Jay Eats Worldwide

Is it Fryday again? Since I was running all over the Westside yesterday and didn't have time for lunch, I did make a detour for a couple of Tito's Tacos before heading to the Los Angeles Magazine's "The Island Style Cook-Off" in Santa Monica. For me, Tito's Tacos has been the same for as long as I can remember, especially after baseball games or basketball practices. The only thing that has changed are the prices and the oil. Tito's Tacos with Cheese As many things in life change, some still remain the same. Happy Fryday! Tito's Tacos 11222 Washington Place Culver City, CA 90230 (310) 391-5780 www.titostacos.com Photo by Jay Terauchi (c) Kahuna of the Kitchen

June 28 is National Tapioca Day! I was never really a fan of tapioca pudding growing up, so about 12 years ago when I was introduced to boba and bubble tea, I really wasn't interested in trying it. Since boba was explained to me like a soft gummy bear that has a sweet taste, I gave it a try. Boba Tapioca Pearls Tapioca pearls are make from the starch of the cassava root. When cooked, these pearls become a sweet chewy ball with a gummy bear texture. Tapioca pearls or boba are added to various drinks, such as tea, milk, juice, smoothies, and coffee. Strawberry Mango Iced Green Tea with Boba So today, I'm enjoying National Tapioca Day with boba... Can I Please get a Boba Straw? Photos by Jay Terauchi Jay Eats © Jay Terauchi

Ramen Monday is upon us again! Last week, it was Kakuni Ramen at Ramen Yamadaya and this week is Foo Foo Tei in Haciendia Heights. Thanks to Keizo (www.goramen.com) who tired all 31 varieties of ramen here, I knew they had something very different than the other ramen shops. I've had about 6 different ones here and do have my favorites. Twitter friend Cat (@thedailydish) mentioned to me last night that she wanted an omelet and that's all that I could think of on my way to Foo Foo Tei. I remembered that they had a crab omelet ramen, but couldn't remember the name, until I saw it on the menu. BTW, the ramen is listed on the backside of the menu. Ten-Shin Ramen Foo Foo Tei A hearty meal... #21 Ten-Shin Ramen Crab Omelet Noodle Soup with Gravy Not your typical ramen, but I wanted something different I got here just as they opened for lunch and sat at a table right away. By the time I left, 30 minutes later, there were 11 people waiting. Crab Omelet, Noodles, Flying Fish Roe...

Now this is the way to close out National Seafood Month with some crab and lobster... Being in the industry, I often visit the fish wholesalers to either purchase items or to stay on top of what what's in season. I don't usually don't find crab or lobsters this large for restaurants. Not many people can finish off a 4 lb lobster themselves, but family style, the larger the better. On a recommendation from my friend Danny, we headed to Garden Grove for lobster and crab The Newport Special Crab Sweet and flavorful Lobster with Ginger and Green Onions Order it with noodles Very Good! The seafood was reasonably priced and very tasty, I'll be back. This was a nice way to close out June's National Seafood Month! BTW, not sure why, but August is also National Seafood Month. Go figure... It just gives me more of an opportunity to talk about seafood. Tan Cang Newport Seafood 10541 Bolsa Avenue Garden Grove, CA 92843 (714) 554-3996 www.newportseafoodtancang.com Pass me a...

Dim sum translates something close to "touch the heart" but for me it's tea with breakfast or lunch. Having a variety of different choices is always a favorite of mine, love Spanish Tapas too. The variety of dishes range from steamed, baked, and fried or what I call the major food groups. I'm joking, so please no letters. I usually start with the most popular ones: Shrimp and Pork Sui Mai and Shrimp Ha Gow Sui Mai Shrimp and Pork Steamed Ha Gow Shrimp Steamed Cha Sui Bao Steamed BBQ Pork Buns Another steamed menu item This could be a meal in itself, but I prefer the baked ones... Chinese Broccoli Steamed Yes mom, I had my greens today... Usually served with oyster sauce Sesame Seed Ball Fried Sweet rice with a sweet sesame seed paste inside One of my favorites growing up... They didn't really have a lot of different dishes, but I was happy with today's lunch. Now I'm ready for a nap... Happy Dim Sum Saturday! Photos by Jay Terauchi Kahuna of the Kitchen ...

My dad is visiting me this weekend, actually he's in town to take care of some business. One of our family's favorite places is In-N-Out and I knew he would want one for lunch today. Had to do the In-N-Out thing today It's Aloha Fryday! He's from Hawaii, so it works... A Hamburger, a Double Double, and French Fries That's What a Hamburger's All About! As much as I talk about Fryday...Man cannot live on FRIED alone... Another one of my dad's favorites... Pho Bac Filet Mignon Beef Pho Huynh So ends another Fryday, the last one in June 2011. Aloha Fryday! Photos by Jay Terauchi Kahuna of the Kitchen

It's a different world now...I was talking to a former classmate who's daughter graduates from high school this year. We were talking about starting a new chapter after we graduated. I was telling him that when we were in school, it was all about what we knew. Then in our professional lives, it wasn't what you knew, it was who you knew. Today, it's who thinks they know you, thanks to the Internet. I remember when you could only buy computers from Computerland or Businessland. These retailers only catered to the computer science types and the novices, like me, were out of luck. Apple Store Chicago Ten years ago, Apple would change the way we shopped for computers, it's a different mindset. Rather than sell computers, they sold the Apple brand. Exercise: Go to an Apple Store and play with the macs, iPads, iPods, iPhones, and MacBooks. See how long it takes before they ask you to move along? Apple Store New York City In today's world , companies can't r...

