The SLY Foodie

When the weather turns cold (as it did just recently), it always puts me in the mood for a bowl of steaming hot noodles. It just so happened that I was craving ramen. Not the packaged ramen that sells 10 for $1, but real homemade ramen in real broth. So we went to Daikokuya, which is located on 1st Street in Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles. They are known for making great ramen, and if you feel like going there, let me just share a piece of advice: go early. It is a small restaurant, and there is always a lunch crowd that goes out the door.


Daikokuya offers traditional, quality Japanese fare at somewhat reasonable prices. One can expect to order the usual teriyaki or tempura combinations, as well as some sushi-type selections. Most people order the Daikoku Ramen, noodles in steaming hot broth served with a hard boiled egg, pieces of karabuto pork, fresh bean sprouts, seasoned bamboo shoots, and lots of scallions. According to the restaurant, it is unique for three reasons: 1) because the broth is made from boiling pork bones for a full day to achieve maximum flavor; 2) they use karabuto pork, which is known for its unique flavor and tenderness; and 3) the eggs are soaked overnight in special seasonings to enhance the soup. For a little variety, try the Ramen Tsukemen, which is the same thing, except the noodles and ingredients are served cold in a separate dish with the bowl of hot broth.


Now I'm not typically a ramen fan, but I will admit that this is good comfort food. It leaves you feeling full, satisfied and warm. What I liked best about it was how the noodles were cooked. There's just something about a perfectly-cooked noodle soup dish that brings the feeling of satisfaction. I always order it without scallions because I don't like them, and they happen to put A LOT of scallions for garnish... well, for flavor too, I suppose. Below are pictures of the Daikoku Ramen, one with the scallions, and one without. See what I mean about lots of scallions?





We also ordered the gyoza, which are essentially fried potstickers served with some type of dipping sauce. They were good, except for the heaping mound of scallions on top. I personally prefer the Chinese potstickers. So with that said, here is a photo of the gyoza:

For the last several months, I've been making it a point to visit Weiland's Brewery, aka the Brewery at least once every pay period (two weeks). I just really like the place, and I'm willing to walk a little farther just to go there. It's located at the corner of 1st Street and Central Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles.

I usually ask for the lunch specials, which are almost always some types of pasta dishes with chicken, veggies and a marinara sauce. Once in a while, they change it up and use an alfredo sauce, which to me is far better than any marinara. But most of the time, I order my usual: Philly cheese steak with garlic fries, plus an order of chicken wings (dry) to share. I love the grilled peppers and onions on the cheese steak sandwich, and the garlic fries are the best garlic fries I've ever had. In fact, they are famous for their garlic fries. It's just good food at reasonable prices.

The first picture is of the chicken wings. It is a pound of chicken wings served with some carrot and celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing. They can come in three different sauces, but we prefer them plain, or as they call it, "dry."

Below is a picture of the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich with the garlic fries. It is pieces of flank steak with grilled red and green peppers and onions with provolone cheese served in a french roll. You might be able to see the little pieces of garlic on the fries. That is lots of fresh garlic, so I suggest bringing a lot of mints or gum when you go. I forgot to take the picture before I had some, I guess I was really hungry. =D

Other dishes that are good include the crab cake sandwich, which is a big piece of crab cake served with a red pepper aioli on a french roll. The Penne Florentine is good too, if you're in the mood for pasta. It's penne with chicken, tomato, spinach and mozzarella.

The Brewery also has a great happy hour line-up of appetizers, which include the chicken wings and a basket of the garlic fries. I highly recommend going to happy hour for the food as well as the drinks. They make the best canteloupe martinis in town (well, as of a couple of years ago they did).

So here I am with my first post. I finally overcame my laziness and decided to start up a blog to share my opinions about what we eat. Actually, I was surfing the net and came across someone else's blog about the restaurants they have visited. It showed pictures of the dishes that were ordered, and it also included brief critiques of those dishes. One of the places they visited was Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea, at the Sunset Junction located in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. They complained that the coffee they ordered was too bitter, and to make a long story short, they felt that it was overrated. I was somewhat surprised to read this, especially since I just came off an Intelligentsia high (I'm actually on one now), and I haven't tasted bitter coffee from that place.

For me, writing doesn't come easy, especially since I don't like to write. Consider this my whole-hearted attempt to do so. Although come to think of it, it may not be so hard now since I'll be writing about food. So off we go...