Trying New Restaurants

As previously mentioned, one of the ways that me 3/8 Life Crisis is manifesting is me mandating that we try one new restaurant a week.  Since I have a frequently updated post keeping track of my reading, I figured I'd start one for the food as well.

The Bun Shop

Little bao fusion joint in Korea Town.  Oh. My. God. Those Kalbi buns.  10/10 would eat those forever.

Tokyo Guild

Very hip joint in Culver City that will sell you decent ramen and $4 tiny glass bottles of diet coke.  Felt like there was more energy spent on the vibe than on the food, though.

Little Fatty

Asian fusion restaurant on the west side that was "okay".  It came highly recommended so I was kinda bummed.

Daikokuya

One of the many ramen joints on Sawtelle.  Pretty good ramen with a visually rad interior.

Marugame (August 17 or 18, 2019)

Sort-of cafeteria style udon place, also on Sawtelle.  Lots of options, ability to eat really cheaply if you don't go overboard on the tempura add-ons.  Fun interior.  I've gone back several times with co-workers--we're big fans!

Q Smokehouse (August 25, 2019)

Acceptable but expensive BBQ in Long Beach.  An example of how these tries aren't always going to be winners.

Roc (August 31, 2019)

I was reminded of the existence of soup dumplings so we went to find some.  Just okay overall.  Also not really a winner.

Samosa House (September 7, 2019)

Recommended by a Try Guys video, this is a vegetarian Indian place in Culver City.  I've never properly tried Indian food, so we got a little of a lot of things and enjoyed pretty much all of it.  The jackfruit was wild.

Bon Vivant (September 14, 2019)

Also recommended by a Try Guys video.  Cheeseboard was a tad expensive but entirely worth it in the end.  Chatted with the cheesemonger (who'd been in the video) and purchased some cheese to take home.

Badmaash (September 22, 2019)

Also also recommended by a Try Guys video.  There's a trend.  Did not dig the music (loudly played and VERY repetitively explicit hip hop/rap--there's only so many times you can hear certain slurs in a 20 minute period and remain comfortable--odd choice for a place that did have families wandering in and out).  The poutine was pretty freaking good, and the little fish fry dish is really what has me tempted back despite all else.

The Freezin' Point (September 29, 2019)

Rando rolled ice cream joint near the movie theater we went to that day.  Ultimately pretty tasty, but still kinda feels like a way to talk me into buying less ice cream for more money.

Sugarfish (October 6, 2019)

Very fancy sushi joint in Santa Monica that I'd been hearing about for ages.  Did variations on the Trust Me menu, where they bring you a selection of things they picked out.  Quality of fish was very high, quantity not so much.  I think I personally like my quality:quantity ratio to be a little closer than that, given the price, but it was certainly a worthwhile experience.