Mainland Poke

Poke is a wonderful thing that hails from a wonderful place: Hawaii! There are all kinds of poke, but when I hear the word, I think of raw tuna marinated with soy sauce and sesame oil on top of rice. I was so happy to eat poke while in Hawaii where supermarkets have dedicated poke "counters," much like deli or seafood sections. It is a beautiful thing to behold, all the different poke choices before you (memories!!). Poke is riding a big popularity wave right now in LA and I am pretty thrilled because it is a more affordable option to take care of those sushi cravings! Also, I’ve been trying to think of different ways to eat fish after hearing a piece on NPR last year (I think it was this one.).

I recently stopped in at Mainland Poke and tried the lu’au bowl with octopus, tuna and salmon; the pieces were not marinated, but a sauce of your choosing is added (I got the spicy shoyu). I also added tobiko because I cannot resist fish roe. The bowl turned out quite good and made me a happy camper. It was about $12 and, considering the quality of the fish, I thought it was worth it. The shop is small and very casual (like a sandwich shop where you pick and choose as you move down the line) with some counter seats and a few tables outside.

Parting thoughts: to me, any poke shop outside of Hawaii may come close, but will not be the real thing. The way I look at it, even with the best ingredients, the missing component would be Hawaii (the sand, the beautiful water, the relaxed state of happiness that occurs when you are there). It just won’t be the same. But, if you can’t go to Hawaii, let it come to you (sort of) by eating (sushi-grade) poke wherever you can find it! If interested, you can read more about poke over at Bon Appetit.

Mainland Poke
8312 1/2 West Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone: (310) 234-8800

Roy's Fall Prix Fixe Menu

I recently attended a media tasting for Roy's at the downtown Los Angeles location, thanks to my friend Weezermonkey who asked me to be her plus one! We sampled selections from the fall prix fixe menu, which is $35.95 for one appetizer, one entree and one dessert. [Full disclosure: My meal was free and I also received a $50 gift certificate for Roy's.]

Here are the dishes we tried:


"Elaine's" Kabocha Squash Salad: the cinnamon pepitas and cranberry vinaigrette upped the autumnal flair overall, but the amount of squash was less than expected. The flavors worked together well, though.


Blackened Rock Shrimp and Red Bean Soup: comforting with a lot of flavor, especially with the Portuguese sausage, and it reminded me a bit of gumbo. Funny enough, the soup was one of the items I was least excited about on the menu and it ended up being one of the meal's highlights!


Artichoke and Goat Cheese Crusted Salmon: less rich than the name suggests and the goat cheese element was not strongly present. The sundried tomato sauce was pretty on the plate, but I would've still enjoyed the dish without it. Salmon with a little more oomph, which I would happily eat again.


Cilantro Grilled Tiger Shrimp: slightly overcooked, but I had more of an issue with the lentils, which were fine, but didn't add much to the dish. I was a little confused by the mix of ingredients.


Tender Braised Beef Short Ribs: good flavor and I was able to eat the dish with a fork. I don't need much more when it comes to short ribs!


Pumpkin and Ginger Cheesecake and Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle: both desserts were fine, but the pumpkin cheesecake got more points because of the ginger and spice, which were more interesting to me than classic chocolate.

Considering the regular menu at Roy's, the fall prix fixe menu is a pretty good deal. We just had tastes of some of the offerings; you can see all the options for the prix fixe here. Thanks again to Weezermonkey and Allison of Formula PR!

Roy's Restaurant
800 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213-488-4994