Set Menus=Not So Bad

I'm not a big fan of set menus which is why I try to stay away from places that have set menus on holidays. Most of the time, you get the shaft with a set menu; not enough selection, price is set too high, etc. But for my Valentine's weekend getaway, this wasn't the case.

We drove out to the Hollywood area and had dinner at Yamashiro's, a Cal-Asian Restaurant. I love this place simply for the atmosphere. The Japanese gardens are amazing and the view is breath taking, so that in itself made the set menu much more tolerable.

The menu was four courses and to my surprise, there was PLENTY to choose from! Each course had at least three to four options. Mighty dandy!
For my first course, I had the Tropical Albacore Ceviche which was made with pineapple, lime and mango. I have to say, it was a bit disappointing. It lacked acidity. I felt it needed more of the traditional citrus/acid flavor. It was more of a deconstructed sushi than it was ceviche.


Second course.........deja vu.....didn't I just have this????? That's what I get for not reading the full description of the dish. My second course, a Spicy Tuna and Snow Crab Napoleon, looked to be similar to the ceviche, but the taste was 100000000x better. NO JOKE. This stuff was good. It was made with avocado and had a wasabi aioli. Yum, yum, yum.



For my third course, my entree, I had the Pepper Filet Mignon with grilled shrimp. This was the BEST filet I've EVER had. I will say that again in caps lock and bold...BEST FILET I'VE EVER HAD. The filet just melted in your mouth! It was served with roasted asparagus and a twice baked wasabi potato. This item can be found regularly on their menu.





And of course....for dessert....how can you go wrong with a souffle???? It was great!

Overall, I was impressed with dinner even if the ceviche wasn't really a ceviche. The rest of the meal made up for it.

This is really one of my favorite restaurants. It has a good (not great) selection of vegetarian sushi and other veggie dishes as well as a full bar with their signature martini's. If you ever get a chance to go there, please do! Make your reservations and ask to be seated in the sunset room near a window. You won't regret it!

To learn more about Yamashiro's and see their menu and drink selection, go here: http://www.yamashirorestaurant.com/

Please feel free to leave feedback and comments. Guest correspondents are always welcome (I'm getting tired of people looking at me funny whenever I take pictures of my food, it's time someone joins me!)

Side note: After the meal, we walked over to Graumann's......here I am trying to steal John Wayne's foot prints ala Lucy Ricardo.


Happy dining!

Taking one for the team....

So let me get to the point. I took one for the team. I went to a place that I did not like the first time around and vowed never to return to, but I did. I went back.

A few years ago I paid Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse (churrascaria), a visit for lunch. Needless to say, I was not impressed and made it quite clear to everyone in attendance that I would never return. It turns out everyone in attendance could give a rats ass as to what I make clear. Everyone in attendance wants to visit Fogo de Chao again, but this time for dinner. So I suck it up and go with a, "this place is gonna suck... again" attitude.

Upon arrival we sat at the bar and waited for our table and each had a Caipirinha, which is a drink similar to a mint julep but made with rum and about a cup of sugar. Well, maybe not exactly a cup, but close (refer to above picture of everyone in attendance and myself).

So this is how it works: They give you a round disk with one side colored green (go) and the other side red (stop) to control the pace of your meal. Waiters come around and offer you different selections of meat ranging from Fillet Mignon to lamb chops. The food keeps coming until your belly is full and your disk is on the red side. I'll try to post of picture of the disks and the food, but I've discovered that I am quite unsuccessful at posting pictures on this blog.

They also have a salad bar with a wide selection of fruits and veggies and the largest vat of parmesan cheese I've ever seen! Mashed potatoes and rolls are included in the meal and are served family style.

The Downers:
-Cramped quarters...I'm a big girl. I need my space.
-Vegetarians/Vegans, need not apply. Sorry.

As I sat and ate, I tried to think of the reason why this place was such a turn off the first time around. On my first trip to Fogo, I went for lunch and their selection of meat was not very wide. They served a lot of pork and some beef. It just didn't appeal to me. It was clear that for dinner, the food selection is much wider (the dinner price was wider as well!).

Overall, my second trip to Fogo far supersedes the first trip and taking one for the team paid off!

Although, Fogo de Chao is a chain of restaurants, there is only one in Cali located on La Cienega. For more info on Fogo de Chao go to: www.fogodechao.com

Happy Eating!

Welcome Back!

I'M BACK!

I took a little break, but I'm back with new tales of my many food adventures. If you are a new reader, welcome, if you are an old reader, welcome back. If you're not sure what this blog is about, please read the very first entry.

I encourage everyone to participate. Now let's EAT!

More Pampered Eater!

Coming Soon!