Posted June 16th, 2011 by Meg
A few days ago I was feeling spontaneous and wandered into the Toshi Sushi for a quick lunch. Although presumably their specialty is sushi, I was more drawn in by the $8.25 bento box lunch special. The term bento is a reference to a “single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine” (says wiki). The English translation of “bento” is “convenient.” This name makes sense when you consider that the box is compartmentalized to segregate different types of food. If you put a lid on the box, it would be ideal for travel.
The bento box lunch special comes with a salad and a cup of miso soup. You can choose two out of the following to include in your bento box: tempura, chicken, beef, salmon, and tuna. (There might have been more on that list, but I am going by memory.) I chose the chicken and tempura (as you can see).
Of course I ordered the tea as well.
Overall, the food was tasty, the service was great and it was inexpensive. However, out of the corner of my eye I saw the aesthetically pleasing sushi bowl which looked like it would have been a better choice. Maybe next time.
Toshi Sushi
359 E. First Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Posted October 4th, 2008 by Meg
Stopped by Red Mango last week to see if it was in anyway like Blue Mango. Turns out the answer is No, it’s not like Blue Mango at all. Instead, it is exactly like Pinkberry. Red Mango has two flavors: Plain Tart and Green Tea. They have the standard toppings of fruits and cereals. I chose the Twist of Tart and Green Tea with mochi. It tasted so similar to Pinkberry that I would probably have to try them side by side to distinguish the real differences. I think that Red Mango might be less tart as Pinkberry, though. Red Mango claims that their yogurt is fat-free, gluten-free, and certified Kosher. If there were one closer to me (there are only 10 total located in Southern California), I would place it in the yogurt rotation more often to add “variety.” If you need your yogurt fix and enjoy the taste of Pinkberry, then there is a high chance that you will also like Red Mango.
Red Mango
3101 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone: 310 664 9600
Hours: noon-11pm
Other Locations
Posted September 26th, 2008 by Meg
One would think that by the ocean in a state where there is constant sunshine and warm weather, there would be infinite ice cream / gelato/ frozen yogurt locations. Sadly, this is not the case in Santa Monica. My roommate and I stopped at the one gelato place near the Promenade called Angelato Café. Gelato is the Italian version of ice cream but with significantly less butterfat than ice cream making it less solid and frozen (melts more quickly in your mouth), gelato is of a higher density because it is produced without the addition of air, and it is served slightly warmer (10-15 degrees less) than ice cream. All three differences gives gelato a richer, more full flavored taste than ice cream.
Angeleto offers an array of standard and unique flavors of gelato, sorbetto, tofulati, yogurt, and sugar free products. There is supposedly over 100 flavors but I was not counting. I ordered a strangely amazing combination of Green Tea Gelato and Chocolate Grand Marnier. Although this is not as good as what you would find in Italy, it is still creamy and rich. I especially enjoyed the Green Tea Gelato; it was a treat to taste this flavor in any form other than Soy Dream or Pinkberry. Cash Only.
Angelato Café
301 Arizona Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 656-9999
Posted September 5th, 2008 by Meg
Last time I was at Intelligentsia, I bought some tea to drink in the hours I do not drink coffee: the afternoon and evening. I chose a green tea called Cloud and Mist. It’s name comes from the cloudy, humid mountains of China in which it grows.This particular tea comes from Drum Mountain, found in the province Fujian. This tea’s distinct flavor results from the cooler climate causing the tea to grow more slowly than most other teas.
Body: Smooth, buttery
Flavor: Honey, baking spice, toasted almond
Finish: Sweet, lingering
Every adjective above is accurate in describing this tea. At first sip, I was able to distinguish the buttery body of the tea, which I have never experienced before in a tea. I am also able to pick up the almond and honey flavors, that not only leads smoothly into the lingering sweetness but also the desire to drink more. I am not able to compare this green tea because it is more complex than any tea I have had before (please note my limited tasting knowledge and experience of tea). I really enjoy the buttery feel to this tea and plan on buying this tea again, especially if I can find ones that were grown in a different provinces to compare with one another.
