Thursday, June 26, 2008

Sushi Raku II


My second outing to Sushi Raku and they didn't disappoint. I went to meet my friend Laura for dinner and to catch-up on current events. The restaurant was pretty busy, we got two seats at the sushi bar.

In my first visit I ate a whole lot of food. Tonight was going to be a little more mellow. We both started of with a Spicy Scallop Hand Roll. I didn't order this last time, it was good. Their Scallop mix didn't have any mayonaise or at least very little. I thought it was good, not great. Next I ordered Ono nigiri and Laura had Salmon nigiri. I love the Ono, they serve it with some fried onions and a special mayo type sauce, excellent.

Next up was Spanish Mackerel for me and a special cut roll for Laura. The roll was a imitation crab mix on the inside, with slices of tuna and avocado on the outside. The ingredients were pretty standard, but the sauce was a bit different. It was some type of white miso sauce, kind of sweet. My mackerel was awesome, super fresh.

Sushi Raku has an incredible menu of specialty rolls. I watched as all kinds of dishes were being created and delivered to tables. I'm not much of a roll guy, but they did look good. I finished with an order of Halibut Fin nigiri, which I've only had at Uerukamu. It was a huge portion, but I liked the touches at Uerukamu better.

Overall Sushi Raku has become my favorite local spot for sushi. The ambience is nice and the sushi is fresh. I'll be back...soon.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Bittman - What's Wrong with What We Eat.



Interesting and informative presentation on the World's food issues and the Western Diet.

Friday, June 13, 2008

New Restaurants!

Some new restaurants are scheduled to open this summer in the Westlake Village area. Wolfgang Bistro is another one of Mr. Pucks restaurant ventures. The website describes it as "innovative twist on regional favorite dishes, to complement Wolfgang's Eat, Love and Live (WELL) program." It might be a decent option for this part of town.



But the place I'm most excited about is The Counter. The Counter is a hamburger joint that originated in Santa Monica, but now has locations opening throughout the U.S. The concept at this place is "Build Your Own Burger" with over 300,000 combinations.

I know these are semi-corporate establishments, but in this area you take what you can get. BTW, these places are both opening across street from the Four Seasons, next to Dakotas.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

How to judge a dude by his food - Food on Shine

Do women really think this way? I know I would love to meet a girl as interested in food as I am. But that's going to be pretty difficult, considering I'm a freak about food.
How to judge a dude by his food - Food on Shine

Friday, June 6, 2008

Recipe Dealbreakers

Michael Ruhlman for those of you that don't know is an author and cook. His blog is both educational and informative. I really enjoyed a recent post about recipes and a NY Times article about following them.

ruhlman.com: Recipe Dealbreakers

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Fun in the Sun

Better then late then never. Last Sunday my friends Mike and Sarah had a Pool Party/BBQ at their lovely home. The weather was awesome, the food was fantastic, the cocktails were inebriating and the company couldn't be better.

I brought over some Deviled Eggs with Truffle oil and my moms famous Fried Chicken Wings with a Spicy Asian Chili Sauce. Some other delicious apps included a Spinach and Feta baked in puff pastry, very much like a Spankopita, Roasted Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Spicy Citrus Grilled Shrimp and some great dips and cheese.


If you're having a party at Mike and Sarah's, you cannot forget to mention the wines. On this day we enjoyed several lovely wines,'99 Domaine Matrot - Meursault Perrieres,
'99 F&L Pillot - Chassagne Montrachet - Vide Bourse, '05 Pio Cesare Barolo,'06 Amisfield Pinot Noir - Central Otaga New Zealand and '06 Under The Radar Babcock Winery Syrah - Santa Barbara County.

Then came Tony's famous Margaritas. Dangerous! So smooth, but so dangerous. After a couple of those I was feelin good. More noshing and I was was full, really full. So it was time for a dip in the pool.

Dinner Time! Mike and Sarah had a great menu planned, BBQ Tri-tip, Chicken Kabobs with a Tatziki sauce, Herb Rice and Salad. But, I was still full. Like they say no pain, no gain...so I toughed if out and ate a plate full of food. It was tasty. Dessert included some great Chex Mix Cereal Bars, Coconut Caramel Bars and Chocolate Cake.

See more photos here.