Chaya has it's own small empire here in Los Angeles, with Chaya Venice, Chaya in Beverly Hills, and M de Chaya in Hollywood. I've tried two out of the three and it's unclear to me what the buzz about. If you observe a macrobiotic diet, I can understand the lure of M de Chaya, as I'm sure eating this way is pretty taxing to cook on your own or to find at many restaurants. The sushi here is pretty good, but there isn't much of a selection. Another problem here is parking. Located on the same corner of Melrose as Pink's and Pinkberry. Once you've found parking, actually eating here is a breeze. It's cafe style, so you can just go up and order and sit down and eat on your own time. Across town is somewhat uninspired Chaya Venice. I came here for a work dinner and the group of us started off with some run of the mill sushi (i.e. California roll, spicy tuna roll, shrimp tempura roll). All of it was sort of blah. I opted to forego an entree and get the goat cheese salad and the ceviche appetizer. The goat cheese salad was amazing. The fried goat cheese balls were perfectly warm and tender and blended well with the mixed greens and balsamic dressing. The ceviche was good, but different. It was pretty heavy on the red onion and had corn in it. The corn didn't really mesh very well with the citrus of the dish either and it could have been better if the corn was replaced by tomatoes, an ingredient normally found in ceviche. Everyone else in the group seemed to feel pretty unenthusiastic about their dinners. When the dessert menu came around, we ordered about one of everything: a butterscotch creme brulee, sorbet, chocolate croissant bread pudding, apple tatin, and the banana tart with banana ice cream topped with a chocolate covered banana (too much banana if you ask me!). I tried a little of each and have to say only a couple were pretty impressive. I don't care much for soggy bread, so usually bread pudding is out of the picture, but I guess since it was made with a crispy croissant it was exceptional. The butterscoth creme brulee was good, but not really that memorable. Everything else was fairly mediocre. I've also tried Chaya Venice for lunch and been more pleased with their bento box. If you have a hankering for a seafood or sushi dinner, though, I'd recommend finding another restaurant that would either be more affordable (entrees at Chaya are between $25-30) or at least if you are going to pay that much for a dinner, you are getting more bang for your buck.
http://www.thechaya.com/vindex.htm
Showing posts with label seafood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seafood. Show all posts
Monday, May 12, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Eating Out the Northwest, Part II
On to Portland! The town reminds me a lot of Austin, with it's artsy little downtown, chic uptown area, and loads of great restaurants in between. Our first night there we ate dinner at Jake's Crawfish, not to be confused with the much fancier Jake's Grill, which is about 2 blocks away in downtown. Both were around our boutique-y and ultra hip lodgings, Ace Hotel. Jake's Crawfish felt a little bit like walking in to a Steak n' Ale, but the food was still pretty good. We, once again, had oysters, trying 6 Sunset Beach (my favorite) and 6 of another kind the waitress picked, which were a little too briny for me. Our second dish was a Dungeness crab cocktail, which was only okay due to the coleslaw-type preparation. I much prefer an order of crab claws, but they were a little out of our price range. We then had a cup of Jake's Famous Clam Chowder, which is cream based unlike the tomato-based New York Clam Chowder they also offered on the menu. For our main course, we split the braised Halibut that came with mashed potatoes and asparagus. This was by far the best part of the dinner. For dessert we had a hard time choosing between the chocolate bag (pretty much a hollow box of chocolate with berries in and around it) and the Jake's Trio which came with small portions of creme brulee, three berry cobbler, and an extremely dense chocolate cake. All were good, but the cobbler was phenomenal. Personally I wished that we had ordered a huge plate of it instead. When we got the bill, we weren't surprised to learn that we'd easily spent another $100 or so.
http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.display&pageid=96&id=1
(I had no idea until just now that this restaurant is owned by McCormick & Schmicks)
The next morning we got a bit of a late start and had intended to go to Mother's Cafe for breakfast, but discovered once we walked there that they aren't open on Monday's. We asked the concierge at the hotel what they recommended and they sent us to Bijou, which ended up being perfect. I had the pancake special with rhubarb apple compote on top. Now THESE are the the best pancakes I've ever tasted in my entire life (no offense Mom - they weren't in cute shapes like yours!). Chase had an omelet with goat cheddar cheese, which neither of us were aware existed. His was really great too, and neither was too expensive. I think we slid out of here in under $30. Another great thing about this place is that everything is organic, if that's the kind of thing you're into. I'd definitely eat here again and wish they'd open an LA location!
http://portland.citysearch.com/profile/8456458/
(Sorry, no menu)
Unfortunately, that was really the end of our culinary adventure in the Northwest. Now back to LA!
