Los Cinco Puntos - East LA

I finally had some time to head out to Los Cinco Puntos in East LA last week. Los Cinco Puntos is located on the corner of Lorena and Cesar Chavez Blvd., east of the cemetary where everyone drives at a strict rate of 30 mph. Don't even try passing these guys because the po-po's are everywhere trying to catch those who dare to go dangerously beyond the 30 mph speed limit.

Cinco Puntos is an old-school neighborhood take-out deli shop where you can buy tortillas, tamales, sodas, Mexican candies, and of course -- TACOS. Once inside you'll smell aroma of corn masa and chicharrones and hear the the soothing sound of masa being slapped back and forth by CP's Tortilleria mamas.

I ended up ordering two asada tacos ($1.75 ea), a bag or tortilla chips ($1.89), and a dozen fresh tortillas ($2.29). I would of loooooved to scarf down my tacos right then and there, but there weren't any chairs or tables at Cinco Puntos. Most customers opt to eat the tacos in the parking lot, however, with our recent heat wave, I had to wait to eat my tacos at home.

My asada tacos were great. Juicy chunks of asada beautiful hints of garlic and pepper. Unlike standard street tacos with onions and celantro, Cinco Puntos tops off their tacos with nopales, simmered cactus leaves. The nopales added a slighty tarty green-bean addition to their already awesome asada. But what really did it for this taco was Cinco Puntos' handmade tortillas. Forget about soggy and to' up tortillas, nothing can seep through CP's badboys. Their filling tortillas and hunky chunks of asada got me full after one taco. I ended up eating my other taco for next morning's breakfast. I really heart Cinco Puntos leftovers. I'll be back for their mouthwatering carnitas and tamales real soon.


Los Cinco Puntos

3300 E Cesar Chavez Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90063
(323) 261-4084

Mon-Fri 8am-6pm
Sat & Sun 7am-6pm
*Closed Wednesdays

Bridge USA Natsu Matsuri

Last month, D and I headed out to Torrance for USA Bridge's Annual Natsu Matsuri (Summer Festival). We were tipped by our Ramen-maniac friend RW (a chowhounder who knows the ins & outs to honto (real) Japanese cuisine) that Bridge USA's festival was the place to go for some good Japanese grub.

While walking through the Torrance Cultural Arts Center parking lot, we noticed a red van with the words "Shin Sen Gumi" written on it. "NO WAY, the Shin Sen Gumi guys are not only here, but they travel and fight crime A-Team style. That's so bada$$!"


After paying $6 each for admission, D and I pushed and shoved our way through the kiddy game section sniffing our way to the food. Once we saw smoke rising from the south corner, we knew we found our yakitori A-Team. Like stalking paparazzi, we hung around the Shin Sen Gumi booth for a good 10 minutes as we took pictures of the yakitori, the cooks and their binchotan (Japanese charcoal).

The only yakitori the Shin Sen Gumi gangsters were grilling at the Matsuri were Tare negi's -- chicken thighs with Japanese leeks. Of course we would of loved some hearts and gizzards, but for $8, 5 yakitori sticks certaintly satisfied our bellies.

After Shin Sen Gumi, we rushed over to the Gaja booth for what people are calling , "The best Okonomiyaki outside of Osaka." For years I've refused to try okonomiyaki in Los Angeles knowing that nothing will compare to some of the greatness I've had in Osaka while living there.

With much anticipation after hearing great reviews on Gaja's okonomiyaki, I was ready to fight my fears of eating a disappointing okonomiyaki. To my surprise, Gaja's okonomiyaki was close to being on ON POINT. They dressed my okonomiyaki up beautifully but failed to go crazy with the Kewpie Mayonnaise. As much as I don't care for extreme usage of Kewpie Mayonnaise, okonomiyaki is the one exception where I crave TONS of mayo. Regardless of their Kewpie mayo skimpyness, for $5, I was pretty happy. I'll bring my own mayo next year.

Like every festival, we were bound to run into blah food. You know, the food that's not only a waste of space, but just a waste of money. The Hokkaido Lamb bowl was really horrible. Dry and gamey is all I can say. The yakisoba was just ok. I'm just not a yakisoba lover, it's actually my least favorite noodle dish. Bleeeechhh!

