Vinh "ja" N.'s Profile

An update after an upgrade...

I leave for three weeks on vacation and when I come back to my favorite taco spot in the valley they decide to spruce the joint up?  I guess all the tacos that I've paid for in the past couple of months has added up!  (Not to mention all the coworkers,  friends and friends of friends that I've introduced that have become regulars as well)

The renovations include a new store front sign, lawn signs, a 58" flat panel TV, outdoor tables, new paint on the store windows, but more importantly new items during taco time!!!!  In addition to the $1 taco menu of cabeza, al pastor, chorizo, lengua, asada... you can now order tripas and buche!  (That's tripe/intestines and esophagus hmm, hmmm good)

On a side note, they don't mind if you BYOB as long as you sit at one of the outside tables and don't mind hiding it from all the Sheriffs that drive by and/or eat there, hah... that's why I always have extra brown bags in the car.

Vhat a vunderful event, I had too! Too good of a time ah ah ah.... *cough*cough*  Okay, enough already!

As hot and crowded as the event was it still was a blast.  
-  The Jack was smooth but not as smooth as Kevin C. and his lovely gyrating hips (I still got some extra singles for your pants)
- The vampire theme was fun and very left field
- The ladies were hot and sexy as usual *blushes underneath the purple makeup*
- The band that played for 1/4 of the room was pretty good and it was a shame more people didn't get to experience them
- "Ken I col you sum thyme? Jhas too sey hi? Yor berry petti"
- Heard the food was decent
- I was glad plan B costume turned out well
- After party/dinner as usual
- Of course having a blast with the regular Yelpers and meeting new ones!

Thanks again Dawson for another wonderful event!

Dear Diary,

The other day I went to my first OC event at the Detroit Bar.  I was glad to see some familiar face and meet some new ones.  The booze was flowing, the food was showing and the 90's theme was rockin' all night long.  Great show by Pop Britannica and it was fantastic meeting fellow celebs Courtney Love, Mia Wallace and Cher Horowitz.  Loved the Polaroids and loved the job that Hazel did!  Much thanks to all the ladies (and gents) that grabbed the tush and pulled the hair *muah*

Agassi, Andre
Image is everything...

Guys and dolls, this had to be one of the best Elite events ever!!!

You can say it was the bee's knees, cat's pajamas or even the cat's meow but this all the lingo aside, this 1920's themed party was just plain fantastic.

Whether it was the free flowing 1926 Cosmos and Spaten on tap, tasty au jus sandwiches (pork, beef, turkey and lamb) with spicy pickles, pie eating contest (Go Austin!! Wait he's losing!  Go Kevin!!), costume contest (Hooray Keisha!), 3 piece jazz band or the great hosts... all chaos, commotion and noise just seemed to come perfectly together like the stairs and a baby carriage scene from The Untouchables (http://www.youtube.com...) except for less shooting and more boozing.

Yelp L.A. presents, a Dawson S. production,
Where the other cities have got nothing, nothing, nothing on...

Mobsters n' Molls
An L.A. Elite Party @ Cole's

P.S. Shout out to Waffles for helping me find the one that completes me (http://static.px.yelp....)

"I'd like a pastrami burger and a spicy tuna roll please."

WTF?!?!

Yeah, what the hell is a burger place doing serving sushi?  Is it even sanitary for raw fish and a greasy griddle to be even near each other?  Those were the questions that raced through my mind the first time I walked in to King's BURGER for sushi.  But my rationale was, the sushi here can't be worse than any other place in the valley (sans Go's Mart and Chiba's)

And with risk came reward!  Great sushi at a very affordable price!  The sushi bar is small and there is a $15 minimum but Chef Young knows his stuff.  Apparently he has worked at a few locations honing his craft and wanted to slowly build his clientele while educating novices on the proper art that is sushi until he can afford to open his own restaurant.  Young has the standard rolls, fusion sushi as well as more traditional nigiri with a good selection of fresh fish.

If you are in the area and have a hankering for some sushi this is the place to go.  Great service, great selection and great quality overcomes the awkward surroundings.  If you still aren't a believer check out the photos!  Another note is that Young will do special omakase if you give him a day or two notice.  He promises great quality at a fraction of the price of more famous locations (he shares fish with Go's Mart and has an in at the fish market).

Here is a small sample of the sushi dishes
Salmon sushi served with sea kelp and avocado:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Spicy scallop cut roll:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Scallop sushi:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Hokkaido scallops two ways:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Halibut sushi:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Escolar sushi:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Tuna (maguro) sushi:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Spanish mackerel sushi:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Blue crab with clarified butter soy paper hand roll:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
White truffle freshwater eel sushi (one of my favorites and a must get!):
http://www.yelp.com/bi...

