Jay Eats Worldwide

One thing that I love (but not always have time)  is going to the beach, even if it's to sit and watch the waves. But now I have another reason... Top Chef fans probably remember Chef Brian Huskey from Season 11 (New Orleans). Los Angeles diners may know him from restaurants such as Picca, Mochica, and Paiche. Regardless, I got a sneak peak tasting of his latest venture, Tackle Box (at the beach). See What Jay Eats...  Shrimp Sandwich with Romaine on a squid ink roll (this was a tasting size sandwich) The shrimp sandwich was fresh with crunchy lettuce, a good sandwich for a day at the beach. The house chips with seasoned salt were really good too. Salmon Poke with avocado, crispy rice and citrus dressing. Nice twist with the citrus flavoring and avocado.  Buffalo Cauliflower with blue cheese and celery Made to taste like Buffalo wings, but cauliflower. I really enjoyed thi...

As part of the 130th Anniversary of Little Tokyo (2014), I've been spending time visiting some of my old favorite places and being introduced to new ones in Little Tokyo.  One of my favorites for sushi is Oomasa Restaurant on the 1st Street entrance to Japanese Village Plaza. Oomasa Restaurant Located at the entrance to Japanese Village Plaza, just off of 1st Street One of the participating restaurants of the 2014 Taste of Little Tokyo Read my 2014 Taste of Little Tokyo HERE See What Jay Eats... When I do visit Oomasa, I usually come in for sushi  Halibut Sushi with salt and yuzukosho This is my favorite way to eat white fish, add a squeeze of lemon too... Spanish Mackerel Santa Barbara Sea Urchin  It was very good, but then again I've had really good seafood here. Ending the meal with the head of the  Santa Barbara  Sweet Shrimp in miso soup Man cannot live on sush...

One thing that I don't see much anymore is good simple Japanese food.  It's hard to find a restaurant that does combinations with the classics, like tonkatsu (fried pork) and grilled salmon (without the teriyaki sauce).   A friend introduced me to At Home Kitchen in Gardena, it's at the old Bob's Okazuya on South Vermont, between Artesia and Gardena Blvd.  For my friend to go twice in one week, I knew I had to try it. I have to admit, the menu is a bit confusing, everything is a la carte.  The menu starts off by telling you about the set, but to go with what? The set is an additional $3, which includes miso soup, rice, and @Home Salad, your choice of mixed vegetable tempura, seafood poke, or a 4 pc. sushi roll.  The "@Home Salad" is actually two salads, a dressed green salad with a Japanese potato salad, it's more like a mashed potato salad on top. See What Jay Eats... Grilled Salmon (a la carte $6.60) ordered with the $3...

June is National Seafood Month! Depending who you ask...October is also National Seafood Month. I just go with the flow, it's all about celebrating seafood and it's sustainability for future generations to enjoy. One of the advantages of being in the food industry is the ability to visit places that are "off-limits" to the general public. I'm usually at the fish wholesaler to buy fish, but on this day, I'm just taking pictures. I love local fish... Being in Southern California, we have some great local sardines and spot prawns from Santa Barbara. When I'm in Hawaii, I love ono, opakapaka, mahimahi, and moi. Sardine Southern California Live Spot Prawn Santa Barbara Spanish Mackerel One of my favorite fish... Off to the fish cutting room... A salmon ready to be delivered to a local restaurant as the daily special Tuna being portioned out tuna tartare anyone? How do you know your fish is fresh? 1. The fish should smell like the ocean, fresh fish doesn'...

Happy Mother's Day! As you've read in previous posts, I'm a fan of Bento Man's Japanese fried chicken bento and made it to my "Japanese Lunch Specials in LA" post. I happened to be in the area again and stopped in to try the "Salmon Bento." Salmon Bento The salmon was well cooked with a nice crust and perfectly seasoned. I really wasn't a fan of the other "fried" accompaniments, trust me I loved fried... Fried tofu, fried piece of chicken, and tempura shrimp was a bit much, especially if you are trying to eat healthy by ordering the salmon. Although I'm Japanese American, I still have a hard time eating the root vegetables prepared the traditional way. It's too old skool for me and usually what I avoid in bento boxes. Other than that, everything is well prepared and a deal at $7.25. On the other hand, I really love Bento Man's "Karaage Chicken Bento", Japanese style fried chicken. Maybe this will be what I al...