Sushi and More at Hashigo in Fullerton

I've walked and driven by Hashigo in Fullerton a bazillion times since they opened, and finally went in to check the place out and taste what they've got.  It's a hipster lounge/restaurant/sushi bar in a town center at the foot of the Sunny Hills area of Fullerton.  Considering that space is fairly small, Hashigo is laid out very nicely and doesn't feel crowded inside.

Upon entering, you can select which part of the restaurant you'd like to sit in.  The menu is the same whether you pick the laid back lounge area, the more standard restaurant area or the sushi bar.  My wife and I decided the lounge was the place to hang, and it was a nice change from your standard restaurant seating.  We basically each had our own couch with a table between us.

Now, the best time to visit Hashigo is probably during happy hour, which is 5:30-7pm each evening.  Unfortunately, we just missed it by about 20 minutes.  $2.95 hand rolls, $5-6 appetizers like stuffed shiitake mushrooms, Kogi-style kalbi tacos, spicy tuna tartare, 50% off well drinks...yup, that's the time to go.

Ok, so happy hour was out of the question.  No problem, though, as they had some interesting items on their regular menu.

Their miso shishito peppers were delicious.  Shishito peppers look sorta like skinny jalapenos.  They're not very spicy (though every once in a while you might find one with a kick) and the miso sauce they're grilled in makes for a very pleasant taste mix of sweet and mildly spicy.  Those are bonito shavings you see sprinkled on top.

Their take on Hawaiian-style poke is more delicate than most.  The fish isn't overpowered by the sesame flavor.  Very nice...and they didn't only use tuna.  There was also salmon and some kind of white fish.

It's hard to resist mochi ice cream for dessert (green tea, strawberry and mango).  I just love that stuff, and while I can find it pretty easily in the freezer sections of every Asian market around, I had no problem paying a little extra for a groovy presentation in the cool lounge setting.

Hashigo actually has three locations, sushi bars in both Fullerton and Huntington Beach and a Korean restaurant in Costa Mesa.  Find them on the web here.

Next time, we're going back for happy hour!

Kampai!
Druu



 

Gimmee My Coffee at Fullerton's Steamers Jazz Club

Steamers Jazz Club and Cafe in Downtown Fullerton is one of the best places in Orange County (or all of Southern California, for that matter) to hang out and listen to live jazz. It's an intimate joint where you can listen to live jazz every night, have a bite to eat, have a drink or three, sit right up next to the stage or just hang out cafe-style out front on the sidewalk. All sorts of acts play there, from local big bands to big names like Grammy-winner Poncho Sanchez (he seems to play there about once a month).

But there's another side of Steamers that only the locals really know about. It's a pretty cool place to kick back in the morning for some coffee and breakfast. Their breakfast bagel sandwiches are yummy and fairly priced, they're never crowded in the morning so you can stretch out and read the paper, they play video recordings of previous live jazz sets at a low volume so you still get the jazz vibe, and they make a pretty damn good cafe mocha.

Steamers is located at 138 W. Commonwealth, just west of Harbor Blvd.

Cheers!
Druu

Noodle Soup and Buns of Goodness at Carson's Mami King

The sun came out this afternoon but at lunchtime the sky was overcast, which got Joel and I in the mood for some noodles and soup. It was a Mami King day.

Mami (pronounced sort of like "mommy") could be considered the Philippine version of America's chicken noodle soup. Start with thin noodles in a hot and light broth, then add scallions, some shredded napa cabbage and select the kind of meat you want in it.  There are three Mami King locations in Southern California that we know of, Carson (where we ate), West Covina and Buena Park. Mami is one of their specialties, and siopao is the other. Called bao or baozi in China, where they originated, manapua where I grew up in Hawaii and siopao in the Philippines, they are steamed buns filled with various meat or vegetable fillings. They're a small meal in a bun, and since the filling is completely enclosed in the bread-like dough they're not messy. Uh-huh, pretty close to the perfect finger food to go, right? Hell yeah.

Joel had a bowl of special mami, which basically has everything in the kitchen thrown in it, along with a pork siopao. He cut it open so we could get a pic of the meaty deliciousness. I went with a bowl of siomai mami, which has two Chinese dumplings buried under the noodles so you can't see them in the picture, along with a chicken siopao. Good grubbage, for sure.

Carson's Mami King is in a tiny strip mall at the corner of Main St. and 223rd. The place isn't much to look at from the outside, but the food is very satisfying while not being very heavy and won't break the bank. My bowl of mami, siopao and a coke cost about $9.

Cheers!
Druu

Wine Lab in Newport Beach

Waiting for a yacht cruise, my buddy Marvin (Executive Chef from Playboy) and I stumbled upon the Wine Lab to kill some time. The atmosphere was great and Taryn, the host/manager was even better. They have beer on tap and wines by the glass. They serve rustic pizza, cheeses, and olives to compliment your favorite beverages. They also had specialty products like chocolate from Christoper Michael, Marvin's classmate from le Cordon Bleu. Prices are reasonable and a great hang in Newport. They're on PCH across from the BMW dealership located at 2901 W Coast Hwy, Newport Beach 92663 . Here's their website: winelabnewport.com

Mexican Comfort Food at Super Mex

Joel and I got together for lunch today, and we both had a hankering for some Mexican food so we thought we oughtta stop in on one of our local favorites...Super Mex.  Super Mex started as this little hole-in-the-wall joint in Long Beach back in the 1970's.  They gained a huge local following in their first couple of decades and started expanding.  They now have more than a dozen restaurants around the Long Beach area, in Orange County and even in Las Vegas.  Thankfully, though, they're still a family-owned operation and haven't morphed into some giant food conglomerate with bland food.  Yup, almost 40 years after opening up shop their food is still top-notch.  It ain't fancy, but it's yummy.

