Vinh "Vinhja" N.'s Profile

Lots of style... not so much on substance.  With all the great reviews I wanted to see what the hoopla was about.  The place has a great feel, good service, homey and laid back.  

So why only 3 stars?  Where's the lack of substance?  Alas poor Aroma, your food has failed me.  Maybe it was just my sandwich (rustic Tuscan)?  Maybe it was just my friend's brioche French toast?  Hard to believe we both chose the wrong items.  But the flavors were lack luster and nothing special... so disappointing after we greatly enjoyed our drinks.  The pastries and desserts did look very appetizing though.

I must agree with WIllie A. that this is a great place to have that General Foods International Coffees moment over John Luc http://www.youtube.com... but as far as a meal, I can't say I'd make the trip back.  Something about the prices, the hipsters, the mom's with the Channel glasses and baby strollers just doesn't do it for me.  But then again, if I lived in the area I can see this place as being a go to shop to just read the paper and enjoy your caffeine.

My second time volunteering had some hiccups with a troublesome kid, but it was still fun and definitely rewarding.  Got to meet some new people and this time I was able to make it to the after event at El Cholo and have a few drinks and some appetizers.  Even met some fellow Yelpers there, what's shakin' Dawn T. and Megan T.?

Thanks to Jessica T. and Jason A. for putting together the Hollywood Bowl event for Reading to Kids!  It was my first time and I had a blast!  Can't wait until next month and any other side events you guys have going.

But seriously folks, this organization is first class and has so many benefits for the kids and you personally.  Come check it out, its only once a month.

This small, hole in the wall place can be easily missed.  Its entrance is located behind one of the stairways in the shopping center and the only proof of existence is a tiny little sign.  

But don't let this deter you from trying this little shop out.  Most of the dishes run around $4/$5 (with a few exceptions) each so it's pretty easy on the pocket book unless you are like me and always orders 3/4 portions, but it's actually pretty good to go as a group and share as well.  It's got a very large and wide Taiwanese diner menu with everything from stinky tofu, fried rice, dumplings, hot pot / shabu shabu, smoke duck, noodle soup, dumplings and wontons but my two favorite items from this place are the mango shaved ice and cream chowder in bread box.  

The mango shaved ice isn't anything that you couldn't do yourself but it's the portion size that makes it a great deal.  The small size alone could feed 2-3 and the large is more than just large it's HUGE and is topped with a scoop of mango ice cream and only a few dollars more than the small.

The cream soup in a bread box is basically a twist on the clam chowder and sourdough bread bowl but the bread is like 10x better!!  The cream soup is pretty good as it's your average chowder base with frozen peas, carrots, corn, and ham.  But man oh man is that bread box amazing!!!  It's so buttery and crispy even after holding all that chowder it's remain super crispy until the end.  The mix of warm creamy soup with the buttery crispy toast is just divine.  You'll end up eating the whole thing, unlike the sourdough bread bowl which loses its luster as the bread gets chewy and cold.  This dish alone is what makes me come back time after time.

If you live in the area you probably already know about this place, but if you just happen to be in the area or getting one of those cheap 1 hour foot massage at one of the hundreds in the area and have a hankering for some quick eats and snacks I would totally recommending trying it out.

Here's the low down:

- Good food - Peruvian food and thats what the hokey pokey was all
  about.  Lomo or pollo saltaldo is good and the green sauce is fantastic
  hmmm... cilantro, chilies and avocado.  Oh!  The coated pan steak is a
  doozey too.
- Good service - No thrills no frills, they get you what you order and check
  up if you need more water or horchata.
- Good prices - Large portions at an affordable price.

- Bad wait - If you go late there is / could be a good wait but it's definitely
  worth it
- Bad parking - The lot is almost always full and street parking can be a
  bitch, but hey it'll make the food taste that much better from hunger.

A perfect day?  Mario's for lunch then a little drive down the street for some Scoops.  http://www.yelp.com/bi...

Okay, okay, okay... it's food court food and you gotta give it some slack right?  Ehhhh, its tough for me to really give this place any slack no matter where its located.  Well, its a Vietnamese food stand in Santa Clarita so I'll be just them a little bit of leeway and thusly rate them 3 stars.

To be honest with you it took a long time for me to even try this place because it was a Vietnamese restaurant in the Valencia mall, kinda hard to be authentic and do justice to my cuisine especially when I had heard that their baguettes were $6+ each.  WTH?!?!  Was my first response and that was my mind set until I was informed by fellow Yelpers they have specials on Wednesdays where they were only $3.  Okay that I can do, considering either my parents or I go to Alhambra or Westminster every other weekend to get food to-go for dinner or to pack for lunch.

After tasting the chicken baguette I was impressed that the chicken was freshly grilled and that was about it.  There was too much carrots and the bread itself didn't seem fresh.  Maybe thats why they are only $3?  My friend that accompanied me to XA every once in a while asks me if I want to go get carrot sandwiches... yeah real funny Mike C..  So yeah, not really impressed but for $3 a loaf its not bad and a change of pace for a mid-week lunch.

Fast forward a few weeks later and I received an invitation to have lunch with some local Yelpers at XA and I thought it would be good to finally meet some people face to face and give the baguette another shot.  And the results?  Maybe a tad better but not enough to change my overall rating.  Though looking at the plates of my fellow diners (William S., Mary I., & Derek T., nice meeting you all) the tofu and meats looked decent but the rice looked mushy, and if you eat enough rice you can just tell by looking at it.

Bottom line, you won't find me here unless its on a Wednesday.  If you want some Vietnamese food in the SCV I'd rather go to Pho Nga in Canyon Country (I never thought I'd ever say that, heh).

