Beijing Noodle #9 - Las Vegas

Okay, so I understand this place isn't going compare to any of he excellent Northern Chinese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. But, I so hopeful after speaking to the staff, many of which were from China. They described the food as being excellent.



The first problem with the place were the prices. I expected the place to be overpriced, but this was ridiculous. I guess the lease in Caesars Palace doesn't help, nor does the beautifully decorated interior. All that being said, I expected the quality of the ingredients and the quantity of each dish to be much better.



We ordered the Pad Fried Dumplings(Gyoza), Braised Baby Bok Choy, Mapo Tofu, Beef Noodle Soup and Pan Fried Pork Pancakes. None of these dishes were spectacular. The Bok Choy was okay, the gyoza were very small and the quantity was pitiful. The highlight was the Beef Noodle soup, it was good and the chunks of beef were nicely braised. The mapo tofu was terrible, nothing like what it's supposed to be.



The service was good and they have some interesting beverages, but this place definitely caters to the American tourist. Like many of the other reviews you can get all of the dishes served here for half the price in any Chinatown.

Bouchon - Las Vegas

I was expecting so much more from a Thomas Keller restaurant. The night started off poorly when we had to wait almost 30 mins for our table, party of three at 9PM.

As we waited for our table we scanned the menu and decided we would order dishes to share. Our server started off being very helpful, but slowly lost interest as the meal progressed.



For starters we ordered the Assiette de Charcuterie and the Salade de Frisée aux Lardons et Oeuf Poché. Before the starters arrived, bread was delivered, it was nice, but not impressive. The starters took a lot longer then they should've, considering there was minimal cooking involved. The salami was okay and should have been served with more bread. The salad was good and the egg was well poached, the vinaigrette was delicious. The toasted Brioche served with the salad was amazing. As our plates were cleared, our table was covered in crumbs. The crumbs were never cleaned from our table. I noticed several other tables being crumbed between each course.



For our entrees we decided to split the Croque Madame and the special of the evening, a Pan Seared Duck breast served with roasted Sunchokes, Satueed Chantrelles, Chestnut Pain Perdu and a Huckleberry Gastric.



The Croque Madame was delicious, the mornay sauce was rich and bread was so buttery. The fries served with the sandwich were under seasoned and very ordinary. We were so excited for the duck dish, but it couldn't have been more disappointing. The duck was over cooked, the entire dish was cold and bland.



Our server seemed very distracted and forgot to bring over items we asked for and never really checked on us. For the cost of the meal and the reputation of the chef behind the restaurant, I expected the food to be well executed and the service to be on point. None of these things were true.

Dean Sin World

After reading about this place and seeing all of the positive reviews, I was excited to finally try it out.

The place is very small, it seats maybe 12-15 people, max. They specialize in Northern Chinese dishes which are mainly dough based. So you will find the standard potstickers, wonton soup and green onion pancakes. But I was there to try the Shen Jian Bao (pan fried buns), argued to be the best in SGV. We ordered two orders of the pan fried buns, eight come in an order. The buns were served screaming hot, the bottoms were crispy and the dough had a great texture sprinkled with black sesame seeds. The filling was okay, but there could have been a bit more. Overall, the buns were good, but I'm not sure they were the best.

We also ordered a variety of baked pastries that just came out of the oven. One was filled with ground pork, another was filled with green onions and they gave us a complimentary sesame filled pastry. The pork filled pastry was great, the filling was similar to the filling used in the pan fried dumplings, but the ratio was much better.

The staff is very friendly, the prices are reasonable considering the work involved with making these items. We talked to one of the owners about the handmade filling she used for the sesame pastry and she told us everything was made from scratch.

I'm looking forward to trying out the wonton soup and the xlb.

Mastro's Steakhouse - Thousand Oaks

If you're looking for high quality meats and great service in the Conejo Valley, then Mastros is your best option.

The dimly lit dining area is quaint, but feels very exclusive. The menu is straight forward and beef is the main attraction. Everything is A La Cart and the portions of the side dishes are enough to share. There is a nice assortment of bread, there is a full bar with a nice wine list.