http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.display&pageid=96&id=1
(I had no idea until just now that this restaurant is owned by McCormick & Schmicks)
The next morning we got a bit of a late start and had intended to go to Mother's Cafe for breakfast, but discovered once we walked there that they aren't open on Monday's. We asked the concierge at the hotel what they recommended and they sent us to Bijou, which ended up being perfect. I had the pancake special with rhubarb apple compote on top. Now THESE are the the best pancakes I've ever tasted in my entire life (no offense Mom - they weren't in cute shapes like yours!). Chase had an omelet with goat cheddar cheese, which neither of us were aware existed. His was really great too, and neither was too expensive. I think we slid out of here in under $30. Another great thing about this place is that everything is organic, if that's the kind of thing you're into. I'd definitely eat here again and wish they'd open an LA location!
http://portland.citysearch.com/profile/8456458/
(Sorry, no menu)
Unfortunately, that was really the end of our culinary adventure in the Northwest. Now back to LA!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Eating Out the Northwest
Sorry I haven't been able to post for a few days, but I've been playing in Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Here's my foodie recap:
Seattle was full of culinary delights, though sadly none of them any cheaper than what you would find in LA. We had our first meal in the city at Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar in Pike's Place Market. It was delicious and the atmosphere was that of a local biker spot that was first owned by someone's grandmother. The menus are handwritten on large paper bags, starting with oysters, down to clam chowder, and further still to fish and chips, with some fluff in the middle. Our waiter, a tattooed young gentleman brought us an oyster sampler platter with six different kinds of oysters. Unfortunately I don't recall the names of any of them but they were all enjoyable, particularly with the Hefeweisen we were drinking. We then had some amazing clam chowder and a basket of fish and piping hot chips. We wrapped up at around $40. If you're in the city, it's definitely worth your time.
http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile/10767393/seattle_wa/emmett_watson_s_oyster_bar.html
After walking around Pike's Place Market for a while we got some freshly made doughnuts - and the good kind too! For just under $2, this little stand will give you 6 bite-sized doughnuts in plain cake, cinnamon sugar, and powered sugar flavors. Our favorite was the cinnamon sugar. We walked around quite a bit more and then decided to go to happy hour in Pioneer Square. Most places were closed in this area at around 4:00 so we settled down at a small Japanese tapas place called Tig. It was interesting to say the least, but I don't think I'd recommend it. We had a Tig pizza, which was a skillet full of cheese, mushrooms, pork, and what seemed to be ketchup. Not that great. I also tried a spicy tuna roll, which was decent, but not super great. If you're interested, tapas prices range from $2-12 and sushi rolls are around $5 a piece, $11 for the specialty rolls.
http://www.tigbar.com/
That night we had a spectacular dinner at Restaurant Zoe in Belltown. We weren't that hungry since we'd eaten so much that day so we didn't over-order at a restaurant for once. I had the celery soup (tasted very much like celery and pepper) and the citrus salad, which was quite good. It came with candied pistachios, but really this didn't taste much different from your run of the mill candied walnuts. Chase had the lamb loin, which I tried a bite of and it was quite tender. Since we weren't that hungry to begin with, we didn't order any dessert, but the waitress was nice enough to bring us a little taste of chocolate from the kitchen. Overall, a great experience, but still it was $100 for what didn't seem like a lot of food at the time.
http://www.restaurantzoe.com/index.html
The next morning we got a brunch recommendation from the concierge at the hotel where we were staying, Hotel Max. She sent us around the corner to one of Tom Douglas' restaurants, Lola. Lola's was really good for breakfast, and I believe the lunch and dinner menus are Greek cuisine, so I did think it was a little strange that they served American breakfast. I had the pancakes with cherries and vanilla mascarpone and maple sausage on the side. Chase had the eggs benedict and neither of us could finish what we got. They were large portions at about $15 a piece and pretty good, though not the best pancakes I've ever had in my life, which was what the waiter promised.
http://www.tomdouglas.com/lola/index.html
Breakfast was enough to hold us over until around 4:00, when we went to get a small bite and a beer and one of Tom Douglas' other restaurants, Serious Pie. We split a cherry bomb peppers and sweet fennel sausage pizza. I thought the pizza was superior to the menu at Lola's, but they could use a wider range of beers as most were extremely dark microbrews. The great thing about Tom Douglas' restaurants is that they are all pretty much on the same corner and range in cuisine, so you could really get whatever your heart desires!
http://www.tomdouglas.com/serious/menu.html
That night after the Queen laser light show and a drum circle (awesome) we headed back over by our hotel to have a late dinner at Oceanaire. Fancy and full of a variety of fresh fish, Oceanaire filled us up with a dozen fresh oysters, pickled herring, a very fresh sesame crusted tuna steak on top of a bed of potato puree, and salt and vinegar shoestring fries. Everything was fantastic and the tuna just melted in your mouth! For dessert, however, we has a very mediocre vanilla creme brulee that was about the size of a frying pan. And there went another $100....
http://theoceanaire.com/location/menu.asp?id=3
On our last morning in Seattle we couldn't leave without trying Top Pot Doughnuts, certainly the best donuts in the world. With a fancy name for everything, this is surely the nicest donut shop I've ever been in, and it even looks kind of like a dolled-up Starbucks. I had a chocolate donut and Chase had a pink glazed donut and maple-glazed donut with a pomegranate Italian soda to wash it down. Overall, it was great and a mere $11 for 3 donuts and three drinks.
http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/flash/
Stay tuned for the Portland portion!
