Posted July 18th, 2011 by Meg
It’s apparent that I’m a big fan of FO I & II. A lot of my friends One close friend even assumed that when Sang Yoon opened Lukshon next door in February 2011, I was first in line. Sadly, my friend was incorrect. It was only until a few weeks ago that I was able to finally check it out. Because I have let a lot of time lapse, I am just going to summarize my experience as wonderful — Being promptly seated by a friendly hostess to being served delicious food and having my water glass repeatedly refilled by an astute waiter. I would go back in a heartbeat. And plan to soon!
I have placed *s next to my favorite drinks/dishes.
THE DRINKS:
* Fujian Cure: Isle of Skye 8 year old scotch, lemon, galangal, lapsang souchong black tea
Yokohama Romance: Prunier VSOP cognac, cherry heering, kaffir lime, lemongrass, shaoxing wine
THE FOOD
Spanish Mackerel coconut vinegar, jalapeno, lemongrass, green papaya
* Spicy Chicken Pops Shelton Farms drumettes, garlic, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), spicy sichuan salt
* Garlic Pork Belly do ba jian, rice cakes, cabbage, garlic chives
* Baby Monterey Squid stuffed with chiang mai pork sausage, with candlenut, mint, and rau ram
X.O. Rice jasmine rice, house-made x.o. sauce, long beans, egg
* Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts lightly fried in a soy sauce with sesame seeds sprinkled on top
Complimentary Desserts - Chocolate Custard/Pudding & Mango Panna Cotta
Lukshon
3239 Helms Ave.
Culver City, California
310-202-6808
Mon-Sat: 5:30-10:30pm
Posted May 5th, 2009 by Meg
The easiest part of this race was the running. It was everything else that made it hard. Correction: Technology made it hard. My shuffle, Shuffley, refused to turn on when the race began. This made no sense to me because I turned it on 30 minutes prior to ensure it was working and that there would be no repeats of Shuffley trouble (San Diego Half Marathon). Shuffley might be a race-ist. Or, maybe Shuffley is just race shy, because Shuffley did not work. Thus, I started the race upset. I tried to focus on the running, but I kept getting distracted and discouraged by the beautiful noises of others. For instance, the lovely woman that took deep, loud, vocal breaths; each time she exhaled, she panted out the words “oh my god.” I was too frustrated to find humor in this situation at the time and only grew more annoyed and conflicted. I couldn’t sprint ahead because that would ultimately lead me to burning out. And I couldn’t slow down because that would compromise my own time. Instead, I distracted myself with random thoughts. Like, what if that dog, that I guess was allowed to be racing, poops on the course. I would definitely be the one that stepped in it. Fortunately, the blasphemous breather disappeared in my dust, the dog never went to the bathroom, and Shuffley finally turned on around mile four. Shuffley’s resurrection significantly increased my speed and mood. I was able to recover some of the lost time and finished the race in under an hour (which means that I ran the race faster than I train). So, yay.
Now… the good stuff.
It has become tradition for my roommate and I to go out to Father’s Office II for post race celebration. After the Santa Monica Classic, I did not think tradition was going to be upheld. Instead, I took a 2 hour nap, went grocery shopping, and lounged around. That is until I got the text message from my roommate asking if I wanted to go out. Of course I did! Here are the highlights:
1. Carafe of Melville “Vernas” Pinor Noir ‘07
2. Rare Yellow Fin Tuna (a special that quickly sold out after I ordered it) - yuzu cherry tomato “ceviche”, shiso, and cilantro sprouts.
3. The Bruery Saison Rue
Posted December 14th, 2008 by Meg
Father’s Office II.
Melville Syrah Wine (one of my favorite vineyards).
Beet Salad - with blue cheese and walnuts (and some lettuce hidden underneath it all)
Scaldís Noel Beer - A Winter Ale
Strangely, FO wouldn’t let me have the Scaldís bottle. Apparently there is a rule that they can’t let the bottle cross over the bar counter. Weird, huh? They did let me take a picture. This beer is a seasonal and delicious. It is thick, creamy, and had a hint of cherry and clove to it. It’s one of those beers you can’t drink too many of because it’s so filling and rich, but it was nice to sip on and perfect for the winter.