A shout out to Spitz and my enjoyment of the fruit that is banana and of course Gwen and No Doubt getting back together:

A few times I've been around that snack
So I am not just gonna like it like that
'Cause I ain't no wimpy snack boy
I ain't no tasteless snack boy

Uhhh, this The Spitz, this downtown Spitz

I heard that they were talking Spitz
And I didn't think that I would like it
But my friends were against that, getting me all fired up
So I'm ready to attack, gonna eat the snack
Gonna get some hummus and pita chips, gonna taste a bit of the wraps
That's right, gonna grab a drink, it's all getting my taste buds fired up

Let me hear you say
This Spitz is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S
The Spitz is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

A few times I kept at that large portion snack
Freshly fried pita and rotating spitz meat racks
'Cause I will be coming back boys
For some good late night food and drinks boy

http://www.yelp.com/bi...

I am breaking the ice (http://ecx.images-amaz...).

Another great Elite event, much thanks to the CMs' hard work each and every time.  But seriously folks, are there really any bad ones?  Free food, free booze and getting to chit-chat with old and new friends, what more could you ask for?  Did someone say a mariachi band? Well hell, there was one there too!  And if you call now you'll get a bonus dance routine! But wait there's more!  A Chipotle gift card gratis!  (that means "for zero price/free of charge" for all you non-Spanish speakers out there)

It was out of of the CM's hands but minus one star for the staff trying to clean and rearrange while we were still there.  I mean common, couldn't you wait to roller vac somewhere else besides where the group of people are talking? Plus the early booze cutoff, these places should know how much Yelpers drink and eat!

Needed a place in the area for a quick to-go lunch and I just happen to have a hankering for a "Little Thai."  Yeah, I know cheesy doesn't go well with Asian food but I couldn't resist.

Small mom and pop shop provided some decent Thai food.  I put my order in about 5/10 min before I stopped by and the food was just being finished.  Made to order and in a timely fashion, kudos to you sir.  The decor is homely, nice and neat which is a good thing for the not so nice and neat shopping center.

The food itself was pretty good with generous portions and it came out as I expected.  The chicken chili and mint leaves had good flavor though a little too much bell peppers for my liking.  The pad woon sen wasn't too oily and had an ample amount of meat and veggies.

Prices were just right for the quality and portions but there was nothing in particular that really sets it aside from any another place.  Still, reliable,safe and no complaints which is something always nice to have when hungry and in the area.
A solid 3.5 stars rating from yours truly.

I bit The Bullet and was glad I did!

1/2 of ground beef, American cheese, sauteed onions,grilled ortega green chiles on a buttered, toasted French bun... simple, but it sure does hit the spot (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).  Throw in some crispy fries and coke and you got yourself a complete lunch.

This place is a mom and pop type diner that serves the expected breakfast items, burger and fries to falafels, chicken sandwiches and spaghetti and meatballs.  Most of the patrons are older folks as previously mentioned but you get a lot of blue collar workers as well which only reinforces the affordable prices and humble, homey feel.  

The food comes out fast whether your food is there or to go but it's definitely fun eating at their really low counter which makes me feel like I am back in kindergarten... ah the yester years of pbj sandwiches, juice boxes and cooties.  Sprinkle in friendly service from cute waitresses (I think it was Montana, not of the Hannah variety though http://soulassassins.c...) and you got a go to lunch spot.

One note, though bread pudding is on the menu it hasn't been available for the past few weeks, what a bummer as the waitress said it's pretty darn good.

What makes Mori Teppan Grill, Mori Teppan Grill?  Well Mori of course!  It is great to see the owner run around greeting customers and hand making all of the bar orders.  His enthusiasm for his restaurant and customers is something you don't often see.  But then again the enthusiasm and his personal care can only be stretched so far...

At the suggestion of an old friend a bunch of friends got together here to catch up on old times and enjoy some teppan grill action.  Though we didn't have a reservation there didn't seem too long of a line for a weekday and we were informed it would be a 25-35 minute wait... not too bad as it gave our group time to chit-chat.  About 70-80  minutes later my group and I were puzzled at why people kept on getting seated before us and we were informed by Mori that they had reservations... fair enough but they could have given a better estimate of the wait to be seated.  It's a teppan grill there are only so many seats and chefs, I guess its something we just had to deal with.

When my group and I finally got seated we enjoyed a typical teppan grill show and food.  You got your flaming onion volcano, fancy knife and spatula skills and of course the flying shrimp toss.  Griddle cooked meats, seafood and vegetable with a small salad and salty soup.  The food wasn't anything special but you got pretty good portions and the price was a little cheaper than Benihanas.  One of the highlights about the dinner though was our chef for the night which I believe his name is Lambchop?  Homeboy had full tatted sleeves and was rockin' a huge Independent belt buckle, needless to say he was a badass and was very courteous and entertaining.

Alas, this brings me to the end of my meal which brought another customer service mishap.  My party asked our waitress to split the bill between 3 credit cards and to make it easier for her we wrote down each last name with the proper amount to charge.  When we recieved our slips she had charged me the entire bill, one card too little and the last card too much.  It took a bit of explaining and figuring out but situation was finally resolved with a cash refund on the difference on the two cards that were overcharge.  

*Phew*

It was a lengthy and slightly smelly night (we left with our clothes smelling like fried meat) and an overall decent dinner that was marred by some customer service snafus.  Sadly to say Mr. Mori I won't be seeing you again any time soon.