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Because Drunken Pool is So Much Better Than Sober Pool

November 19th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Adventure, Bar, Beer, Restaurant by Dkd

Great White Shark
My tongue keeps running over the serrated edges of my newly chipped tooth from last night. It’s not so bad, you can’t really see it when I talk or smile, but if you look closely, you’ll see a tiny snag. My tongue swears it’s the size of a Giza pyramid hanging upside down geofront style. Like I could sink my teeth into a piece of meat and great white the mother fucker off it’s hook. I have to keep telling myself it’s tiny. My tongue keeps running across it. Why do we hate ourselves so much that we keep picking at the things that hurt?

I was trying to tell a story about something when I made an attempt to bite into my mug – for effect – and it wasn’t a tiny frosty mug, it was a liter. Add a few spikes and it’s a fuckin deadly weapon by ATF standards. So in my horribly coordinated state, instead of successfully biting into the mug to demonstrate the silliness of my story, I ended up colliding with the rim of the glass resulting in a very uncomfortable stun. I’m actually lucky I didn’t knock my tooth out or give myself an un-cosmetic chip. It’s bad enough I break out into whistling Pete at random times.

After downing two liters of Alaskan Amber, a few fries, a chicken strip, 3 peanuts and 3 lollipop chick cigs at Heroes, we made our way to Stubrick’s to cap the night. Stubrick’s by the way is right next to Slide Bar where the infamous too drunk to care to get her number story took place. Idiots.

Some guys who were playing pool gave us their game to finish so my friend and I went against Sketch by his lonesome. Keep in mind, all of us were pretty toasty at the time so we can pretty much sum up the game as the “longest pool game ever with 3 balls.” Luckily for us Sketch scratched and we won by default. Usually I hate winning like that, but victory is victory.

I could sprinkle in all the reasons why we initially went from West LA to downtown Fullerton, but it’s irrelevant. The important thing was that we showed moral support, we made a statement about people and friendship and the support system that we need as human beings.

I mean shit, fuck the drive, I chipped my gawd damn tooth!

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Adventure Tuesdays: 24 Hour Pho on the Westside!

October 28th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Adventure Tuesdays, Restaurant by Dkd

Empty Daikokuya Bowl
We realize it’s Wednesday, but Adventure Tuesday typically ends on Wednesday morning. Sometimes spontaneous and random things happen on Tuesday night. There’s also a good chance that nothing happens. So last night?

My roommate has put together the mother of all entertainment systems. The newest addition to the system being a PC outfitted with Windows 7 Media Center. I was streaming songs off my laptop into the Windows 7 PC which is connected to the main entertainment system of power, when my other roommate was wandering around the house in a hungry stupor. She wanted to eat but wasn’t sure if she wanted to eat given that I call her fat all the time and thus have created a complex, just kidding, truth is I was hungry too. So she brought up Pho but our usual joint was closed when she mentioned the magic words, 24 hour pho. I then remembered my other friend telling me about such a mythical place on the Westside that was 24 hours.

Turns out it’s Pho Citi, the same 24 hour joint that’s in Burbank too, so it was familiar. It’s not the best Pho, but it’s not the worst either. My roommate thought she could be cool and order our usual by using its name, but when the person on the phone returned question marks I said to her, number 19, arbitrarily picking a random number which turned out to be the correct combo number. Maybe it wasn’t arbitrary. Maybe it was the unified system of pho combo numbering, or maybe I remembered Saturday night’s dinner. Either way, at the time it was hilarious that Pho with brisket was #19. On a side note, my roommate says brisket like it’s a British word. Brisk-ette’. There seems to be an odd trend with Asian girls developing wonky anglo-saxon accents.

The price was decent. Considering that it’s 24 hours, the extra buck you pay – you can get the same deal, that tastes better at Pho Show for a dollar less – is worth the convenience of being able to have Pho, whenever.

They did skimp on the fixings and trimmings and didn’t pack hoisin sauce, chili sauce or the standard Sriracha. Luckily, my fridge is stocked with spices so I wasn’t too bummed. But the lack of shrubbery did leave my bowl of finesse much ado about nothing.

However, it being close to midnight, having hot pho on a cold and windy evening, backed with sake and pirated movies, wasn’t bad at all. Besides I got to flex my art muscles and get s’more confidence in my penciling. Zomg, not a euphemism.