Right off the back I want to remind everyone that this place isn't open for lunch.  Yeah, you'd think I would have bothered to check....

Moving on to the place itself, it's actually smaller then I thought, possibly a little too tight especially when you are bloated from eating too much and trying to make enough room for all the dishes on the table.  Service was decent as things were forgotten as business picked up but that's understandable.

The food though is of pretty good quality.  When you say Kushi Shabu you think all you can eat but don't forget the Kushikatsu (gonna try it the next time I visit, who doesn't love fried food omakase style?).  This past time my friends and I did the regular beef shabu shabu and boy did we eat.  The three of us went through about 18 plates of meat and we all had a pretty large lunch.  As another friend came later who wasn't a beef eater we ordered pork and to our surprise the waitress didn't give us a hard time and we were not charged extra.  Both the pork and beef slices were of good quality for just the 'regular' orders and the non-meat occumpany of flat noodles, glass noodles, napa cabbage, mushrooms, inoki mushrooms, mochi and greens was very good and a nice break from the carnivorous choices.

Big plus for no extra charge for extra bowls of rice and a nice red bean dessert with jelly and fruit.  Overall, a pretty good value at $27 for AYCE with good service and good quality.  A place I would definitely recommend for novice and seasoned shabu shabu eaters.

Don't get me wrong, this place isn't bad by any means which is why I am rating a solid 3 stars for decent food but more so for being open so late.  The menu has all the variety of a Japanese diner in Little Tokyo but I've only had two items from here, the mapo tofu ramen and the katsudon both of which are filling and a good value.

So why 3 stars and not more?  Everything here is average and nothing exceptional.  If my visit to Little Tokyo is during normal business hours there are plenty of places nearby that I'd go for ramen, curry, katsudon etc. but again its the late hours that makes this place.  You can catch me there after midnight.

Had to kill some time between tennis matches at UCLA so my friend and I trek through Westwood village in search of some sustenance.  My friend remembered having hot dogs for cheap at The Stand so we walked over and was saddened to find out the special pricing of $1.00 hot dogs and $2.50 "Loaded" dogs (specialty dogs) was only on Mondays between 5pm and 10pm.  No big deal, paying regular price makes me take my time and not gorge myself on getting "a good deal."

I ordered the Chicago dog which I found out later was featured on the cover of some L.A. magazine.  So one of the most popular items on the menu should be pretty good right?  Wrong... good would be an overstatement.  It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything special.  The Chicago dog has neon relish, tomatoes, peppers, onions, mustard and celery salt.    Thats all and good but its the dog itself that makes or breaks the whole meal and well The Stand's dog didn't break me it didn't make me really want to go back for what I paid.  It was average or Yelp rating would say A-OK.

Really, I would only recommend this place if you could make it to the Monday happy hour otherwise its not really worth the time or money.

I should add, my friend really liked his mushroom burger but they didn't even use fresh mushrooms, rather canned button mushrooms.  Oh and they do have root beer on tap... at $2.50 a pop.  I'll pass thank you.

I am feeling something different for dinner, something not too casual but not too snooty.  I'd like to have a nice glass of cab or a petite syrah but still be wearing my sandals...hmmmmm But of course!  Cafe Bizou!!

This place is a great value for that 'tweener of fancy smancy and corner bistro and your TG McFridays.  The French menu has something for everyone ranging from steaks, to grilled fish, to lobster ravioli and even sweetbreads.  When you walk in through the plastic meat locker panels it may seem a bit weird and you may think French Bistro with valet out front how is this casual?  But in fact you'll find people in ranging from gym clothes to suites and it doesn't make a difference on how people look and treat you because in the end its always great service.

So what to get?  The appetizer trio is always a good start.  Lobster and salmon ravioli, baked mushroom and tuna tartare is sure to please everyone in the party (though I wouldn't recommend getting the ravioli as an entree).  The sandab, blackened salmon and steak frites are also pretty good.  Oh did I forget to mention $2 corkage?!?!  Almost unheard of!!

Overall a great place to go with friends or a date (ask to sit on the patio area where its nice and cozy and intimate) that will not disappoint nor will it break your wallet.

I've been wanting to give this place a try for a long time, in fact ever since they opened.  But to be honest I was just too chicken.  My Spanish isn't that bad, I mean I did take 3 WHOLE years of Spanish in high school.  But it was still a little intimidating and I didn't want to just order a taco or burrito.

Thanks to Yelp and all the SCV reviews that shed some light on this great establishment which finally got me to check this joint out.  Walking in I was expecting it to be a little more crowded but then again my friend and I were having an early dinner (it did pick up as we were leaving).  It was interesting how the tables and decor was setup, I mean its a small little shop so I wasn't expecting much but they have a little stage and patio covering inside so it was like eating outside but inside, are you following?

Moving on the to the food my friend and I decided to share the molecajete and was extremely surprised to see the size of the dish.  It was HUGE!  Needless to say we couldn't finish it but the taste that this dish brought were very good.  There was enough carne asada, chicken, cactus, cheese, chorizo, baby shrimp, large shrimp, jalapeños and mole sauce to feed 3 or 4.  The tortillas served with the dish were warm and fluffy and perfect to dip and wrap the mole.

The waitress was super nice and was always waiting on hand for anything and everything we needed.  My friend is a bit... well a big klutz and seems to be always spilling something or another and like clockwork happened to spill her horchata and the waitress couldn't have been more nice.  She happily cleaned up the mess and got my friend another glass.

I was gonna rate the joint 4 stars for the molecajete alone but good pricing and super nice service bumps it up to 4.5 stars.  Next time I think I'll try something else in addition to the signature dish.