Ingrid N.'s Profile

BEST. SUSHI. EVER.

Yep, I think that pretty much sums it up for those of you who do not want to read the inevitable novel that is about to come.

Akasaka is a tiny, tiiiiny shoebox of a place well off the beaten path. To be honest, a part of me doesn't want to write a review because I feel as though it's one of the best kept secrets in SoCal. Most of the people who come here are regulars, and if they're not, then they probably heard about it from a regular, and will most likely become regulars themselves. Thus, the cycle continues.

First off, the location is quite odd, which is a big reason why it has remained a hidden gem. People aren't going to find this place unless they're referred - or lost. My mom found it via the second option years ago when I was still a toddler. Best mistake she ever made!

I've inherited a love for hole in the wall, mom and pop joints from my mother, and I can see why this place drew her in. It's definitely nothing pretty or aesthetically pleasing, but if you look at the number of cars parked outside - you know this place is where it's at. Akasaka is plopped smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood, with commercial buildings lining the opposite side of the street. Like I said, the location is weird. I wasn't kidding!

This is a classic case of "never judge a book by its cover," because the food is beyond outstanding. All of the sushi has been prepared by the same Japanese woman for years, and let me tell ya, she knows what she's doing! The sashimi is fresh, thick, and full of flavor. The rolls? HUGE!!! (and tasty too, but I figured that was a given) Oh oh, and I looooove the salmon skin salad! The combination of cucumber, salmon, and avocado is heavenly. Plus, you get big chunks of salmon - not those dinky little pieces of salmon that you typically find at other restaurants. Yay for not skimping!

In fact, you don't get skimped on anything at Akasaka. When you first look at the menu, you may think, "Ummm this is kind of expensive." But when they bring out your food, oh man will that opinion change in a heartbeat. The portions are big - and when I say big, I mean BIG. I'm known for having quite the appetite, and I have yet to finish a single plate here in one sitting by myself. We usually just order one or two things and share - which is plenty for 2, or even 3 people depending on how much you eat. Everytime I come here, I feel like I need to be rolled out because you just get SO much food!

In the end, you get well more than what you pay for, and the service is great. They get extremely busy (especially at dinner time on Fridays and Saturdays), but the staff is always polite, courteous, and friendly. The service can be a little slow on busier days when the place overflowing with hungry people but it's worth the wait - trust me. Plus, the salad and soup are usually able to hold me over until the main dishes arrive.

One word of advice though - MAKE RESERVATIONS! If you're planning to go on a Friday or Saturday evening, reservations are a must. Try to make them a day or two in advance to get your desired time slot, because places fill up fast. If you call the day of, you'll most likely have to settle for a later time. Of course you're more than welcome to drop by without a reservation, but be prepared to wait...for a while. So if you decide to take this route, consider yourself warned!

*Sigh* I feel like I have revealed one of my biggest secrets to the world - so I hope you feel obligated to go now. You can thank me later when your tummy is stuffed with yummy sushi. (;

My friend totally gets all the credit for this find. I've passed this place countless times, but never gave it a second thought - mostly because I didn't know it was Greek. If I had known this before, I would've stopped by in a heartbeat because I LOVE Greek/Mediterranean food. Oh, and for the record, "LOVE" in all caps would definitely be an understatement.

We kept it simple by ordering the triple spread for an appetizer and the shrimp pasta - which we split - for our entree. Um, helloooo triple spread! Where have you been all my life?! We chose the spicy feta, hummus, and garlic potato. All three were outstanding - especially the spicy feta, and I normally don't even like feta cheese! Oh my gosh, and the pita bread! Fresh, piping hot, soft, delicious.

The shrimp pasta was yummy as well. It's basically just angel hair and shrimp tossed in a tomato sauce. Simple, but oh so good!

Ulysses has quickly won a place in my heart among my favorite restaurants. It's perfect for a casual meal with friends and one on one dates. Plus, you have the option of sitting outside and people watching! The portions are big too, and this is coming from a girl who is quite the little piggy when it comes to food. So unless your stomach is a black hole, share with someone. Otherwise be prepared for leftovers for tomorrow, the next day, and maybe, possibly, the rest of the week. Ok ok, that was an exaggeration, but you get the idea!

All I have to say is, lobster noodles. Order the lobster noodles!

Words can't even begin to describe how good they are. Yes, this dish is expensive - possibly the most expensive on the menu - but it's worth it. You get a pretty good portion of lobster served on a bed of garlic noodles. YUM!

Plus, I love how it's located in the mall. If I'm ever with friends and we can't decide where to eat, AnQi is our default. The atmosphere is quite trendy, which I don't really care for too much, but it's still nice. I prefer sitting at the counter rather than at a table though - it's just more fun that way!

The only thing keeping AnQi from getting 5 stars is the service. To me, service at a restaurant is almost like an art. Very tricky to master, but beautiful when it is done correctly.

That being said, service here is questionable and fluctuates depending on who's working. There have been times where I've felt slightly ignored, and times when I wished the waiter would just stop talking. It's all just luck I suppose.

