Saturday, May 27, 2006

City Thai + + + + $

Who? UofT people, Andrew, Joyce, Steve
Where? Pasadena, Fair Oaks just south of Colorado

Excellent Thai food in a nice dining environment.

Fred's Burgers + + $

Where? La Jolla Beach, San Diego
Who? Han Soon, Tim, Shane, Andrew

Very good burger + fries combo for cheap. Small place.

Friday, May 26, 2006

PB Bar and Grill + + $

Where? Pacific Beach, San Diego
Who? Tim, Shane, Andrew

Ultra cheap beers ($2?), cheap bar food (wings are great, nachos are good) and plenty of eye candy. Good place to watch the game and throw one back. Extremely loud and busy - a typical college hangout. Bartenders are really fast and polite.

Island's Burgers * * / + + $

Where? Long Beach Village
Who? CLEO people, still

Pretty good burger chain. I like the Hula - sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, swiss - and add bacon. Onion rings need to be split between a few people - and the Ranch dressing is good. Decor is very... festive.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Tokyo Wako + $ $

Where? Shoreline Village, Long Beach
Who? Chris V, Shane, Iannick, Deba, Haibin

Unattentive service and overpriced. I had the sashimi bowl, which was not too bad. But everyone else had complaints about the temperature of the food, its order of arrival, and the plain manner in which it was prepared. Thumbs down. But location is nice.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Yard House (II) + + + $ $

Where? Shoreline Village, Long Beach
Who? Various unnamed drunk people, Chris V, Shane, Andrew, Yannick

The location of this Yard House is somewhat nicer than the Pasadena one since it is on the water but the interior is not as inviting. Nacho platter is very good and feeds many. Well known claim to fame is the bevy of beers on tap. Hence, a good place to throw one back but not really to "dine".

GameWorks + + + $

Where? Aquarium Way, Long Beach
Who? Andrew, Chris V, Shane, Haibin, various University of Southampton people aka. the Newport Researcher Party

Lots of arcade games + restaurant/bar = fun place for a really nerdy date. Or as the case is, a really nerdy "party" of optical engineers from the Conference on Lasers and Electro-optics. Shoot-em ups, beat em-ups, drive em ups - whatever your fancy, they got it. Props to Newport for throwing this annual party featuring free food and drinks. Wings are pretty decent and were the only food I really ate. They are even better served with the many beers on tap. Find the bartender named Fabby, she was awesome and took care of us all night - extra + for her.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

A Taste of Japan + + + + $$

Where? Markham, Woodbine and Esna Park, Ontario, Canada (I know, it's not in L.A.)
Who? Andrew and Brian and Yuh Mey's Wedding Party and Family

Convenient parking. Fun atmosphere due to the Teppan chefs who are a little eclectic and don't speak English too well. Salmon and Strip Loin (Dinner D) off the grill is top notch especially when washed down with some sake. There is more than ample food for $21.95CDN. Chefs will let you play and will fire pieces of food at young unsuspecting children.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

ABC Seafood + + + + $

Where? Ord and New High, Chinatown
Who? Gary, Howsah, Andrew and Kenny

Dim Sum! Yum Cha! Great food, har gau, siu mai, cheung fun, ngaw ghap, duww fu fa, dann tat... the whole gamut. Small, not as nice as NBC but a decent price. Park in the lot between Spring and New High ($3. Apparently there's a free lot behind ABC?)

Angeli Caffe + + + + $$

Where? Melrose and Poinsetta
Who? Steve, Andrew and Adam aka. Los Tres Amigos

Nice looking place, very modern, and compact. Bread is very good (and compact too, incidentally). Penne special with sausage and baby spinach was excellent. Cool looking gnocchi. How was it Adam? Large choice of wines and desserts. Waiter was sometimes unintelligible. Parking is a major problem - expensive valet.