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Closing Time – Good (Silverlake)

October 19th, 2009 | 2 Comments | Posted in Closing TIme, Restaurant by emosweater

Good - SignGood Microbrew and Grill
3725 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026-1527
(323) 660-3645 (map)

To name a place that is just bold…but then again it’s no different than naming putting a “Los Angeles’ Best (whatever)” sign on the front of a restaurant. It sets up the mindset for people to formulate puns about the food not being, well, good. However, Good is just that…for two different and wonderful reasons.

Good BeerFor one thing at the door you’re greeted with a display of beer. Good. They’re a microbrewery so there’s definitely a wide selection of beer to choose from. If there’s another thing that FTP is, besides being ramen fans, being beer fans. The beer list has a wide selection of choices for every beer palate and it’s a good chance that you’ll find a beer that you can really enjoy. What makes the beer here special is that they are microbrews from around the world. So you can sample a beer that’s made in the good old USofA or you can have a beer named something that you’ll have a hard time pronouncing after you’ve had a few.

Another thing that makes the place good is the Exorcism Burger. According to the menu, this burger is the bomb. The burger’s most dominant ingredient is cheese. ExorcismIt’s called the Exorcism Burger because of the halo of cheese topping and surrounding the burger. This then causes an over abundance of cheese that melts out of the burger creating a halo. In my opinion, the burger is good without the cheese. However, I’m a fan of cheese in my burger and to over do it in a good way is a good thing. So is it good? Yeah, it’s good. Holy sh*t it’s good.

So with the beer and the burger, what can possibly make this place good-er? Well, how about $3 beers on Wednesday nights from 6PM until 10PM? They call it Mystery Beer Night. It’s a night where Good provides you a list of beers and it’s up to the bartender to determine what beer you’re going to drink from that list. The bottoms of the cups are marked with a number so you can find out which beer you got. It’s a great way to sample different microbrew beers and it’s also a good way to figure out what kind of beer person you are (if you don’t already know). Needless to say when we went to Good a few Wednesdays ago to sample mystery beers, we ended up with a small bill and very sudsy brains.

So what’s the haps? (again…it seems like no one is posting their hours of operations anymore!!!)

Monday through Thursday: 11:00 am to 10:00 pm
Friday: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am to 11:00 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am to 10:00 pm

So go enjoy Good. We did…and will enjoy Good again…soon.

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Small Talk: Are You a Beer Drinker?

October 8th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Beer, Restaurant, Small Talk by Dkd

oktoberfestover
Mystery beers were abound last night at Good in Silver Lake. For $3 a pop we took our chances and played brewlette to see what would land in our hands. I’m not too finicky when it comes to my beer choices, I used to be, but suffering through a year of recession beers has really let me slide in terms of the kind of brew I’ll say yes to.

Three of us were seasoned beer drinkers. One was just fresh on the, “holy-shit-beer-is-good train” and the other is still, well, training. I have to give her a pat on the back, she was being a good sport and trying to muscle through some of the microbrews that landed in her lap. You have to somewhat trust the fact that if someone is going to pay money to bottle it, it’s got to be somewhat tasty – ok, maybe not always.

Which brings to mind the fact that I wasn’t always a beer drinker either. In fact, I used to hate the stuff, I know, blasphemy! I hated it so much that I refused to drink it, to me it made no sense that someone could ever want to drink something that tasted like carbonated fart. Well one summer in college was all it took for me to change my mind when I was forced to drink nothing but beers as the parties I went to, well that’s all they were stocked with. Eventually my palette was able to differentiate all the different nuances of beer, the tastes, the subtleties, the kicks and the punches.

I’m totally a beer snob now.

So are you a beer drinker? If you love the stuff, what was your mode of discovery. Are you one of those who absolutely detests beer? Why? Are you willing to change your palette and appreciate the brewed goodness that is a gift from the heavens?

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Closing Time – Santouka (West LA)

October 6th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Closing TIme, Restaurant by emosweater

Picture 078

Mitsuwa Marketplace/Santouka
3760 Centinela Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90066

TEL: (310) 398-2113

Normally when you’re eating in a food court, you’ve found yourself in a situation where your options, although numerous, makes you feel like you’re just settling for what’s there. Rarely there is any eatery which would make me want to venture into a marketplace/plaza/mall to just eat at a food court. Well Santouka is one of those rare occasions.