So if you're ever shopping at South Coast and you're stuck in a food dilemma, head on over to AnQi and order some lobster noodles. Just make sure you have some mints or gum on hand for post meal garlic breath!

I'm half Thai, so I normally don't jump on the bandwagon when my friends rave about an "amazing" Thai place. Usually their opinions are based on Pad Thai - that ever so popular and universally loved "Thai" dish. Ok, so technically it IS Thai, but I feel like it has just become so standard and Americanized. It's like the Thai equivalent of the California roll and orange chicken.

Most people begin and end their Thai food experience with Pad Thai, which is such a shame because there is SO much more out there.

Anyways - I digress...

My old roommate (who is not adventurous with food by any means) constantly raved about Osha and their angel wings. Naturally, I was reluctant, BUT I decided to give it a go because I like to keep an open mind about things. It's not like I had to come back if I didn't like it.

First off, the atmosphere is very nice and I did notice Thai people working there - always a good sign. However, there aren't really any Thai people who eat here - not such a good sign.

Most things on the menu are Thai in some way, but are slightly tweaked to please American palettes. Personally, I would consider Osha more of a fusion restaurant. Case in point - those infamous angel wings.

Oh my goodness those things are GOOD. Yeah, you read that correctly - a Thai food snob actually enjoyed watered down Thai food. GASP!

The Thai basil is what makes this dish, it's crunchy and gives the chicken so much flavor. Other than that, everything else about the angel wings is very western.

The bad thing about this place though is the price. It's EXTREMELY overpriced for the amount of food you get so bare that in mind. The drinks are also REALLY strong. Two words: Lava Guava. Oh man does that puppy satisfy my "girly" taste in drinks! Sadly though, I couldn't even finish half of it because I'm not really a fan of getting drunk over dinner - or getting drunk period as a matter of fact. So I will just have to admire that yummy drink from afar. *Sigh*

So, what have I learned from Osha? I've learned that good food is good food. Who cares if it's not the most authentic Thai food on the planet? I can go to Thailand if I want that. In the meantime, I'm in the beautiful country that I call home - America - and I appreciate our unique blend of cultures and food. Awww such a happy ending to this story!

You still get 3 stars though Osha, because you are overpriced and you tease me with the oh so tasty but oh so deadly Lava Guava. So there!

Whenever I'm walking down Chestnut Street with someone, I always point out The Grove. There are three things I say:

1) "They have the BEST tuna melt sandwich, and there's no mayonnaise in it, but you would never know it."

2) "Their lemonade is amazing! It's fresh and comes in this HUGE glass. It's seriously enough for two...maybe even three."

3) "Oh my god, and there's this cute guy that works there too! One of my friends is like in love with him."

Yep, in that order too.

Cute guys and mayo free tuna melts aside, I love The Grove. It's the perfect place to have brunch (order the french toast before it sells out!), lunch, or a cup of coffee. I love the cozy, mismatched interior - I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. I just always feel at ease here, especially when the weather is nice and I can sit at one of the tables outside.

Nothing is better than a slightly cool, but sunny day in the marina, people watching, and a cute guy serving me a guiltless tuna melt and a not so guiltless glass of lemonade. *Sigh* My own personal slice of heaven.

There is a reason why this place has 4 stars. They make outstanding cupcakes and their staff is awesome - plain and simple.

So far, Kara's ranks number one in my heart as the best cupcakery I've ever been to - up to this point at least. Yes, even better than the ever so hyped up Sprinkles! Their cupcakes are slightly smaller in comparison to other places, but I don't care because they are just THAT good!

Their cakes are moist, flavorful, and well, perfect. Oh, and the frosting? More perfection. I've found that a lot of bakeries like to slather inhuman amounts of frosting onto their cupcakes. So much so that the cake to frosting ratio is just totally off balance. It's more like ordering frosting with a side of cake. At Kara's though, they use just enough frosting without going overboard.

My favorite flavors are the raspberry dazzle, vanilla chocolate, kara's karrot, and well, basically everything - except coconut because I'm allergic. Stupid allergies!

The only thing keeping Kara's from getting 5 stars is that they don't have red velvet. That saddens me more than you know, because I desperately want to give Kara's 5 stars. Heck, I would give them 6 stars if I could!

I think we need to start a petition to get red velvet onto the menu. Who's with me?!

Being a self proclaimed cupcake connoisseur, I can tell you that I don't mess around when it comes to cake. I have high standards, and when those standards aren't met I am not a happy camper. I'm sure you can already sense where this is going...

While browsing on Union Street one day, my friend (a fellow cupcake snob) and I finally decided to pop in American Cupcake. We had eyed this place for a while and I swear those pretty little cupcakes were calling our names. Don't let the fancy packaging fool you though...

I selected my standard - red velvet. Now, red velvet cupcakes are like my little control group. Every time I go to a new cupcakery I always get this flavor first so I can fairly compare it to others I've had before, thus leaving me with a pretty good gauge on where the quality stands.

I have to say, the cake itself really wasn't bad. In fact, it was quite good - dense, moist, and flavorful. Sadly though, that's the only thing upholding the two stars here. The frosting was AWFUL. Don't get me wrong, I love cream cheese frosting, but I don't want it to taste like pure cream cheese. It was like they literally took a tub of Philadelphia and slathered it onto the cake. YUCK!

