East 180

Probably one of the nicest decorated Chinese restaurants I've been to lately. But as we all know with nice decor and ambience you usually sacrifice quality and authenticism.

East 180 is located about an hour and a half from where I live, so it was quite a trek. My mom had recommend it and we decided to head out on a Saturday afternoon. It's located in Diamond Bar and along the way you will pass many exceptional Chinese restaurants.



Reading some of the Yelp reviews, was prepared for something less than exceptional. The first thing you'll notice when you enter is the decor, it's pretty darn nice. The building used to be a Sizzler and you would not be able to tell. The restaurant was pretty empty, maybe four or five tables were full. Not a good sign on a Saturday afternoon. But once we sat down and started to review the menu, we knew why. On weekends the the dinner menu is served all day, which means the prices are pretty high for lunch.



We ordered the some items that my mom had tried before and some standard items. Beef Fried Rice, Sauteed Spinach, Salt Baked Chicken, Shrimp and Rice Noodles with Black Bean Sauce, Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs and Salt Pepper Fish.



The shrimp dish arrived first and it was the best dish of the day. The rice noodles were sauteed with black bean and served on top of the sauteed shrimp. The black bean added a nice saltyness. All of the dishes were garnished with some pickled cucumbers.



Several dishes arrived at once, the ribs which were incredibly sweet, not to my liking. The salt baked chicken was presented by our server in the clay pot and taken back to be plated. It was very nice, the chicken was moist and the salt added nice flavor to the chicken. The dipping sauce served with the chicken was strange, it looked like a sesame sauce, but tasted very tart.



The salt pepper fish was okay, not enough seasoning and the batter was not crisp. Spinach was well done and the beef fried rice wasn't too bad. The restaurant prides itself for using organic ingredients and no MSG. This is unusual for most Chinese places. But that is part of the reason the prices are high. If that is important to you, then East 180 is a good option.



Since we ere celebrating my mom's and sister's birthday, we ended the meal with their Taro Almond dessert. My mom and my sister both loved it.



Unless I'm in the neighborhood, I probably won't make the trek again. There are just so many great Chinese restaurants, that it was an opportunity to mark it off the list.

Valentino

Friday night, dinner reservations for two at 7:00 pm.

This would be my first visit to Valentinos which has been one of the top restaurants in Los Angeles for several years. After getting a discount offer from Blackboard Eats, this was a perfect opportunity.

I was looking forward to enjoying the set tasting menu, but after hearing about the specials and reviewing the menu, I had second thoughts. Our servers name was Paul and he couldn't have been more helpful. He suggested that we order what we wanted and he would see what he could do. So we decided to go with the Prosciutto e Burrata starter, as well as the Il Timballo di Funghi. For our entrees we ordered the IL Risotto Nero ai Frutti di Mare and the Grilled Seafood Trio special.

Since we were planning on sharing, Paul said that we could make our order into a four course split tasting with wine pairing, Nice! The bread served was forgettable, breadsticks, some smaller white and poppy seed rolls. But I was not here for bread.



The Prosciutto e Burrata was the first started delivered and it was paired with a full glass of Proseco. This dish was so simple, but so delicious, the ingredients were top notch. The burrata was so creamy, and complimented the salty prosciutto. It was also served with something they called "gnocco frito", which was a little fried piece of dough. This dish was a perfect way to start.



Next up was the Il Timballo di Funghi, this was a savory flan made with wild mushrooms, served with a Parmesean and Saffron Fonduta. The mushroon "flan" or custard was so delicate and subtle. A nice earthly flavor which was paired with a sauce that was light and silky. I thought the sauce could have had a bit more seasoning, but the whole dish was very nice. The mushroom dish was paired with a Rosé,



First entree up was the IL Risotto Nero ai Frutti di Mare. A squid ink risotto topped with a seafood medley, which included calamari, shrimp and fish. Wow! I loved this dish. The risotto was delicious, the squid ink added a subtle ocean flavor and saltyness. The color contrast between the black risotto and small white pieces of seafood, was beautiful. Overall this was just a very nice and well balanced dish. Our server brought over the wrong wine for this course, so he actually poured two glasses of wine, one was for the last seafood course. He let us decide which one we though paired better and the one they choose was perfect. Sorry but I don't remember what the two varietals that were chosen.