Picture 079Santouka is located inside of Mitsuwa Plaza. If you’re not familiar with Mitsuwa, it’s a Japanese marketplace that specializes in Japanese wares and such. You can walk out of there with groceries, books, air freshener for your fast and furious import car, and rent some videos if you feel the need. However, if you leave there without having Santouka ramen, then it just might be a wasted trip.

On the list of all things ramen, Santouka is firmly in the #2 FTP ramen spot, not that far behind Daikokuya. Yes, we know that they both serve different kinds of ramen, but as a food experience, there’s no difference in types for us.

For the numerous times we’ve eaten there we’ve been greeted with consistent service and consistent quality food. My personal favorite is their salt ramen. The broth is flavorful, the noodles are a good firmness and the pork is near perfect. And very much like other ramen places, you can also opt to get a rice bowl on the side filled with options such as pork or salmon roe. Fortunately, the ramen bowl is of good size to where you’re not going to struggle too much to finish both.

Picture 072

Santouka operates the same as the other restaurants there at Mitsuwa: Monday to Friday from 11:00AM until 7:30PM. However, there is a caveat for this because just like with any other restaurant, food is subject to availability. But you may be asking yourself, “Don’t they have a grocery there they can get food from?” To which I can answer, “Dude, I don’t know.”

*Pocky is not included in the meal, but it should be. You can get it at the grocery store next door. Pocky FTW!!!

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WTF Weekend: Fake Dates and Productive Sundays

September 14th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Bar, Restaurant, WTF Weekend by Dkd

Rush Street
It’s Monday, it’s not exactly funday, you’re either back at work or you’re slaving away at something unfun partially due to the fact that you’re not awake yet or you just can’t get into the groove. WTF happened to the weekend and more importantly – WTF happened over the weekend?

It started Thursday when Emosweater declared to the world he needed a drink. Work had shackled his spirits down a bit so we invited him over to our place to imbibe a few beers and engage in merriment. I think my roommate was on the same wavelength because he and I came home with cases of quality beer and a shiny new bottle of Makers. It’s official: the economy is stabilizing, we have quality beer at the house. Goodbye recession beers.

One Fast Track and a Korean style tabletop barbecue dinner later, we were drunk off our asses and I awoke Friday morning on the couch. Natural alarm clock FTW; I still made it to work.

Friday was a struggle, but in true Office Champ form I kept all dizziness and queasiness to myself, complete with a smile and trudged through the day. I just wanted to get home so I can catch up on a tiny bit of R&R which was nerfed when a friend of mine showed up at the house insisting on getting something to eat. She’s a bit finicky with food so we walked around downtown Culver City when she decided Rush Street’s ambiance was enough to warrant a taste test. It’s a fancy pants sports bar. The food was ok but had some killer Happy Hour deals, $3 wells? Yes please. The place was packed however, a total date spot if you ask me. I started laughing when the server came by and lit the candle at our table. I’m not a date kinda guy so when I was trying to blow out the candle, my friend insisted that it stay on just to make me squirm. She enjoyed the fact that at anytime a friend of mine would walk in and “catch” me on a date. She was out to ruin my reputation. I guess it can’t be all that bad, she’s kinda cute and well, she paid for the food.

We managed to ninja parking validation from the movie theater (score!) and then picked up gelato affogato for dessert then headed out to Bigfoot West. I’d indulge in the details but the entire evening would sound like me describing a date and also a 101 on how to make other girls jealous, but that’s for another time. We hit up Bossanova at the end of the night for some late night eats and I was in bed by 4 am. For some unknown astrally torturous reason, I suck at sleeping in and was up at 7.

Saturday was literally spent watching TV all day and nodding off at every movie. I believe we went through the entire Aliens quadrilogy.

Sunday because of all the rest, Emosweater and I picked up coffee and donuts and had a work meeting. Unheard of if you ask me. It was 8 am on a Sunday completely of our own volition. We then went on to finish up chores and errands by 1 pm. Typically, we’re just getting up at this time. We picked up groceries to cook a late lunch – wow another “date,” bromance FTW, but lesson learned, American Supermarkets are not a substitute for Asian Supermarkets – then played catch up with a friend of ours who decided it would be fun to fill us in on her sexcapades of giant penises and exotic islands.