Shin Sen Gumi Yakitori ($8): B+
Gaja Okonomiyaki ($5): B
Hokkaido Lamb ($5): G-
Yakisoba ($5): C-

Bridge USA Natsu Matsuri
venue: Torrance Cultural Arts Center
3330 Civic Center Dr
Torrance, CA 90503


*Bridge USA Natsu Matsuri is usually held on the Saturday after 4th of July.

Quails Quails Quails - Lien Hoa Little Saigon

My mom and I just came back from one of our regular visits to Little Saigon. We ate at our usual joint at Tay Ho for Little Saigon's best banh cuon and picked up our favorite baguettes over at Top Baguette. After, I dragged my mom across the street to Lien Hoa, for what has been said is the best BBQ in Little Saigon.

Lien Hoa is located in a crowded strip mall on Bolsa Avenue, the main artery running through Little Saigon's body. Once we walked in, we were blessed to find crispy aromatic peking duck cadavers waiting for us. YUM! Unfortunately, I didn't head to Lien Hoa for their famous BBQ duck, not even their roasted pigs. I wanted something smaller, crispier, cheaper...I came for the quails! At Lien Hoa, you can find quails, marinated and bbq'd for $1.50 each! For less than $5, I took home three quail poppers which I was very very excited to eat.

My mom found it pretty funny and then partly annoying that I had to play with my bbq'd quails friends. After taking over 20 pictures in the parking lot, my mom yelled out, "OK! ENOUGH!" Like a overly nagged out teenager, I responded "Ok ok...I'm done!" and proceeded to gnaw on the limbs of my new bird friends. Although the quail was marinated in oyster sauce making the skin moist and sweet, the meat, at least in the limbs was a tad dry. But I'm not complaining. I got a tasty snack and an amusing pet all for a buck fiddy!

Banh Cuon Tay Ho
9242 Bolsa Ave. #F
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 895-4796
www.westlakefood.com

Top Baguette
9062 Bolsa Avenue
Westminster, CA 92638
(714) 379-7726

Lien Hoa
9299 Bolsa Ave.
Westminster, Ca 92683
(714) 894-1085

El Taquito Mexicano 2 vs. La Estrella - The Asada Showdown

My first experience on the taco scene was in 2000 when my friend Marshall convinced me that the place for tacos was down the street by his house in Altadena. The place was called El Taquito Mexicano 2, a quaint yellow building on Fair Oaks Ave, just north of Old Town Pasadena and the 210 fwy.

My first bites into their 99 cents pastor and asada tacos were tear-dropping sensational. And at that moment, I was forever hooked on great al pastors and carne asadas. Later that night I dragged my brother over to El Taquito Mexicano 2's taco truck that they park south of their shop in front of Nishikawa Auto Service.

A couple weeks ago, I was back at the place that initially started this taco craze in my life while I was in Pasadena running some errands (eerrr...at Bevmo shopping for wine). The little taco shop is still the same way I remembered it, yellow, quaint, and homey. The shop unlike it's taco truck at night is run by women. While ordering at the cashier in the back, I noticed how their kitchen looked just like my mama's -- messy and unorganized. It's quite amazing watching three ladies maneuver through the kitchen, the food, and each other. They definitely have the maternal hands that know how to feed society. I heart women cooks!

One thing I really love about ETQ2, both shop and truck is that their salsa roja is HOT, non-gringo HOT, just the way I like it. I usually love their pastors more than their tacos at ETM2. But this time, the asadas were the star. Scents of smokey pepper, citrus, and garlic, their moist and tender asadas were ON POINT! The asadas were nothing but nice cuts of meat, beautifully and perfectly charred. My pastors however tasted overly stewed. One thing about ETM2 is that some days they are great, and other days the stuff is just ok.

While eating at ETM2, I couldn't help but notice the long line over at La Estrella, ETM2's rival taco joint across the street. Marshall used to always say that La Estrella was the place people went for asadas. Hmm...asadas that can possibly rock ETM2's asadas??? Minutes after finishing up at ETM2's, I ran the kitty-corner over to La Estrella because it was time for an ASADA SHOWDOWN.

