How They Roll....

Blowfish Sushi To Die For announces a mouth-watering selection of $5 Happy Hour food and beverage offerings Monday thru Friday from 5-7pm. Happy Hour fusion snacks include the popular Soy Garlic Edamame, Chicken Pot Stickers, and custom ordered S.O.S. Maki Rolls. Blowfish is also offering all well drinks, draft beer and five original specialty sake cocktails at this great $5 deal, the Mango Mojito (Sake Mango Puree, Mint and fresh lime) the Peach Nympho (unfiltered Sake with peach puree) the Pomegranate Cocktail (Han Asian Vodka with pomegranate juice and soda) the Asian Bull (Han Asian Vodka with Red Bull) and the X-Rated Cocktail (Han Asian Vodka with x-rated passion fruit, blood orange and mango liqueur and fresh lime juice).

9229 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Phone (310) 877-FUGU (3848) or visit www.blowfishsushi.com.

The Best Deal in Hollywood?

Last weekend I was out in Hollywood and after some cocktails at Memphis we stumbled on this new Mexican place La Cantina Taqueria. Upon further research I discovered that this new spot is from the same folks who brought us L'Scorpion and Element. Open from 11AM till late, La Cantina is offering up the best happy hour in town where all drinks and appetizers are half off -- from an unheard of 2PM to 7PM and 10PM to 2AM! I can never make it to happy hours that start at 5PM or 6PM so I was thrilled. There were like six of us on the heated patio and we had the blue corn taquitos and some tasty guacamole along with vodka sodas, margaritas, Patron, etc. The bill came to under $50.

6541 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.871.1363; lacantinahollywood.com

Grab a WoodSpoon!

I'm having a bit of a moment with Downtown these days. In addition to all the cool lofts, great bars and art scene, there are new restaurants popping up all over the place. A few weeks back I ended up at WoodSpoon, which is just steps from the New Mart. It's a minimalist space with communal dining, cute flowers and some tasty Brazilian fare. I had the grilled chicken sandwich with roasted corn, pancetta and mozzarella, but next time I'm going for the Brazilian Grill (choose from beef, lamb, chicken, fish, veggies or Brazilian sausage), which comes with rice, black beans, collard greens and plantains. Oh yeah and nothing's over $11. Tip: Try the baked yam fries.

107 W 9th St., Downtown, 213-629-1765

Having a Meltdown?

Remember grilled cheese sandwiches like mom used to make when you were a kid? Well these aren't them. At Meltdown Etc. in Culver City, you will find over a dozen freshly prepared sandwiches such as Brie & Apricot on walnut bread, Goat Cheese, Fig & Honey sweet melt and the Classic 3 Cheese (Sharp Cheddar, Muenster and Fontina) on sourdough, at prices ranging from $5.50 to $8.50 per sandwich. Step up to the counter, grab a drink from the cooler and sit at one of the sidewalk tables for people watching.

9739 Culver Blvd., Culver City, 310.838.6359; meltdownetc.com

Hole in The Wall Friday: Sky's Tacos

Let's use the happiest of weekdays to celebrate the other end of the food spectrum: the hole-in-the-wall. You know of what I speak. Sometimes you run to these joints after the infused, pan-seared, foie gras-ed gourmet meal, when you're still hungry but don't want to spend another hundred dollars on sea bass and bottled water. Or sometimes, you're just in the mood for a down-home meal that you can eat with your hands.

I kick-off this series with Sky's Tacos. I am pretty sure that Sky, the proprietress of the creole-influenced eatery, is named so because she has been sent here from the Taco Heavens Above. Sky's isn't technically a hole-in-the-wall, in that they have an A rating and the space is really pretty charming. However, it's simple: no table cloths, no wait staff, but cardboard trays and plastic utensils. When you walk into Sky's, the smell of garlic and butter greets you like a grandmother's embrace: slightly overpowering and then immediately comforting. You order at a window, and often Sky herself is behind the register, smiling sweetly and asking if everything is alright. And at Sky's, everything really is alright.

The shrimp tacos are like plump, buttery, garlicky pillows. Doused in spicy but slighty sweet and velvety (I dare say oily, but in a good way) deep RED salsa, the fillings weigh on the perfectly grilled little corn tortilla in such a way that you either have to devour the taco before it collapses under the weight of heaven, or eat it with a fork (amateurs). There are also crawfish, lobster, salmon, chicken and carne asada variations of the same divinity. Then, there are the carnitas, which I am pretty sure are carved from the pork loin of the heavens. The meat is perfectly salted and tender, and a generous amount will come to you on the same type of perfectly grilled tortilla.