Granted it wasn’t the pool party, twestival, crazy DJ nightlife living that sketch was cruising with all weekend, but I’d say it was one of those weekends that was good for the soul.

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Closing Time – Tito’s Tacos

September 9th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Closing TIme, Restaurant by emosweater

Tito's Tacos LineIt’s always a good sign to see a long line combined with filled seats when you’re going to an eatery for the first time. Labor Day was my Tito’s Taco day. It was a lazy Monday which was the product of getting home at six in the morning the previous evening and waking up thinking “WTF just happened?”

It wasn’t until the afternoon when Dkd decided that Tito’s Tacos was where we were going to refuel, and since I never have been there before, it was an immediate yes from me.

There were times we’ve passed the restaurant before, and 3 out of 5 times I’ve seen the place with a pretty significant crowd outside. It was always made me think two things: that place must be really good and I am never going to stand in that line just for tacos. Well I was only half wrong. After standing in line for what seemed like eternity under the hot sun, we finally got our food. It was Christmas in a box filled with tacos, fresh tortilla chips and a small (for us at least) side of salsa.

Quick sidenote: If there is one thing agreed upon within FTP, is that there can never be enough chips and salsa. A reminder is always get extra salsa. It’s good for the food. It’s good for the chips. And ultimately, it’s good for the soul.

Tito's Tacos SignOnce the food was ready to be eaten, there was one thing that I could not deny. The tacos were worth the wait. The cheese alone that topped the tacos were enough to bring a smile to my face. When coupled with their slightly above average chips and salsa, the experience was complete. Individually, each component was good. Sometimes there is a complete experience that makes something worthwhile.

But let’s get the info on where and when I can get my hands on these tacos:

Tito’s Tacos
11222 Washington Pl
Culver City, CA 90230-4618 (map)
(310) 391-5780

Tito's Tacos - Hours

Operating Hours:
Sunday through Thursday: 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM
Friday and Saturday: 10:00 AM until 11:00 PM

I can’t say that these are the best tacos I’ve ever had. And there might be some people out there where this is the best taco they’ve had. But one thing’s for sure, it is a solid taco.  There are other things on the menu which is your standard fare of burritos, tostadas and enchiladas, and may be just as good. If you’ve never been there before, it’s always good to follow the rule of getting an item which the place was named after. In this case the tacos.

Although there was one thing on the menu that almost lured me away from getting the right amount of tacos. However, getting it in addition to what we ordered would have tipped the gluttony scale; the chili con carne. Anyone out there ever have it? Is it worth it? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Closing Time – Carney’s Restaurant on Sunset

August 25th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Blurb, Closing TIme, Restaurant by emosweater

Carney's - Outside

Carney’s Restaurant
8351 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
(323) 654-8300
Map

I know there’s a Tommy’s on Hollywood right off the 101. And I know that Hollywood is notorious for bacon wrapped hot dogs, but the image of Hollywood to me is typical LA when it comes to food. I don’t think of chili and hot dogs and fries and hamburgers. I think of vegan food and coffee and wraps and smoothies. So it was a big surprise to me when I ended up at Carney’s and found it a haven for chili cheese. The way things were working out that day, it was a good day for food decadence.  My stomach was ready and my soul was willing for a fight. The setting for this chili duel was a converted train car. The parking is conveniently located in the back, but just as a heads up there is a driveway for an entrance and one for an exit. Make sure you don’t end up being that person who enters on the wrong side and find someone in their car staring you down cause you’re going the wrong way.

Carney's - InsideThe only other times I’ve eaten on a stationary train was in Barstow, but honestly the food at Carney’s is way better than the food that they serve there. Being on a hamburger kick lately, I’ve been apprehensive on ordering it at places I have not prepared for. So I was drawn towards the hot dog/polish sausage section. The best rule of thumb is to order the item that’s named after the place. Cause for the most part, if they don’t get that right, there isn’t much there left for you. My decision was Carney’s version of the polish sausage and of course the complementary order of chili cheese fries, which also happens to be a point of interest. The fries at Carney’s are shoestring fries and when chili is put on it, it’s a wonder that any one fry can stand the weight of the oil.