In fact, one old friend of mine who moved away to Chicago once even had me bring some Super Mex burritos on the plane with me when I went to visit him.  Chicago may have Rick Bayless and his gourmet Mexican cuisine, but Long Beach rocks the kick-ass Super Mex grub.

One of my faves is their combo #1, a shredded beef taco, a cheese enchilada and some beans.  A lot of locals prefer their burritos, but for me it's all about their shredded beef taco.  It's comfort food to the max!

For more info on Super Mex and their locations, find them on the web at http://www.supermex.com/. 

Salud!
Druu

Santa Barbara Winery's Negrette is Going Bye-Bye

The area around Santa Barbara is wine country, and one of the places we always stop in whenever in town is the Santa Barbara Winery.  The winery is only a couple of blocks from the beach and the main drag of State Street, they make some good wine, they're open every day and it's inexpensive to do a testing there.

One of my personal favorites is their Negrette.  It's a delicious red that's not too bold, not too weak and makes me happy every time I drink it.  At $24 a bottle, it's more expensive than a lot of the wines you can find at your local grocery store or Trader Joe's, but not crazy pricey.  The bad news, though, is that their current batch of 2006 Negrette is their last batch.  The vineyard where they source the grapes for this wine decided to tear out this variety of grapes and plant some other type that they can make more money on.  DAMN!!!  I can't blame anyone for trying to make a buck, but I'm gonna miss this Negrette.

Maybe I should take this as a challenge to find a new fave Negrette.  Yeah, I think that's what I'll do.

Santa Barbara Winery can be found at 202 Anacapa Street in Santa Barbara and on the web at sbwinery.com.

Cheers!
Druu

Vietnamese in Carson at Blue Lotus

In the past few years, Vietnamese food has gained a whole lot of popularity throughout Southern California.  Pho joints have popped up all over the place, and if you haven't tried pho yet (Vietnamese noodle soup) then get your butt outta the house and get some.

Carson is known more for Filipino food than any other type of cuisine, but there are at least three small Vietnamese restaurants in town.  The newest (about a year old or so) and the one with the most pleasing decor is Blue Lotus, at the corner of Carson Street and Main Street.  The building used to be a Del Taco fast food joint, but it's been reworked and upgraded into Blue Lotus.  Dark wood tables, richly colored walls and a custom-built waterfall near the entrance gives Blue Lotus a step up in ambience over the typical pho joint, making it acceptable for a casual date or a business lunch, and the food is pretty yummy.

Above is a dish of grilled chicken with vermicelli and an egg roll (bun ga nuong cha gio) along with a glass of iced coffee.  Their iced coffee is not the sweet Thai iced coffee you might be used to.  It looks similar, but is stronger and only a little sweet.  It definitely has more balls than the Thai stuff.  Below are Blue Lotus' house special rice (com dac biet 5 mon) and a more Chinese than Vietnamese combination crispy chow mein (mi xao don tham cam).

Blue Lotus can be found at 21705 Main Street in Carson.  They're open every day from 10am to 10pm, and there's nothing on the menu over $9.50.

Wings and Things at EJ Malloy's in Long Beach

Buffalo wings are just about as close as you can get to the perfect "guy food".  Messy, spicy, saucy things that you have to eat with your hands while you tear the flesh from the bones with your teeth...yeah, we're talking caveman eating in a big way.

One of our favorite joints for wings is EJ Malloy's in Long Beach.  They actually have two locations in the city, the original at 3411 Broadway in Belmont Heights and a second location at 4306 Atlantic Ave. in Bixby Knolls.  Wings come in mild, medium and nuclear heat levels and in one, two and three pound servings.  A plate full of carrot and celery sticks is served on the side along with ranch dipping sauce.  Pair the wings with one of the fine brews EJ Malloy's serves (Fat Tire, Karl Strauss Amber, Guiness, Fosters, etc., etc., etc.), watch the game on one of the many TV screens around the pub and you've reached pub-grub heaven.

Upscale Cafe Breakfast at Andersen's in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara has a number of yummy eateries to tempt your tastebuds.  It can get a little pricey if you're not careful, but that's what you get in an upscale resort-ish town like SB.  For a European-style cafe experience, try Andersen's on State Street, Santa Barbara's main drag.  It's a Danish bakery and restaurant/cafe that serves some crazy-good pastries and some fine cafe fare.

Check out these pastries.  Just looking at their offerings can get your mouth watering.  One local favorite is their apple strudel, but these French waffles really caught my eye.

I was there for breakfast, and I noticed a croissant French toast on the menu.  Oh yeah, I HAD to try that!  It was delicious, and looked great too.  The fresh berries really took it over the top.

And not only do they make the perfect looking cappucino, but their cafe mocha is some serious chocolaty goodness.

Andersen's is at 1106 State Street in Santa Barbara and on the web at andersenssantabarbara.com.

Ahi Burger & Strawberry Lemonade at Hollywood's Kitchen 24

Hollywood diner Kitchen 24 has a cool vibe, good food and a great location for getting some post Hollywood bar-hopping grub.  Find them at 1608 N. Cahuenga, just south of Hollywood Blvd.

Ahi tuna burger with a spiced up French potato salad. The burger's a little messy, but yummy.

The potato salad has a little kick.  $12.95

Strawberry lemonade - K24's home-made lemonade with

muddled strawberries and Absolut Citron vodka. Happy, fruity

and not too strong.  $12.00