One look at La Estrella's asada was a quick disappointment. My feelings didn't change either after I took a bite into their overly chopped asada meat. Don't get me wrong, the meat was flavorful, a bit more tangy than peppery. However, without structure, it just tasted like tasty ground beef to me. It also didn't help that La Estrella's salsa was pretty weak compared to rival ETM2's.

With both taco joints being at 99 cents a taco, I've gotto say that my carne asada choice for the day goes out to El Taquito Mexicano 2.

El Taquito Mexicano #2: 1
La Estrella: 0

Let me know if you ever have an ETM2/La Estrella Al Pastor Challenge. You know I'm down.

El Taquito Mexicano #2 (shop)
467 N Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 577-3918

La Estrella
500 N Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 792-8559

El Taquito Mexicano #2 (truck)
510 S Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105
*parked at night

Humpday - Silver Lake Wine

If you grill it they will come. This Wednesday is the 2 year anniversary of the Humpday Tasting. Food, wine and the cream cheese spreads. DP Parker, owner of the GrassRoots Dip Co. will be here quite possibly in an ugly suit. Wednesday don't forget. Invite all your friends.

There's a big party goin on tonight at Silver Lake Wine. Three wines, grilled grub and cream cheese for $12. Randy told me it's gonna be great! Head over from 5-9pm. *No reservations required.

Congratulations to SLW. They're planning to expand the place TWICE the size!

Silver Lake Wine
2395 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 662-9024

Fiore Natural Italian Yogurt - Little Tokyo

With LA Times recent article on Pinkberry and tips of Pinkberry and the McDowell's of Pinkberry - Kiwiberry opening up all around LA, it's no wonder why some of us are quite shocked at the recent arrival of Fiore Natural Italian Yogurt in J-town.

After a very oishii sushi dinner from my favorite Sushi Komasa, D and I walked around the corner to check out Fiore. (Thanks Pirikara for the tip!) Fiore is in many ways very very similar to Pinkberry's. The only difference that I found was that Fiore seemed to be more on the creamy side, leaving a slight milky residue on the side of my mouth. I was also a bit disappointed in the small amount of mangos homegirl gave me with my large yogurt.

The big turn-off for me is that Fiore is a subsidiary of Todai. Yes, Todai, the Sushi and Seafood Buffet chain. As much as I love that Fiore is closer than the WeHo Pinkberry, I find myself wanting to support Sherry Hwang's woman made business (You go girl!) over Todai's frozen yogurt project.

I agree with Colleen Cuisine. I still like Pinkberry's the most and I'll be waiting for the K-town Pinkberry to open very soon.

Fiore Natural Italian Yogurt
134 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-0806
11AM - 10PM daily

Alcove Cafe & Bakery

I don't remember ever really complaining about the heat waves in Los Angeles. Our family always had to "make do" with the heat and what we had. If it meant fresca popsicles from our local Carniceria, I was happy. Other times my mom would just throw us in the pool along with some fresh nectars from the yard. While we were braced-faced teenagers, my mom would pack the van and drop us off at the Glendale Galleria. Back in the day, I enjoyed the heat, I enjoyed our long summers. But sadly, those days are no more. With record heat waves and a good look at An Inconvenient Truth, I am starting to dread HOT days. (Gosh, I can't believe I'm saying this!)

The other day my girlfriend Shari and I headed over to Alcove Cafe & Bakery in neighboring Los Feliz for lunch. What a cute courtyard and bakery! With the day being so hot, Alcove was smart to have a Chilled Strawberry Soup with a Balsamic Reduction as their special. I also ordered a Virginia Ham and Gruyere Panini and a side of fries. My friend Shari seemed extremely hungry and ordered a Maine Lobster and Black Tiger Shrimp Omelette.

My Strawberry Soup was perfect for the heat. But I'm sure I can puree some fresh strawberries at home for a fraction of what they were charging me. I was enjoying my soup until I glanced over at Shari's Omelette. Oh God, the concoction of cheese and eggs, Tiger Shrimp, and our unbearable heat just made me feel so gross. The Hollandaise sauce...Hollandaise sauce makes me nervous. I remember Anthony Bourdain saying that Hollaindaise sauce is "a veritable petri dish for biohazards". Blehhhh!