Posted December 9th, 2008 by Meg
I truly want to like Bottle Rock. I have given it many many chances, but in the end I always leave feeling ripped off and in a bad mood. Don’t get me wrong, they have a good selection of wine. But, if you want to order more 2 glasses and some food, expect a bill well over 30 dollars. Thirty plus dollars just for wine and tapas. Not the best deal in my book. Although they have “fixed” the uncomfortable seating in the main room (sadly, by moving the old metal seats to the patio), they have not fixed their lighting problem. It is too bright. The room is not comfortable. Their service is borderline terrible. My roommate and I have been harassed by an older woman who was convinced we were underage. In general, the servers are not the friendliest. Right now, I am sick of bad and rude service (like Gingergrass in Silverlake). I used to say “I don’t want to write bad reviews on my blog,” but now I feel like I have to.
I am sure some day I will return, but not anytime soon. Although, they do have a happy hour - I am not willing to fight traffic to get there. There are better, inexpensive and tastier options to choose than Bottle Rock. Sorry.
Bottle Rock
3847 Main St
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 836-9463
Posted October 29th, 2008 by Meg
For so long I have wanted to go to the cafe, art space, and store that is Royal T café, but there were always hurdles in my way. One time they were closed. One time I couldn’t rally the troops to go. One time I forgot it existed. But then one lonely day I remembered. Supposedly, it is the first cosplay cafe in Los Angeles. What is cosplay restaurant you ask? Well I’ll tell you. Cosplay are theme restaurants and pubs that originated in the Akihabara district of Tokyo around the year 2000. They include maid cafés and butler cafés, where the service staff dress as elegant maids (or as butlers). Compared with service at normal cafés, the service at cosplay cafés involves the creation of a rather different atmosphere. The staff treat the customers as masters and mistresses in a private home rather than merely as café customers. Which is pleasant when you consider how many rude baristi one encounters in a lifetime. Royal T’s waitresses are dressed in “maid kissa” uniforms designed by Lun*na Menoh (who designed similar costumes at Takashi Murakami’s exhibit at the MOCA ). The concept and design of Royal T is the work of Takaya Goto and Lesley Chi of Goto Design.
When I walked in I immediately thought: It’s kind of like if Kid Robot had a baby with Giant Robot and this child served food. Here is a picture of what the waitresses look like. I found it on Lun*na Menoh’s website. I was way too shy to ask for a picture while I was there; they are in character (high pitched voices, super duper overly friendly and nice) which I found to be intimidating.
First I walked around and looked at the store. Here are pictures of some of my favorite things I saw (Killer Cupcake, Fake Louise, Shoplifter Bag, and my favorite, Chanel Matches)
I didn’t take many photos of the art on the wall, but I did think this piece was cool. I am pretty sure it is Murakami’s work. Correct me if I’m wrong.
After the art, I sat down for some tea. Their menu is a fusion of French, Japanese, and Californian. Breakfast (granola, french toast, baked eggs), Lunch/Dinner (salads, sandwiches, rice bowls), and High Tea (the mix of everything for 20 dollars). I ordered the Royal T Milk Tea black tea with rose petals, pieces of fruit, and vanilla brewed in soymilk. As you can see in the picture, those are the bodum’s double walled glassware that is talked about highly throughout yelp reviews. It makes the experience very aesthetically pleasing. The tea was copious and delicious. I have a habit of finishing things even when I am full because I don’t like to waste. This was worth it though.
Although my maidtress told me that the brownie was probably the best dessert to order, I had to order the Sesesame Bean Sensation, a sweet sesame cake with tons of sesame oil and sugar. I am not the most knowledgable on these little squares of goodness, but I was able to recognize that it tasted very good. I would order it again, but I did see out of the corner of my eye someone else’s brownie and it looked quite decadent and delicious. So who knows what will happen next time I am there.
Hopefully, I will be able to return again soon. Not by myself. With enough money to buy Chanel matches.
Royal T
8910 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 559-6300
Posted October 17th, 2008 by Meg
I went here for the first time about two weeks ago. I have fallen in love. It has become my new favorite frozen yogurt place. As you can see below, the pros outweigh the cons which makes this place rank very high. I was tempted not to write about it because I wanted to keep it my little secret, but then I decided I wanted to share it with the world ten people.