Our meal started off with an order of Fanny Bay and Blue Point oysters and a couple of wedge salads. The oysters were served with fresh horseradish, cocktail sauce and lemon. The oysters were delicious, the wedge salads were typical, nothing to write home about.



For our entrees, I had the Veal Chop, we also ordered the Bone-In Filet and the fish of the day, which was Halibut. For our side dishes we had, Lobster Mashed Potatoes, Macaroni Cheese and the Sauteed Asparagus. The meats are served unadorned, there are no sauces and no garnishes. My Veal chop was cooked perfectly and the seasoning was on point. I had a taste of the Filet and it was delicious. But the side dishes always seem to steal the show. I love their mac and cheese, made with five cheeses and browned nicely on top. At this point I'm completely stuffed. But the dessert selection is pretty good.



We ordered the Vanilla Gelato and Creme Brulee, our declared that this was not enough. And since it was my birthday, he said he would bring out something special. So in addition to the gelato and brulee, he brought out Mastro's signature dessert, the Warm Butter Cake. The plate was decorated nicely with a birthday message written in chocolate. If you go to Mastro's, you have to try the warm butter cake. It's ridiculous and I don't even like sweets.



The service at this location is impeccable. Our server Bobby, answered all of our questions and offered many great suggestions.



In my opinion Mastro's Steakhouse is a great option. I like it better the other "chain" steakhouses like Ruth's Chris and Flemings. Though it may not be at the level of CUT or Wolfgangs, the prices are much more reasonable.

Bellavino

2.5 Stars

So this was my first visit to Bellavino. I was having dinner with friends and they decided on the location. I arrived on time for dinner reservations at 6:30 on a Thursday evening. The restaurant wasn't very busy, probably about a third full. I was first to arrive and waited at the bar. The ambience is very nice, casual yet sophisticated. There was live music and a full bar.



We were seated on the patio next to the fireplace. One side of the menu consisted of charcuterie and cheese, the other included appetizers, salads and entrees. We started off with a three cheese selection, we selected Purple Haze, Manchego and the Eppoises. Unfortunately the Eppoises was not available and neither was our second selection, the Explorateur. They probably don't get a lot of orders for these cheeses. We settled on the Fromager D' Affinois and creamy Brie. Considering this was a cheese plate, it took awhile for it to arrive. The portions of cheese were a bit small and it was served with sliced baguette and water crackers, there was also some dried fruit.



For our main courses, we had the Filet Mignon, Grilled Ahi and I had the Pasta Provencal with Prawns. My pasta dish was okay, it lacked seasoning and the individual ingredients did not stand out. The Filet looked a bit over cooked, but I was told both of the other dishes were good. The highlight of our meal was the 2006 Morgan Pinor Noir, we had two bottles. Surprisingly enough the vineyard is in Salinas. The service was good.

Overall not a bad place for some wine and cheese. I would like to go back with they are fully stocked with cheese.

Sushi Yusho

A last minute decision to go out for sushi in the Conejo Valley and we ended up at Sushi Yusho in Newbury Park.

I had been here a couple of times before and had decent experiences, so we decided to try it again. The first round of items included Spanish Mackerel, Red Snapper, and Albacore, all ordered nigiri style. Also had a spicy scallop hand roll and green mussels. All of the fish was decent, the green mussels were prepared a lot differently then I'd had them before, they weren't very good. I think they were broiled and just has some type of miso sauce ladled over the top.



Our table also had a variety of cut rolls, all of them were decent, but nothing special. The star of the night was the Sho Chiku Bai Junmai Nigori Sake. This sake is unfiltered and has a great sweetness. With a few of those the sushi became the supporting cast.

Santouka Ramen - Torrance, CA Mitsuwa Market Food Court

4 Stars

Finally made it out to the Torrance Mitsuwa market and go to the try Santouka Ramen. There are a lot of options in this food court, but Santouka is definitely one you should try first.



I ordered #31, which is the regular sized Hot Miso Ramen. Their trademark shio ramen was perfectly cooked and the spicy miso broth was delicious. The ramen is served with thick slices or roasted pork belly, green onions and naruto. This was a superior bowl of noodles.

I look forward to visiting the West LA location and trying another version of their delicious ramen.