Seattle was full of culinary delights, though sadly none of them any cheaper than what you would find in LA. We had our first meal in the city at Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar in Pike's Place Market. It was delicious and the atmosphere was that of a local biker spot that was first owned by someone's grandmother. The menus are handwritten on large paper bags, starting with oysters, down to clam chowder, and further still to fish and chips, with some fluff in the middle. Our waiter, a tattooed young gentleman brought us an oyster sampler platter with six different kinds of oysters. Unfortunately I don't recall the names of any of them but they were all enjoyable, particularly with the Hefeweisen we were drinking. We then had some amazing clam chowder and a basket of fish and piping hot chips. We wrapped up at around $40. If you're in the city, it's definitely worth your time.
http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile/10767393/seattle_wa/emmett_watson_s_oyster_bar.html
After walking around Pike's Place Market for a while we got some freshly made doughnuts - and the good kind too! For just under $2, this little stand will give you 6 bite-sized doughnuts in plain cake, cinnamon sugar, and powered sugar flavors. Our favorite was the cinnamon sugar. We walked around quite a bit more and then decided to go to happy hour in Pioneer Square. Most places were closed in this area at around 4:00 so we settled down at a small Japanese tapas place called Tig. It was interesting to say the least, but I don't think I'd recommend it. We had a Tig pizza, which was a skillet full of cheese, mushrooms, pork, and what seemed to be ketchup. Not that great. I also tried a spicy tuna roll, which was decent, but not super great. If you're interested, tapas prices range from $2-12 and sushi rolls are around $5 a piece, $11 for the specialty rolls.
http://www.tigbar.com/
That night we had a spectacular dinner at Restaurant Zoe in Belltown. We weren't that hungry since we'd eaten so much that day so we didn't over-order at a restaurant for once. I had the celery soup (tasted very much like celery and pepper) and the citrus salad, which was quite good. It came with candied pistachios, but really this didn't taste much different from your run of the mill candied walnuts. Chase had the lamb loin, which I tried a bite of and it was quite tender. Since we weren't that hungry to begin with, we didn't order any dessert, but the waitress was nice enough to bring us a little taste of chocolate from the kitchen. Overall, a great experience, but still it was $100 for what didn't seem like a lot of food at the time.
http://www.restaurantzoe.com/index.html
The next morning we got a brunch recommendation from the concierge at the hotel where we were staying, Hotel Max. She sent us around the corner to one of Tom Douglas' restaurants, Lola. Lola's was really good for breakfast, and I believe the lunch and dinner menus are Greek cuisine, so I did think it was a little strange that they served American breakfast. I had the pancakes with cherries and vanilla mascarpone and maple sausage on the side. Chase had the eggs benedict and neither of us could finish what we got. They were large portions at about $15 a piece and pretty good, though not the best pancakes I've ever had in my life, which was what the waiter promised.
http://www.tomdouglas.com/lola/index.html
Breakfast was enough to hold us over until around 4:00, when we went to get a small bite and a beer and one of Tom Douglas' other restaurants, Serious Pie. We split a cherry bomb peppers and sweet fennel sausage pizza. I thought the pizza was superior to the menu at Lola's, but they could use a wider range of beers as most were extremely dark microbrews. The great thing about Tom Douglas' restaurants is that they are all pretty much on the same corner and range in cuisine, so you could really get whatever your heart desires!
http://www.tomdouglas.com/serious/menu.html
That night after the Queen laser light show and a drum circle (awesome) we headed back over by our hotel to have a late dinner at Oceanaire. Fancy and full of a variety of fresh fish, Oceanaire filled us up with a dozen fresh oysters, pickled herring, a very fresh sesame crusted tuna steak on top of a bed of potato puree, and salt and vinegar shoestring fries. Everything was fantastic and the tuna just melted in your mouth! For dessert, however, we has a very mediocre vanilla creme brulee that was about the size of a frying pan. And there went another $100....
http://theoceanaire.com/location/menu.asp?id=3
On our last morning in Seattle we couldn't leave without trying Top Pot Doughnuts, certainly the best donuts in the world. With a fancy name for everything, this is surely the nicest donut shop I've ever been in, and it even looks kind of like a dolled-up Starbucks. I had a chocolate donut and Chase had a pink glazed donut and maple-glazed donut with a pomegranate Italian soda to wash it down. Overall, it was great and a mere $11 for 3 donuts and three drinks.
http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/flash/
Stay tuned for the Portland portion!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)