Carney's - FoodWhen I first saw it and brought it to my table, my mind immediately set up the grid for a Tommy’s comparison. But as soon as I bit into it, I had to stop. Tommy’s is Tommy’s. However, Carney’s wasn’t a disappointment. The thing immediately fell apart on me to where I had to get a fork and knife…to me this is a good sign. When food collapses on itself, it’s a good indicator that you’ve got your money’s worth in volume. The taste was not a disappointment either. Was it better than Tommy’s? I’d say no. For the most part it was as good as. You’ll spend more a little bit more at Carney’s, but that’s just because they’ve got more options (they’ve got beer).

So what time do they close?

I have no idea. I couldn’t find the hours of operation in or around the place and the guy behind the counter barely knew what I was saying let alone me knowing what he was saying back to me. So the goal is to go back and ask what their operating hours are and re-post this. Oh darn…I have to go back? Darn….

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Closing Time: Let’s Compare Edition

August 21st, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Blurb, Closing TIme, Restaurant by emosweater

The Restaurant: Daikokuya
The Locations: Little Tokyo and Monterey Park

For the past couple of months, I have been meaning to check out the fabled Daikokuya in Monterrey Park. My hope was to have Daikokuya food readily available because the Monterey Park  location was conveniently on my way during my nightly commute home. So I finally made some time and took my chance to check it out.

The iPhone was more than happy to show me the location of the plaza it was located in, but when I got there, there was no indication of where place might be. With three floors worth of plaza, it was interesting to try and find the warp zone to take me to super ramen heaven. So I activated my internal ramen locater and it led me to the outskirts of the plaza on the second floor.

Daikokuya - MP (Outside)Upon first impression it kept true to it’s name. There was a line outside but wait, from the looks of the list, was very short. When I peered inside I saw the reason why there was a line. The place was small; smaller than the sister restaurant in Little Tokyo. But the interior was decorated almost exactly.

So is it consistent? Yes it is…for the most part. There was something that was different about the ramen. The broth was a little bit less flavorful (but that could be just me). I’m not going to nit pick the little differences, but it’s basically the same ramen, which I’m very glad to say. From the initial chopstick full of shoots and noodles to the last flavorful grainy slurp, it was as awesome as Daikokuya can be.

So the verdict? It’s the same, I’m happy to report. If there’s something I appreciate, it’s consistency. So when you find yourself in Monterey Park, and hankering for some ramen, you won’t have to drive another 10 minutes to downtown.

*edit:
There’s a Hacienda Heights location now…to be continued.

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Closing Time – The Shack

August 13th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Blurb, Closing TIme, Drinks, Restaurant by emosweater

The search for the burger in LA brought us to The Shack in Playa Del Rey. It was a nice overcast day near the water, which proved a perfect day for a three-way man date.

So the FTP boys have added another goal to their food Legend of Zelda quest: the burger. The burger your mouth waters when you think about it. It’s the burger that sits on a rock in the middle of the ocean beckoning ships to come towards it to their untimely demise. It’s the burger that makes an Italian plumber and his brother run through 8 different worlds via pipes and water and dungeons to save…you get the picture.

The ShackWhich brought us here. It’s a good place to go if you want a burger in Playa Del Rey. They have numerous variations of the classic burger, which should fill what ever burger combination you’re craving at the time. Worth a visit…but this isn’t a commentary.

A little word to the wise. Parking can be a bit difficult. There wasn’t much to choose from when we went. There are several options on where to park close by, but free spaces can be few and far between.

Now down to business. So where is it?

185 Culver Blvd, Playa Del Rey, CA 90293 (map)

What time does The Shack close?

The Shack Hours

Bar Hours:
Sunday through Thursday: 11:00 am until 11:30 pm
Friday through Saturday: 11:00 am until 1:30 am

Kitchen Hours:
Sunday through Thursday: 11:00 am until 10:30 pm
Friday through Saturday: 11:00 am until 10:00 pm

The Shack - Food (kinda)

So was the food good?

Yeah, it was.

So did this burger achieve the “the” status?

No. But worth a shot and worth going back to if you’re in the neighborhood.

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