My panini came out later. I really wasn't into my panini. I don't think my panini was into me. The focaccia bread was too heavy for the heat. But I can tell you that Alcove's fries are the bomb. Next time I'll be ordering fries and that's it!

I'll be back at Alcove one day. I just have to wait for the heat to die out. Bleeehhhh!

Alcove Cafe & Bakery
1929 Hillhurst Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 644-0100

Silver Lake Wine: The Tasting Overview

Since moving to my urban oasis called Silver Lake, my neighborhood wine shop has become more than a place where I run to for a last minute dinner wine. Over the few months that I've been living in the area, Silver Lake Wine has become my neighborhood hangout, a place where I can walk in, wave hi to the owners (April, Randy and George) and feel at home amongst other eastsiders there for their weekly tastings.

There are three weekly tastings at Silver Lake Wine. Here's the breakdown:

Blue Mondays: Three wines, usually one white, and two reds for $12 from 5-9pm. Also featured are cheeses from the Cheese Store of Silverlake. D and I agree that Blue Mondays are our favorite nights for tasting. One, because we are suckers for cheese. Two, because Monday night tastings are generally more relaxing than the Thursday Night Flights. However, over the past few weeks, we've noticed that Blue Mondays are become more crowded as the night ends. It's ok, we'll still come for the cheese. Also, the wines featured on Mondays are usually under $15, so if you like it, you'll have no problem taking it home. *No reservations required.

Thursday Night Flights: Three wines of a particular category (varietal, a wine maker, or a region) but usually three reds or three whites for $12 from 5-9pm. Thursday Night Flights are definitely the party night over at Silverlake Wine. *No reservations required.


Sundays at 3: Definitely my favorite of the three tastings. For $20, 4-5 wines plus pairing appetizers from local chefs is a great buy. The most structured tasting out of the three tastings, plus they cap the tasting to 40 people. You have to RSVP and to do so, I suggest getting on their mailing list: info@silverlakewine.com . Randy or Santos from Silverlake Wine emails out bi-weekly newletters giving us the heads up on the week's tastings. Once they send out Sundays at 3 tasting's email, RSVP! The fill up quick.

The people at Silver Lake Wine are super chill. Owners, George, April and Randy are all very helpful in finding yummy wine. We go to George for pairing questions. I go to April for Pinot Noir recommendations. She's never let me down. And Randy is always fun to talk to when he's not running all around the shop.

Head to Silverlake Wine. I'm there every Blue Monday!

Silver Lake Wine
2395 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 662-9024

Bollywood and Wat Thai Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl

After our first "Mommy & Me" excursion at the Hollywood Bowl, my mom has been dying to go back for another show and picnic. When she heard that Bollywood was coming to Hollywood, she anxiously asked me to head to the Bowl to pick up two tickets. My mom loves Bollywood...no I mean she LOOOOOOOOVES Bollywood.

On our way to the Bowl, my mom and I hit up Wat Thai Los Angeles to pick up some goodies for the night. If you ever want parking and avoid the mass crowds at Wat Thai LA, I suggest coming late afternoon. We arrived at 4:45 and even parked in the main lot. No lines, no fuss, no mama yelling at me about where to park...I loved it!


My mom and I aren't big eaters, so we only exchanged $10 in chips. We bought some Khao Niaow Ma Muang (Thai Mango and Sticky Sweet Rice) for $5 and $5 worth of pork and chicken satay. And then we were off to the Bowl.

Along with our yummy delights, I also brought some delicious chilled Riesling Spatlese to go along with that spicy satay kick. This particular Riesling, 2004 Muller-Catoir happens to be my current favorite. The first time I had it was over a Tommy's Chilicheeseburger and that was heavenly. Rich in honey and apricot flavors, this wine should be chilled to about 55 degrees, otherwise it will taste too syrupy.



The Hollywood Bowl became an Indian music and dance spectacular under the direction of Bollywood's most famous composer, AR Rahman. When AR Rahman was introduced as a musician selling more records than Michael Jackson, I knew it was going to be a great night at the Bowl. With everyone dancing and singing along, us Angelenos were blown away by the love of Bollywood in Hollywood.

Wat Thai Los Angeles
8225 Coldwater Canyon Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91605