Also, the atmosphere is really strange and a bit off - well, very off to be honest. It seems like they are trying too hard to set themselves apart from more traditional cupcakeries. I don't know about you, but I quite like that homey, warm, feeling cupcake shops give off. It should feel inviting, not like you just walked into the movie, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century! Does anyone remember that by the way? Ah, those were the days...

So if you like your red velvet dunked in cream cheese and feeling like you're a part of a late 90's Disney movie, then this is definitely the place for you. Otherwise, "zoom zoom zoom" in the opposite direction because American Cupcake will not make your heart go "boom boom."

Alcatraz in a nutshell:

- Book AT LEAST one week in advance to get the time/day you want. Tickets sell out fast!

- Take the Night Tour. It's more comprehensive than the regular tour and you get breathtaking views of the bay at sunset. The sparkling cityscape on the boat ride back to the dock is definitely a plus too. Perfect date material!

- Wear something comfortable and bring a jacket. It can get a little chilly, especially at night.

- If you're with someone else, start your audio tour at the same time. If you don't, you'll end up in different places at different times. I made this mistake when I went!

- It may seem pricey, but it's totally worth every penny. This isn't just a "touristy" thing either. When you're a local, one of the best things you can do is learn more about your surroundings. Alcatraz should be on everyone's to-do list!

First off, Brickhouse? No, no. THE Brickhouse. That's what my friends and I call it. Not a huge difference, but I think it just sounds better with the "the" in front. Don't you think?

Whatever you choose to call it, The Brickhouse has been there for me through thick and thin. It's nothing fancy, but that's what I love. I can't tell you how many times I have worked all day on school projects only to find myself starving and too tired to cook. I can always rely on The Brickhouse for a tasty, filling meal - all within a cozy, eclectic atmosphere.

My favorite is the Chicken Brie sandwich, hands down. Oh. My. God. If this isn't the most heavenly sandwich I have ever had the pleasure of devouring, I don't know what is. The combination of chicken, brie, pesto, red onions, and fresh apples (yes that's right, fresh apples) is an all around palette pleaser. The sweet crunchiness from the apples is what sets this sandwich apart from all others. As a side, I highly suggest ordering the garlic fries. They are served with a tasty chipotle aioli dipping sauce which I am addicted to. If that stuff was sold in bottles, I'd buy the whole lot!

The Brickhouse is also a great spot for a laid back breakfast or brunch. You can't go wrong with the Vanilla Bean French Toast. Oh, oh! There's also a question of the day, and if you answer it correctly you get 25 cents off your coffee. I'm not a coffee drinker, but trivia junkies like myself always appreciate opportunities where we can show off our knowledge of useless, random facts.

Now, you may be wondering, "If you love this place so much, why give it 4 stars and not 5?" Well, my little yelpies, it all boils down to two simple factors - consistency and service. The service isn't bad by any means. Most of the people are awesome! It's just that the service and quality tend to fluctuate. Sometimes the staff is AMAZING and other times I feel borderline ignored. I guess it just depends on who's working. I've had ONE bad meal here, but that's easily forgiven because everyone has their off nights.

That being said, all the people I have taken to The Brickhouse have fallen under its spell, especially when they discover Happy Hour. I'm not a big drinker (I usually drink the cranberry lemonade), but I suggest going on Monday - pomegranate margs - enough said. You can thank me later, or yell at me - depending on how much you drink and how bad your hangover is on Tuesday morning! (;

I've been to Shame countless times, and it is one of the few places that serves consistently great food followed by even better service.

The atmosphere couldn't be more ideal. You get that "high end" feeling without all the frou frou stuffiness. Come in dressed casually and you'll fit in. Come in dressed up and you'll still fit in. There are two dining areas - the main room and the garden room. The main room is very traditional and quite standard, but my personal favorite is the garden room. Although it's fully enclosed, there is definitely a distinct difference in comparison to the main room. Put simply, it's like eating in the secret garden - very comfortable yet lush. I love The Secret Garden film though, so that's probably contributing to my bias.

Moreover, the food is outstanding. Last night I had the Grilled Atlantic Salmon served on a bed of caramelized fennel and garlic mashed potatoes. Salmon is my favorite fish, so I guess you could call me a bit of a salmon snob - it must be cooked to perfection. Shame hits the nail on the head every time I order this dish. I'm not the hugest fan of fennel either, but the caramelized version of this little vegetable is what sends my taste buds into euphoria. For dessert, the rice pudding is very tasty, but not the best in my book. That title belongs to Lord Fletcher's down the street. It's still worth sinking your spoon into though!

I feel like I don't even need to mention the service at this point because it's covered in almost every other review. My opinion is no different. The service is what takes this place from 4 stars to 5. Everyone who works there is helpful, kind, and friendly - even when the place is bursting to the brim with people. Service can make or break your dining experience, and in this case it definitely makes it!

All in all, stop by Shame On The Moon if you're ever in the desert area - you'll be glad you did. Just be sure to make a reservation in advance, otherwise the "shame" will be on you!