I was getting pretty full after the risotto course, but the last course was the Grilled Seafood Trio. This plate included grilled dover sole, grilled turbot, lobster claw meat and grilled branzino, grilled asparagus was also included to add color. The seafood was served with a trio of sauces, a heirloom tomato butter sauce, a brown butter sauce and a caper berry and citrus sauce. Once again the quality of the ingredients really shined. The sole and turbot were delicious and perfectly cooked. The sauces were okay, but the brown butter sauce was the star and paired well with all of the seafood.



We closed out our meal with the Molten Chocolate cake, served with pair ice cream. Our server brought out a 1997 port for this course, that was awesome.



I can see why Valentinos has the reputation it does. The service was flawless and the food was delicious.

The Old Place

Ah, The Old Place.

A very appropriate name...the location seems like it should be historical, if it's not already. The restaurant is only open Thursday - Sunday and has a capacity of about 60-70.



It was a Thursday evening and my friend invited me to check this place out. He's a regular so maybe the experience might be a bit different then your first time. But whether you're a regular or first timer, the staff is amazingly courteous and the ambience is incredibly welcoming. That is the highlight of The Old Place. We sat at the end of the bar where I was introduced to the manager Tim. Tim gave me a brief rundown of the location history as well as the history of the restaurant.



We started off with beers, we had an amazing Telegraph Ale, just not sure which one. We were joined by a lovely wine distributor that was coming by to visit Tim. So of course we had to do some wine tasting as well.



At this point I had to get some food into my system or Friday was going to be unbearable. We ordered all starters, Grilled Octopus, Mushroom Toast, Grilled Vegetable Salad, Noodle Bake and the Steamed Clams.

The star was the Noodle Bake, but then again I'm sucker for mac and cheese. Egg noodles served with a nice cheese sauce, all browned in a small cast iron skillet. Homey goodness. The grilled vegetable salad was simple and the grilling on the open fire really adds some smokiness.



The clams which were a popular item, were delicious but the broth lacked some flavor and seasoning. The fresh sourdough bread served with the clams was nice and warm, delicious. The grilled octopus was a little overcooked, which caused it to be too chewy. The mushroom toast had a nice assortment of mushrooms including local Chantrelles. It was served on toasted sourdough bread with melted cheese. Very good.



We ended the meal with a berry crumble, considering how full I was and the fact that I don't have a sweet tooth, it was a delicious ending.



The Old Place is a wonderful restaurant with a lot charm and personality. The ambience is what makes it a destination. The staff will keep you there.

FFY Noodle House

This place was way out in Rowland Heights, which for me was a bit of a trek. It was Chinese New Year, so my mom wanted to take us to a new spot. I had read a few blogs about this place and was looking forward to lunch.



We were seated immediately and I noticed the open kitchen where they were making dumplings and buns from scratch. We ordered Green Onion Pancakes, Cucumber plate, Steamed Pork Buns, Shrimp and Pumpkin dumplings, Beef Roll and Pork and String Bean Gyoza.





The stars were the Steamed Pork Buns, and the Shrimp and Pumpkin dumplings. The buns had a perfect ratio of dough to filling and the dumplings had a substantial amount of Shrimp and pumpkin. The Green Onion Pancakes were too oily and can't compare to the ones at Earthen, which is a few miles away.



This owners originally owned the Noodle House on Garvey, which a tiny little place. This location is a lot bigger and feels very new. The service was typical for a small Chinese establishment. Nothing fantatstic, but efficient.



There were a lot of items on the menu that I look forward to trying the next time I'm out there. Until then I recommend you check it out.

Umami Burger

Not sure if it's all about the fifth taste profile as the name implies. But the burgers are pretty tasty.

It was a Saturday night, around 7:30 and the place was full. We were told there was a 10 min wait, so we put our name on the list and headed to the bar. Just as we were being served our beverages, our table was ready.



This was my first visit, but I had an idea of what I wanted to order before I got there. It was all about the Hatch Burger. I love green chili cheese burgers, so I had to try it. There was four of us, so we had a variety of burgers, The Truffle Burger and The Manly Burger were also on the menu.

