Manna Korean BBQ Sunday, February 07, 2010

Manna Korean BBQ

3377 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019

(323) 733-8516

 
With over 600+ reviews on Yelp, I don't think I'll be saying anything new and relevant about this restaurant. I came here for my friends birthday and had a good time. It's loud, noisy, a real party atmosphere. I will say when they play music, its pretty repetitive, I mean they really need to mix up the songs they play, the night was a constant repeat of the same songs, over and over again.













Come hungry, come very hungry, eating here is a protein overdose. Now if its your birthday, tradition here is the waiters come and literally spray you with champagne, no joke, you get spraying like if you where the Lakers celebrating a championship. Since my 4 year old nephew was there, we decided it wouldn't be appropriate. In any event it was a good time had by all.

Huell Howser Friday, February 05, 2010

Howell Howser is.....AMAZING!

If your live in California, you know the name Huell Howser. He probably has the best job in the state. I've been watching him since his Video Log days on KCET, our PBS station here in Los Angeles. His recent podcast release is freaking hilarious! Huell pretty much comes to a backwards town in the middle of no where, Newberry Springs, CA to be exact, and gets into a lot of awkward situations with the locals, it is funny as hell. To check out that episode go his website and click on the "New Calgold Podcast".......http://www.calgold.com/

Ambrosia Restaurant Saturday, January 23, 2010

Ambrosia Restaurant
6410 San Fernando Rd

Glendale, CA 91201

(818) 507-9550

I came here with a big group of my family, we filled about ten tables. The tables were set out very nicely and we were seated in a big hall, with a stage and dozens of chandeliers over head, this would be a wonderful place to rent out for a wedding or any special event. You really can't tell either from the outside, how nice it is on the inside, I really didn't expect it to be this nice.

You have to come hungry here, the side dishes themselves were very good and very filling. There was eggplant, some sort of pasta dish, reddish coleslaw, humus, olives, salad, goat cheese,slices of beef  tongue, and of course plenty of pita bread. I love combining the goat cheese and the slices of beef tongue, putting it into the pita bread and then dipping it into some humus. The good thing about my meal here was it was all you can eat. Needless so say my table asked for more humus, goat cheese, and beef tongue...oh yeah. Then you reach the main course, it consisted of grilled tomatoes and bell peppers, wild long rice, fried fish, and a red meat plate. The red meat plate is huge with generous portions of traditional Kebab style meat, lamb, beef, chicken, all of which was tasted great.

The waiters are very attentive and very accommodating. Service here is very good. I know its popular right now to find "fast food" middle eastern food, but when you go to a quality middle eastern sit down restaurant, you can instantly taste the difference. I don't know how old or new this restaurant is, but I hope they stick around for a good long while because they serve quality food.

The Dinosaur Farm Monday, January 18, 2010

The Dinosaur Farm  
1510 Mission Street
South Pasadena, CA 91030
(626) 441-2767

 

"Whoa!"..."Wow!"..."Oh wow!" ..."Whoa!"

These were the first words out of my 4 year old nephew's mouth when he first came into the store. My nephew loves dinosaurs and when I mean loves, I mean he really loves dinosaurs, my nephew talks about dinosaurs in his sleep. This store was custom built for him and when I first herd about this store, I couldn't wait to bring him here. I usually buy him stuff at Toys R Us, but I usually have to hunt for dinosaur related items and sometimes there isn't much of a choice to choose from at Toys R Us.

Since my nephew is so into dinosaurs, I've sorta become an aficionado of dinosaur toys and dinosaur related items. I've done toy shopping in Downtown LA and in Chinatown, even though prices of dinosaur toys there are cheap, the quality is inferior because the dinosaur toy models are made of cheap plastic. You might pay a little more at The Dinosaur Farm, but there dinosaur toy models are made very well, there not just fine for kids to play with, but they are also really detailed enough for display purposes, enough so that I think these dinosaur models would impress even adults.