The cons
-Kinda far from where I live; farther than Bigg Chill (it’s practically in Culver City)
-Completely furnished with the predictable “Ikea” style
The pros
-Close to a Trader Joe’s (2 birds, 1 stone)
-Not as busy as Bigg Chill
-Takes credit cards ($5 minimum, so you HAVE to get a large with toppings)
-Parking lot is not too crowded or overwhelming (like Bigg Chill)
-You’re practically in Culver City so you might as well go get a glass of wine at Bottle Rock
-Pretty wide selection of flavors (tart, chocolate, vanilla, cookies and cream, peanut butter, specials for the week)
-Menu offers nutritional information (allowing me to know that I am eating way too much)
I am a simple girl and ordered Peanut Butter and Chocolate. No toppings necessary, even though they had mochi. Peanut butter is my favorite flavor ever and Yoku Yoku’s seems to have the best recipe for it. So if you too enjoy Peanut Butter frozen yogurt, you should go try it. Or if you just like frozen yogurt, check it out.
Yoku Yoku
11146 Palms Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-0571
Posted October 9th, 2008 by Meg
I finally got a chance to check out Rush Street with both my boyfriend and my roommate (they are not the same). Rush Street is named after the northbound one-way street in the Near North Side (1 of 77 well defined community areas) of Cook County, Chicago. It is approximately a mile long. It was named after the Declaration of Independence signator Benjamin Rush (who lived in Pennsylvania and went to Dickinson College). Rush Street is part of one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country. It is particularly known for it’s nightlife (supposedly especially on the northern side). But I digress.
The owners of the Rush Street restaurant in Culver City are Brian McKeaney, who grew up in the bar/restaurant business (his family owns thirteen establishments on and around Rush Street!), and partners Ken Kaufman, a successful television and film producer, and Tom Patchett, an Emmy winning writer (Carol Burnett Show) and producer and co-founder of Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station Art Complex. The Executive Chef is Dave Northrup. I have never been to Chicago, so I had no idea what to expect or how to judge. Fortunately, my roommate is a native. One thing I have learned about Chicago is that is raises the bar on everything, especially food. (Side note: How much did you love Top Chef in Chicago?)
Walking in, you immediately notice the high arched wooden ceiling, which I was told helped give it the Chicago feel. There is an upstairs bar/lounge/private area, but I did not go up there. We were told we would have to wait 45 minutes for a table, but could hang out at the bar. Even though I was ridiculously hungry, we agreed to the wait. While looming around the bar and taking pictures, within 5 minutes they seated us. Boo yah!
For the love of gin, I ordered their rendition of the Aviation (bombay sapphire, fresh lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, creme de violette) to drink from their Vintage Classic Cocktail menu. Let’s discuss this creme de violette. Wiki tells me that it is another name for liqueur de violette, which is a generic term for a usually French liqueur with natural and/or artificial violet flower flavoring and coloring with either a brandy base, a neutral spirit base, or a combination of the two. I have no idea what brand Rush was using, but it was not common in the States until mid-2007 when Haus Alpenz began importing Rothman & Winter Crème de Violette from Austria. The drink was delicious. I could have had 5 more, but at fourteen dollars a pop I kept it to one.
Although they have Pizza on their menu, it is not Chicago style. They only offer Chicago style on Monday nights as a special. However, our waitress (who lived in Chicago) explained that it is not great Chicago style pizza; they are still perfecting their recipe at Rush. This was a great warning. I still have never had Chicago style pizza. Tears. Our waitress did recommend the Macaroni and Cheese, which my boyfriend loves. So I ordered it for the table to share. It came looking almost too cute to scoop into, but the taste of it made the destruction of beauty worth it. Like my cocktail, I could have probably eaten several of these pots. Fortunately, we had more food coming.
As the main course I ordered the also recommended Mesquite Turkey Burger and Fries - applewood bacon, cheddar, shoestring onions, avocado, and confire sauce (confire is French for “to preserve”). I just started to eat turkey burgers recently and am becoming a big fan. It is a different taste and makes me feel a little bit healthier. Although there are a lot of toppings on it, the mesquite turkey dominates, but still plays nicely with others. I would order it again. However, they have a bunch of appetizers their that all sounded very… appetizing. Hah. (I really need to work on my burger photography)
I had no control or discipline at this dinner. Nobody else wanted dessert, but I ordered it anyways. It was a Chocolate Mousse cake. I don’t know much about cakes or mousse, but I do love chocolate. I usually can tell how good a dessert is by how quickly I can feel my blood sugar change. I felt warm and tingly about half way through, but it was so rich that by the end I had to reluctantly put my spoon down. A great dessert to share with people.
In the end, I would go back to Rush in a heartbeat. It’s a little pricey, but if you go in a group and share food it probably would lessen the blow. I would love to go to their Brunch that caters specifically to the hungover crowd. Sounds like it would be perfect for a lazy Sunday.
Rush Street
9546 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 837-9546