For our sides we order onion rings, sweet potato fries and thin fries. We were really hoping or the jalapeno hush puppies, but they were sold out (at 8pm?). With each side you get a free condiment, we got Umami Ketchup, House Spread (Thousand Island?) and Dijon Mustard.



Across the board the burgers were all delicious and perfectly cooked medium rare. The grind of meat is pretty coarse and very well seasoned, there was also a nice charred crust. But my Hatch Burger was disappointing in one respect, the chilis were bland and had no heat. By far my favorite burger was the Truffle Burger. The Truffle flavor was very pronounced and work really well with the meat, that was umami. The Manly burger was not bad either, but I lost the taste of the lardons.

All of burgers are served on airy brioche buns and are about 8 ounces. The sides were decent, with the onion rings being the standout. The sweet potato fries were seasoned with cinnamon, which I did not like.

The service was adequate, nothing special. I look forward to visiting the other locations in the future.

Jitlada

It was a cold Christmas Eve night, Jitlada was our location of choice. We showed up at 6:30, the restaurant was mostly empty. The neon sign outside says Spicy Southern Thai, that's what we came for a family of Chiliheads.



We reviewed the menu and ordered some standard Thai dishes and some items we had never had before. For starters we had the Papaya Salad and the Thai Toast. The salad was delicious and refreshing, a bit spicy. The Thai toast wasn't what I expected, it looked like fried plantains, but tasted like some sort of deep fried seafood cake, tasty and it came with a sweet dipping sauce.



Next up, the Spicy Sweet Pork and Spicy Seafood Padthai. The pork dish was really good, the sauce was a nice combination of sweet and spicy. But like the salad, the portion size seemed a bit small. The Padthai was good, but too sweet for me.



We had the Chinese watercress, Spicy Fried Rice and Steamed Whole Seabass with Spicy Lemon sauce. All of these dishes were good, but none of them were spicy enough. We requested the condiments too late, because they added the kick I was looking for.



To finish off the meal, we split a Mango Sticky rice. Jitlada has gotten a lot of praise for being one of the best Thai restaurants in LA. Our meal was good, but I was expecting a lot more spice and balance of flavors. The price of some of the dishes also seemed too high.



Next time I will request Thai spicy when ordering.

Animal

Oh Animal, Oh Animal, Thy Food is so delicious!

Yes this place did live up to the hype.



Our reservations were for 6:45, we arrived about ten minutes early and were seated immediately. The restaurant was about 80% full. Our server explained to us the different ways we could order, all apps, no apps, a lot of apps and entrees, etc...But we had to make sure to order all at once versus piece meal. That wouldn't be a problem.



We ordered a bottle of the house Cabernet to start and perused the menu. We decided to go heavy on the apps and split an entree. For our apps we had the Chicken Liver Toast, BBQ Pork Belly Sliders, Melted Petit Basque and Chorizo, Sweetbreads, Poutine and the Pig Ear with Fried Egg.



The Chicken Liver Toast was amazing, so simple, but so well balanced. The liver puree was so smooth. The BBQ Pork Sliders were good, but there was too much sauce for my taste. The pork belly was so unctuous and the slaw was not too sweet. Melted Petit Basque was not bad, but the flavor of the Chorizo was lost.



The Sweetbreads were amazing, it was served on top of creamed spinach, with Hen of the Woods mushrooms, capers and lemon segments. When everything was eaten together there were so many flavors that all worked well together. The Pig Ear with Fried egg had a nice spice, but the pig ears could have been a little crispier. The Poutine was the only dish that I thought was unsuccessful. It was too salty and I thought the gravy was too thin.



For our entree we decided to split the Quail Fry. Another well executed dish. The crispy fried quail went well with the slab bacon and creamy grits. The quail was cooked perfectly.



I was looking forward to the donuts for dessert, but they had taken them off the menu. We ordered the Bacon Chocolate Crunch bar. It was nice and chocolaty, but the bacon part of it just brought a little smokyness no bacon flavor.



Animal is casual and the atmosphere is very minimal. The service was excellent and the price is not bad. The standout dishes were the Chicken Liver Toast, Sweetbreads, and Quail Fry. I hope to go back and try some of the other dishes soon.