Noodle World Monday, January 18, 2010

Noodle World
24 W Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 585-5885

Hot pho, on a rainy day, it just hits the spot. The garlic pork was extra garlicy, awesome, I like lots of garlic. Weekends are busy, look forward to about a 10 minute wait, but its well worth it. Great verity of choices in Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai Soups.

And for dessert, boba smoothies, they are your friend.

888 Seafood Restaurant Sunday, January 10, 2010

888 Seafood Restaurant
8450 E Valley Blvd
Ste 121
Rosemead, CA 91770
(626) 573-1888


My cousin had her baby shower here today and I have to say all the tables and chairs looked well decorated and put together. We were in a room with no windows, but that didn't matter since the company of family and friends is what was important and of course the food.

The dim sum was great, I'm a chicken feet and tripe kinda guy and I always look for those first. The chicken were big and full of skin and tendon. The tripe was tasty, no too chewy, and very fresh. There is one item that you have to order, it's there beef tendon soup. The broth is boiling and filled with mushrooms and beef tendon that is lined with some fat on it, really beefy and delicious.

My dim sum check list :

Hot = yes
Variety = yes
Fresh Ingredients = yes

This place is noisy, busy, not ideal for a quiet conversation, but that didn't bother me any, hey it's atmosphere. Parking is pain in ass so bring some patience with you, but it's well worth it.

2010 Monday, January 04, 2010

From

I'm not going to state any resolutions, resolutions are like diets, they are destined to fail. No "to do list" for me either, putting together a "to do list" seems like more work, then what it is you need to get accomplished. Everyday is a chance for you to do something different, something that betters your life, January 1st you proclaim a resolution and by January 2nd you've broken it, so what's the point? Exactly. One thing I did learn from 2009, is that you got to lead by example. You can't shit talk, gossip, berate, put down, and meddle your way for someone to change. You got to know and understand, there actions speak for themselves. In short, calling attention to someones faults, no matter how bad it is, takes effort for me, but letting there actions speak for themselves, does not...you do not get my effort any longer.

As for 2010, I want to lead by example, no more talk about this, or that, "I'm going to do this", "My plan is going to be this", etc.... Instead I want to blog about what I've done, or give you a "progress report" on how far along I am towards what I want to get accomplished.

Happy 2010, cheers!

Taylor Swift - You belong with me Thursday, December 10, 2009

Julian sings this song all the time and knows this song word for word,
and now I know it.

Best Buy Thursday, December 10, 2009

Best Buy

2909 Los Feliz Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 912-9288

This place is hit and miss. If you come here on a weekends especially during the holiday shopping season, expect to wait and wait and wait for your questions to be answered by a sales rep, that is just the way it goes. Do yourself a favor and do as much research on the TV, computer, cell phone, or whatever it is you want to buy on your own, to come here and expect to ask super technological questions is expecting a lot. I can't emphasize enough that you should come here on a weekday and avoid weekends at all cost.

If your buying a big purchase such as a TV or a computer, by all means buy the Best Buy extended warranty. For four years they covered my LCD TV for around $80, comparable places like Target or Sears offer warranties for around $170 for around three years.

This lot holds the Costco, the Toy's R Us and the Best Buy side by side, and the parking layout is horrible. It seems they tried to compact as much cars as possible with the such limited space.

The Lights Are Bright In Atwater Village Friday, November 20, 2009

Today I noticed the new lights on my block. Wow it's bright! I don't know if the rest of Atwater is going to get new lights, but my block of Seneca just got brighter. The new lights don't cover all of Seneca, maybe about 40 percent of the entire street, but what a difference these lights make. The old lights were also on and you can tell the difference, the old lights are like a dim sad yellow color that lit up the night like a dying jack-o-lantern. The new lights however are truly illuminating, like giant flashlights that turn night into day. Seriously it lights up the streets like I have never seen before, I hope they do this to the rest of Atwater.