Eat. Travel. Eat!

Lao Xi Er Noodle House (老西兒面馆) is a recent entrant to the San Gabriel Valley noodle scene, specializing in Shanxi style noodles. Located in the southern part of Arcadia, Lao Xi Er adds a different perspective to a mélange of varied dining options located less than one block away from one another, not limited to Italian ( Alex Di Peppe's ), Vietnamese ( Pho-licious ), Japanese ( Mako Sushi ), Mexician ( Cabreras ), Taiwanese ( Cafe Fusion ), and Chinese ( Fishing Boat Chinese Cuisine ). After hearing about Lao Xi Er from Clarissa Wei's post on  Eater , we visited and since then, Lao Xi Er has become one of our go-to places for noodles. Within its small, humble surroundings (there are around 10 tables in the restaurant), the husband-wife duo and their team serves up a small selection of noodles, soups, dumplings, and a handful of appetizers and entrees that are quite well-executed.

DineLA Restaurant Week came around and as usual, the two higher-end restaurants in Arcadia-- The Derby and Sesame Grill-- were participating again. Since we've visited Sesame Grill recently , we decided to switch it up and re-visit the Derby. After all, from our last visit, the owners have changed, there's now a giant sign on the exterior proclaiming 15+ USD early bird dinner specials, among other changes.    We were slightly surprised to see that we had to wait for an inside spot, and unwilling to wait the 30 minutes advised for indoor seating, we asked for outdoor seating. This contributed greatly to taking better pictures for this post, even if it meant viewing all the cars entering/leaving the valet parking lot! The menu didn't change much from its past, but there was definitely an emphasis on quality of ingredients, with one page dedicated to explaining their poultry and beef suppliers. After ordering, our waiter brought us a complimentary platter of garli...

I've written about Sesame Grill probably too many times, each time discussing a new iteration or feature. Yet never did I expect that it would veer off its successful path that it has been taking for many, many years. There may have been the Chinese dishes, Japanese ramen , American burger experiments, yet time again they would revert back, perhaps improve upon, their old dishes. So it was definitely a shocker when Sesame Grill completely changed itself and became "S.G. Cajun Seafood" for about the first half of 2013. Sure, Japanese ramen may have been different (it came from a Japanese chef exchanging cooking techniques with Sesame Grill's executive chef), but Cajun seafood a la Boiling Crab? Other than the burgeoning Cajun seafood scene around the San Gabriel Valley, there was little context. A revamped interior, environment, and clientele replaced the old, but unfortunately, the changes didn't bring success, with middling reviews coming in from new custome...

(Now that I've eaten a generous serving of AP Tots (the reason for my month's absence), I'm back to writing on a weekly basis!) For years, I have wondered what was this "May's Chinese Restaurant" entry on my GPS; how could there be a restaurant in Arcadia that I did not still know about? It was only recently that I found out it was May's Cafe, an establishment that has been in Arcadia for years. With some special circumstances that began this year, May's Cafe suddenly became a restaurant with a prime location-- one ideal for me to try out their Taiwanese selections from a walking distance. Inside, the restaurant is tiny-- there are less than 20 tables, and mirrors are used in an effort to enlarge the space. Still, the less than perfect surroundings, coupled with some KOST 103.5 radio and view of the street, add for a unusually relaxing way to end an otherwise busy week. The constant use of Mandarin may present a barrier for some, but eve...

(pictures taken with a HTC Surround) Replacing what used to be Noodle House, a steam tray Chinese restaurant that offered excellent deals (for example, three entree dishes and rice for 10 USD), Daikokuya was a somewhat surprising addition to the President Square Food Court. Its operation is quite similar to that of other ramen outlets, such as Santouka : one orders at the counter and can get plenty of condiments and water to the side. Daikokuya offers a wide variety of sauces and toppings like pickled ginger (the blurry red box in the picture), more so than any other food court restaurant that I have seen.

Young Dong Garden is back again, after a long renovation. The changes are quite major: a repaint of the interior and the exterior, a freshening of the interior with higher quality furnishings, installation of televisions, system controlled air conditioning units, and barbeque cooking platforms at the tables, and a refreshed menu. Some say the owner has changed as well, but I can not confirm that; it does seem to be family owned however, with some locals recognizing the owner on our last visit.

Wishing all a merry Christmas and a happy holiday! All the pictures in this post were taken at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, California; the grounds have been closed since early December due to the windstorm, but on Monday, December 26, 2011, the Arboretum will be open to the public again. Workers and volunteers (like me) have been working hard to bring back the Arboretum's splendor. Go visit and take lots of pictures, just like I did a month ago for these pictures. I have more pictures of the Arboretum which you can see by CLICKING HERE .  (Disclosure: This post was written on my own interest and for your information. Besides, we need some holiday-like pictures on the blog.) Thanks for visiting. This week's post is on Bistro Boudin in San Francisco , if you have not read it already. 

Don't judge a book by its cover . From the outside, Machi Fusion seems to represent its name well-- the dark windows and the modern looking signage gives an impression of a restaurant catered to a younger crowd. Inside, the same story continues. Plenty of simple, clean cut lines and an exposed brick wall. A glance at the menu though usually surprises most people; Machi is a combination of two ideas that would usually be separate restaurants. During the evening, it is a karaoke/pub/bar style restaurant with Taiwanese fusion food (the Taiwanese aspect is already different than the usual fusion==Pan-Asian), but during the lunch hours, Machi Fusion serves food of the restaurant Nice Time Deli, a (traditional) Taiwanese restaurant that the owner of Machi used to operate. There are two menus for lunch as a result-- one from Machi Fusion, and one from Nice Time Deli. We however ended up ordering dishes from the Nice Time Deli menu. Machi's sauteed "A" vegetable (A菜...

Over this summer, I have gone to Sesame Grill several times and have tried some new items that I'd like to share with you readers today. There are definitely more restaurant posts coming; likewise, more travel posts are coming along the way! (tell me what you want more in the comments section please!) One of our visits was during Father's Day; as a result, the restaurant was decked out with white tablecloths, brighter lights, and a special menu in addition to the regular menu. In the past, only special menus were available on holidays, but in this occasion everything was available-- good for those who like options! One of my companions ordered from the special menu, of which he selected clam chowder as the appetizer. Sesame Grill's clam chowder is quite refined; as you might notice in the picture, the mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery) is cut into miniscule cubes. Although the broth has plenty of clam flavor, (as expected from quite visits) it is quite heavy in the cr...

Sesame Grill has been one of the restaurants I've been frequenting for about ten years now, and I've previously posted two reviews on just their early-bird dinner specials . However, I had always meant to write a separate post on simply their lunch specials. With each month past those two reviews, I had always wanted to write this post on Sesame Grill. But then there were problems. The pictures to me seemed mediocre, and so I wanted to improve them with subsequent visits. Soon enough, the pictures were over the amount I would typically post! The time to post about a post of such length became shorter as time moved on, and this post was left to sit out for quite a while. Having not posted for two weeks I might as well do something interesting for this week! Today, I present you these pictures, from all the way back to May of 2009 to current time on Sesame Grill. There has been quite an improvement in their offerings and I think you will be able to sense ...