaurants to try if you have suggestions or want to join me on my excursions!

--y

Musha Restaurant - Santa Monica, California

Address: 424 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Items Ordered:

• Tofu French Fries
• Spicy Tuna Dip
• Salmon Sashimi
• Musha’s Risotto
• Pork Belly
• Seared Mackerel
• Takotama
• Saikoro Steak
• Crispy Shrimp
  

Love at first sight. Or should I say love at first bite? I love Japanese tapas and this place was full of everything I love about Japanese Izakayas. We got our own room in the back so it was definitely an all around fun experience. The mackerel was seared at the table with a blow torch and the risotto was stirred right in front of us – how cool is that! I love fries and I love tofu, so tofu in French fry form, nothing could go wrong. The pork belly just melted in my mouth and the fish was fresh and delicious. The crispy shrimp had a perfect amount of breading and crispiness and the mayo sauce on top sealed the deal. Each of the items we had were great and I’m getting really hungry thinking about it. I think I need to make a trip back there soon!

--v

BLD - West Los Angeles, California

Address: 7450 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Items Ordered:

• Eggs Floretine: wilted baby spinach, crispy fingerling potatoes, piquillo pepper hollandaise, english muffin
  
• Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes with Berkshire maple syrup
• Merguez Chicken Sausage
• Trio of housemade pastries

Is brunch a girls-only thing? If so, then BLD is the perfect place for girlfriends to get together and enjoy a nice brunch. The food is artfully prepared and the space is modern and cute. The spinach for the eggs florentine was fresh and the potatoes underneath were indeed crispy and delicious. I ordered the ricotta blueberry pancakes I heard so much about, and they were fluffy and HUGE, although the blueberry flavor didn't really shine. My friend who doesn't eat much meat thought the chicken sausages were tasty and had a hint of spiciness to them. I enjoyed BLD immensely and would definitely go back to sample the L and D (lunch and dinner) as well!

--y

Steingarten LA - West Los Angeles, California

Address: 10543 W Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90064 (West Los Angeles)

Items Ordered:

• Chicken & Italian Herbs Sausage
• Bratwurst (pork) Sausage (with caramelized onions)
• Duck & Bacon Sausage (with caramelized onions)
• Braised Short Ribs (served with plantains)
• Parmesan French Fries
• Cucumber Salad
• Spicy Shrimp (served with blood orange, mango, cilantro slaw)
• Dogfish Head Aprihop Beer 

I love it when new restaurants open up in my neighborhood! Latest addition to the West LA food family is Steingarten LA. The restaurant concept drew me in, but the coupon postcard we received in the mail sealed the deal! Let's start off with the sausages. My favorite was the duck & bacon sausage - great flavor (more on the bacon side). The Chicken & Italian Herbs and Bratwurst sausages were just as I've always had them. They were good, not great. Since we wanted to try everything on the menu, we also ordered a couple of tapas and sides. The tapas were enjoyable, but next time, I'd stick with the sausages and the sides - just didn't seem to fit in with the restaurant. Lastly, I am a huge fan of fries and I thought the Parmesan French Fries were REALLY good. They were just a perfect level of crispiness, and sprinkled with a good amount of  Parmesan. The sauces were an aioli as well as a tomato sauce. The aoili complemented the fries very well and I even used it to spread on my sliders. Oh, and we can't talk about Steingarten without referencing their extensive beer menu. Great selection of all kinds of mostly German and Belgian beers. I'll definitely be coming back to try some of the more adventurous sausages (alligator, rabbit, etc.) and to try more on their beer menu! ...I think I'll even sneak in an order of the Parmesan Fries with that too! :P

-v

Father's Office - Culver City, California

Address: 3229 Helms Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Items Ordered:

• Office Burger: dry-aged sirloin, caramelized onions, applewood smoked bacon compote, gruyere, Maytag blue cheese and arugula (no substitutions)
• Regular and sweet potato frites with garlic aioli

Do you ever get really excited anticipating your first bite into a juicy, beefy, cheesy, and savory burger? Well, Father's Office burger will not disappoint. All the ingredients meld together to make the perfect burger. The caramelized onions and bacon compote give the burger a smoky, tangy flavor, and even the blue cheese is a necessary ingredient. We always think we're only going to eat half of the burger and take the rest home, but the whole thing is gone before we know it!! The fries are plentiful and crispy, and they have a huge selection of beers. We absolutely LOVE Father's Office, and sometimes just talking about it makes our mouths water. Thus far, Father's Office is our favorite burger in L.A., and we highly recommend you try it!

--v & y

Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ - Long Beach, California

Address: 4828 E 2nd St, Long Beach, CA 90803

Items Ordered (lunch menu):

• Southern fried dill pickles, 1/2 order
  
• Southern fried chicken with gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, & vegetables
  
• Ribs and hot link with macaroni & cheese

There are many-a-days when I sure do miss Texas friends, family and food, and while I can't materialize the former two, I can continue my search for scrumptious Southern food in California. I always find the plating a little too fancy compared to some of the really home style restaurants in Texas, but nevertheless, Lucille's BBQ was pretty decent. The ribs actually fell off of the bone and had a nice smoky flavor, and my favorite, the fried chicken (which was actually chicken fried steak) had a nice crispy skin and savory seasoning. I prefer fried pickle chips so the appetizer was just okay, and the macaroni and cheese was too dry for my taste. Lucille's is not my favorite BBQ joint on the West Coast, but it suffices for a quick, reminiscent lunch, and I would return for the fried chicken.

--y