Posted August 15th, 2008 by Meg
I wish I could be doing more restaurant reviews, especially ones involving alcohol. But, this Sunday I am doing that half marathon thing, which means I need to take extra special care of myself. In the treat-your-body-nicely-so-it-won’t-screw-me milieu, I figured it is a perfect time to review tea. In one of my recent trips to Pasadena, I accidentally stumbled upon a tea shop.
I was headed to the parking garage to leave, but two birds caught my eye. Not real birds, but the two birds on the logo of a tea shop called Bird Pick. Looking less corporate than Teavana, but friendlier and more warm than Lupicia, I had to check it out. Immediately upon entering the store I realized how perfect of a store it is for Pasadena; the ambiance of the tea bar fits right in with the Old Town yuppy vibe. The location is also convenient because people will notice it when they are entering/leaving the popular parking garage across the street from the store.
While inside Bird Pick, a friendly soon-to-be freshman at UCLA helped me out. She offered to steep any type of tea I wanted to try along with giving me samples of teas she had steeped prior to my arrival. Everything I tried seemed very nice so I asked if they had any Tie Guan Yin. (My brother spent the greater part of the past year in Nanjing, but has finally returned to Pennsylvania.
One notable difference about him from the trip is that he drinks tea more often than ever before. Apparently he became quite fond of a Chinese oolong, Tie Guan Yin.). Although the girl was quite knowledgeable, she was stumped as to whether or not they sold it at the store. She explained that Bird Pick changed the names of some of their teas to make it easier to pronounce and remember. She asked the manager/tea expert guy, who was just as friendly and helpful as the girl. He was able to point out three different grades of Tie Guan Yin, which at the store is going by a very similar sounding, although not much easier to pronounce or remember, name: Tikuanyin (literally translates to Iron Goddess of Oolong). He also explained why they were graded differently; tea grading is very interesting because it is not as much about flavor and quality as it is to do with location/region of origin, garden of estate, elevation, and how it was picked and manufactured after harvest. I found that the Stash Tea website gives a more thorough description of different grades here. I bought the lowest grade of the Tie Guan Yin/Tikuanyin because it was the cheapest. I figure that if my brother likes it, I will buy him a nicer grade the next time I am there.
I only bought tea for my brother, but was given free samples to try out. Two in particular I really enjoyed: Royal One & 1 Green Tea and an Organic Green tea. The former is said to have a bittersweet finish, but I did not taste as much bitter as I did sweet. It was very pleasant and distinct. I was very hesitant about trying the Organic Green tea, because sometimes the word organic is placed on a label just so people will buy it, regardless of quality of the product. In all honesty, I was expecting it to taste like crap, but was pleasantly surprised by a smooth cup of green tea. It is the type of tea I could drink all day. I will probably buy the Organic Green tea and hopefully receive more samples next time I am at Bird Pick.
In regards to the other tea stores I mentioned: I would choose Bird Pick over Teavana any day of the week. However, I will always have a place for Lupicia in my heart (try their Tokio green tea!). It is an excellent tea store, but not surprisingly, more focused on Japanese teas. The Lupicia store is also in close proximity to where I live, making it more convenient for me to visit. If Bird Pick was just as close I would probably choose it over Lupicia because of the cute tea bar ambiance and the welcoming warm feelings.
Does anyone else ever feel guilty for not drinking green tea? I like all kinds of teas, but research seems to make green tea sound like #1 all time best tea for a person. I feel guilty when I drink other teas, even when the other type of teas have their own health benefits. I always think that if I am going to drink tea it should probably be green. Is this unheard of and am I crazy for feeling like this?
Bird Pick
10 South De Lacey
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 773-4372
Lupicia
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Century City, CA 90067
Teavana
14006 Riverside Dr
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