I recommend washing all of this down with Sky's homemade lemonade. It's not your minute maid's lemonade. This is the real thing, and cuts right through all the powerful flavors in order to cleanse your palate so that you can have yet another taco. Because you really should.

Sky's is on Pico. Sky's is so special that I think you should work a little to get the exact address and hours. You're surfing the web at work anyway, so google it. In this manner, you will prove that you are worthy to enter the Taco Heavens Above.

99 Cent Sake Shots!

At Kabuki, the spot that makes sushi affordable for everyday L.A. living, the Bartender's Special menu is worth checking at. On Monday through Thursday from 4pm to 7pm, you can sample $4 appetizers like broiled mussel on half shell and gyoza dumplings alongside $5 premium rolls. What interests me more is the 99 cent sake shots in cherry, mango, peach and raspberry flavors! There are nine locations throughout LA and OC! www.kabukirestaurants.com.

Izaka-Ya...Poor Man's Katsu-ya

In the late 1960s and mid 1970s Ferrari produced a mid-engined rear-drive sports car available with either a 2.4 liter 6 cylinder engine or a 3.0 liter 8 cylinder engine. At the time it was believed by Ferrari executives that the Ferrari name should only be reserved for models with a 12 cylinder engine, so the car was sold under the brand Dino, rather than Ferrari. While the car was lauded by the automotive press and was every bit a Ferrari with respect to its style, performance and handling (many of its parts came from other Ferrari models), since it was produced in relatively high numbers, lacked a "proper" 12 cylinder engine and was less expensive than a Ferrari, to the Ferrari cognoscenti, it was the poor man's Ferrari.



Rolex, known for its high-end wrist watches, attempted a similar move when, in the early 1980s, it re-launched a former brand from its stable, Tudor. In the first several years of the brand's re-launch the watches sold under the Tudor name were almost identical to their Rolex cousins. Such was the case with the venerable Submariner. Rolex, which had been producing and selling the Submariner for many years decided to sell a Submariner under the Tudor name. Both Submariner's had the same bracelet, same case and a very similar dial. The main difference was that the Rolex Submariner used a Rolex movement while the Tudor Submariner used a cheaper but just as reliable ETA movement. This allowed Rolex to sell the Tudor Submariner at a discount to the Rolex Submariner. Even though both Submariners were accurate time keepers, to discriminating horologists using a movement other than a Rolex movement was sacrilege and thus, in such circles, the Tudor brand was known as the poor man's Rolex.

So begets Izaka-ya. While the beautiful people with Swiss banks accounts dine at Katsu-ya in Brentwood (see previous post "Katsu-ya: where excellent food meets beautiful people") the almost beautiful with bank accounts at Washington Mutual can go to Izaka-ya on 3rd Street, which is Beverly Hills adjacent. And instead of dining in the austere post-modern opulence which is Katsu-ya's decor, they can admire a mock telephone pole in the center of the of the restaurant (with wire strung across it), toy guns on one wall, an old time clock on another and a large center table with a rope coiled around it. Some may say it's like dining near a wharf, others a Japanese internment camp, but whatever it is, they won't confuse it with Phillipe Starck.

However, no matter the surroundings, there is no mistake as to Izaka-ya's lineage. Many items on the menu are straight from Katsu-ya such as the tuna and yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno, creamy rock shrimp tempura and crispy rice with spicy tuna. Izaka-ya also has a sushi bar like Katsu-ya. Sadly, there is no robata bar. Apparently such finery as robata cooked meat, seafood or vegetables is reserved only for the Marc Jacobs set, not the Marc by Marc Jacobs crowd. But, Izaka-ya also has many items not served at Katsu-ya like an Asari clam soup (not to be confused with the Asari Miso soup which is also at Katsu-ya) with whole clams boiled in a steamy garlic broth and oyster sunomono (when in season, which it wasn't when I was there).


The Service is similar to Katsu-ya, sometimes good, sometimes a little slow, and it can be just as crowded as Katsu-ya depending on when you show up. Also, don't be surpised to see a celebrity (Dylan McDermott was sitting next to me) as sometimes they like to slum it too.

For the Ferrari and Rolex set Izaka-ya may be a poor man's Katsu-ya, but for me, I'll gladly valet my Dino and flash my Tudor at Izaka-ya.