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

Mapo Kkak Doo Gee

Over the weekend, I woke up with a strong need for Korean food, but wasn't sure which places would be open for breakfast. I had been thinking about visiting Mapo Kkak Doo Gee for a while after reading about it in LA Times and Midtown Lunch Los Angeles. My Google SMS search wasn't very helpful when I requested the phone number, but Koreans are known to eat full meals at the breakfast hour sometimes and my craving for banchan was so pressing, I decided to take my chances and head over. And lucky me! They were open.


I was hoping for more banchan as pictured in the $5.99 lunch special, but I was alone and not in the mood for being pushy with the middle-aged Korean women servers. I was given a seaweed salad of sorts, a few different kimchis, simmered-in-soy potato and steamed cabbage with a hot soybean dipping sauce. I enjoyed the flavors, which were not heavy handed or underseasoned, and appreciated that they make a real effort with their banchan; a lot of Korean restaurants seem to have an obligatory, but not enthusiastic, approach in that area.

I ordered kimchi jjigae ($7.75), which held a nice surprise in store: dduk (rice cakes)! You can't tell from my picture, but I promise they were in there and enjoyed with gusto. Also, apologies about the photo; I dug in for a while before realizing I forgot to click away (yes, my anticipation was that great). Mapo's is a pretty good version, though I wish there had been more kimchi in the jjigae.



Their menu has lots of dishes I'm eager to try (particularly their fish offerings) and considering the quality level and reasonable prices, I must say that I am their newest devotee. Another breakfast spot to add to my weekend list!

Mapo Kkak Doo Gee (I'm going by the full name version as noted on their Korean signage)
3611 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 736-6668

Jalapeno and Apple Slaw

Inspired by The Golden State's jalapeno slaw, I decided to satisfy a craving the old-fashioned way: make it! I wanted some crunch and sweetness, so added Fuji apples into the mix. A very simple method:

1. Slice up whatever you want in the slaw.
2. Throw in a couple spoonfuls of mayonnaise.
3. Add salt and pepper.
4. Combine and taste for adjustments. Voila!

Could it be any easier (well, aside from having it served to you and all you have to do is dig in)? I think not. Hope you'll try making your own at-home versions of slaw!

Tiato

I've been pretty diligent about not spending money on workday lunches, so I felt all right taking a day off the waiting-for-the-microwave rotation and heading to Tiato for, as I imagined it, "something Vietnamese."


Vietnamese rice noodle salad with lemongrass chicken and chicken rice crispy rolls ($9): hit the spot with the flavors, but missed the mark with the portion size. I wish I had ordered a side or soup; I'll know better next time.


Hazelnut macaron ($1.75): my first and I enjoyed it, though not earth-shaking or life-affirming, which I was kinda expecting. The middle was dense and rich; I'm eager to try more macarons in the immediate future.

Although I was still hungry after my lunch at Tiato, I'd go back for another mid-day timeout from my desk. The menu is a bit puzzling (half the items are not traditional Vietnamese, i.e. turkey taco salad and a grass fed burger with beet horseradish aioli), but I suppose a smart move for their customer demographic as it is housed in the MTV Building in Santa Monica.

The serene dining room is full service on one side, pay at the counter and wait with your number card on the other (also grab-and-go with a salad bar and pre-made food). And for those wanting to smell the fresh air and feel the sun, there are tables in the spacious garden area, an unexpected treat. FYI: the restaurant is a little tricky to find; I walked in through the Colorado building entrance and had to ask the security desk for directions (you go through the long hallway of what look like offices and suddenly, there's Tiato); you can also enter through the East Garden Gate on Stewart.

Tiato
2700 Colorado Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-866-5228

Ramen Jinya

This summer has not been the most exciting for me in terms of food, but I am quite thrilled to have a new place to blog about: Ramen Jinya. My experience with Studio City restaurants has been a mixed bag and although there have been a few high notes amid the chain-heavy neighborhood, I've largely been disappointed. Happy to report, however, that Ramen Jinya is solid and will most likely become a craving-buster haven for me, especially in the colder months (or as "cold" as it gets in Southern California).



I'm not particular about having typical breakfast items for my first meal of the day (which goes back to my childhood of Saturdays eating cold pizza while watching cartoons), so I was quite game for a weekend brekkie of ramen. I ordered the ramen/ crispy chicken/salad combo for $12.50. For the ramen, the two options are Jinya (chicken broth and chicken meatball) or tonkotsu (pork broth and chashu); it wasn't a question for me, I went with the pork and did not regret it. The broth was rich, but not overwhelming, though as is the case with all Japanese ramen, I always have to drink water with the meal and I love salt (just an FYI).



The crispy chicken had great flavor, marinated in a soy/ginger concoction, but as it was white meat, the pieces were a teensy bit dry. Still, I was in the mood for fried poultry, so I was a happy camper. I was very hungry when I walked in, so this amount of food was perfect (the salad was a basic green salad with an Asian dressing, but no pictures because they were out of focus). I enjoyed Ramen Jinya quite a lot and if people aren't already encountering waits at peak times, I have a feeling that will be the case very soon. Hmm, perhaps I've found a new breakfast joint?

Ramen Jinya
11239 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
818-980-3977

Jangtuh Bosam

I often find myself driving aimlessly around Koreatown, hungry, but wanting to try somewhere new. Most times, I end up folding and just resorting to a consistent-but-not-great mainstay (in this case, BCD Tofu on Western). However, there were a few people already waiting for tables and I thought I'd take a chance on one of the other restaurants in the plaza. Enter Jangtuh Bosam where I had a $7.99 bulgogi lunch special that was sizable in portion, served with perfectly fine banchan dishes and all delivered with friendly service (shocker).





Their specialty is pork, so next time I will venture into bossam territory, which involves slices of boiled pork and a radish/kimchi concoction of some sort wrapped up in cabbage leaves. I will probably not get the bottle of soju usually accompanied with it, though.

Jangtuh Bosam
857 S. Western Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 387-2241

Black Bean Salad

I'm beginning to think that in the kitchen, the inspiration game is not right for me. Most of the time, I just decide what to make, go buy the ingredients without hesitation and do the damn thing. And that's pretty much how this black bean salad came to be (pertinent information: I spent the weekend drinking a lot of cold beer and eating delectable foods that live many time zones away from virtuous).

There are a lot of black bean salad recipes out there. I made a very pared down version because let's face it, that's my usual approach to food. I put the following in a bowl: black beans, corn, red peppers, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, a very small amount of cumin, olive oil, salt and pepper. I imagine if you made a separate dressing, the salad might taste even better, but on a Monday night, I felt strongly that it wasn't essential. I did, however, run the red onion under a bit of water to mellow it out.

Summer and I have an uneasy relationship, especially since I moved to LA where central air conditioning is rare for renters; I try to keep my wits about me and accept that it's sentencing me to months of eating cold salads/sandwiches/whatever doesn't require the stove as well as fitful nights of waking up really annoyed at how hot it is, even at night. But, whether I'm ready or not, she has officially arrived to torment us all. So, prepare yourselves for a lot of cold dishes from me!