Sushi Chef Institute Open House June 22, 2011 Sushi Chef Institute celebrated the opening of their new location in grand style and I was invited. Andy Matusda, my sensei (teacher) who taught me sushi 11 years ago, welcomed guests to their new home, which happens to be across the street from the American Honda Motor Company headquarters. Lots of Great Sushi Inside Out Vegetable Rolls Spicy Tuna in Soy Paper Andy Matsuda People Magazine Summer 2000 Not just about sushi somen noodles too More Sushi... Tekka Maki (tuna roll) Spicy Tuna in Soy Paper What's a Sushi Event without Nigiri Sushi? Students working the Sushi Bar Tonight's Nigiri Choices: Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail, and Shrimp NEXT! They did a good job with the nigiri... What's a Celebration without Taiko Drums? Sushi Chef Institute 1123 Van Ness Avenue Torrance, CA 90501 (310) 782-8483 www.sushischool.net Congratulations Andy Matsuda and Sushi Chef Institute! Best of Luck in your new home... Pass the Soy Sauce! Photos a...

June 22nd is National Chocolate Eclair Day! I was at the bakery last week and overheard someone say, "What's an eclair? A donut, right?" An eclair is an oblong shaped dough filled pastry filled with cream and topped with icing. It's usually filled with pastry cream, custard, or whipped cream. Regardless of what the filling is, they're good... Chocolate Eclair Happy National Chocolate Eclair Day! Photo by Jay Terauchi Jay Eats Worldwide © Jay Terauchi

It was so good, I had to come back to Ramen Yamadaya on Ramen Monday... My friend Kris was visiting and mentioned that she likes tonkotsu ramen. Our mutual friend Danny suggested Yamadaya, saying they have a good tonkotsu broth. My thinking, I can try the Kakuni Ramen with the slow braised pork belly that I saw 2 weeks ago. The pork was a good size piece and well cooked, all I could think of was BACON... Kakuni Ramen Ramen Yamadaya Torrance See you next Monday... Photo by Jay Terauchi

International Sushi Day! June 18th Not really sure what that means, but it's on the #foodcalendar... Although sushi originated in China in the 3rd Century as a way to preserve fish, the sushi we know today is from Japan. Here's the funny thing, the California Roll, which began the sushi revolution around the world, originated in Los Angeles. So, I guess in Japan the California Roll is International and thus today's celebration. Other than that, that's all I got... Sushi Combo Sushi Dragon Sun Valley I'll celebrate by visiting my friend Tommy at Sushi Dragon. Tommy Kosaka is one of those chefs who visits the fish market every day and selects the very best for his customers. I like Sushi Dragon, it's one of those small neighborhood places that does the old skool way that you don't find anymore. Seems like most places have gone fusion or what I call "confusion" and can't make a decent tempura. Funny how you can find those places around, but ...

June 15th is National Lobster Day! No matter if they're boiled, steamed, grilled, or baked, if you love them, then today is your day to celebrate. Having been up to Maine, love' em with drawn butter and in rolls. Now that's a lobster... Lobster Dynamite Interesting lobster book by Trevor Corson You should read his sushi book too... Pass the Butter! Photos by Jay Terauchi (c) Kahuna of the Kitchen

June 14th is United States Flag Day! and also National Strawberry Shortcake Day! Today commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States. President Woodrow Wilson officially established June 14 as Flag Day. Amazing how I remember trivia from US History class, I better quit while I'm ahead... Today's snack to celebrate Flag Day Red, White, and Blue I have no idea where National Strawberry Shortcake Day originated from? My guess it was a strawberry grower who got together with a baker and voila! Who knows, just enjoy... Where's My Spoon? Photo by Jay Terauchi (c) Kahuna of the Kitchen

June 18th is International Sushi Day! Not sure what that means... Here in Los Angeles, we have two originals that have been a worldwide sensation for over 20 years. Not many people know this, but the California Roll and Spicy Tuna didn't come from Japan, they're native to the Los Angeles area. In the late 60's, the California Roll was created in a restaurant in Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles. The sushi chef at Tokyo Kaikan was brilliant! He took ingredients that Americans would eat (crab, avocado, and cucumber), rolled it with the rice on the outside (hiding the black seaweed) and gave it an American name. This my friend is how the sushi boom began... The Famous California Roll Created by Tokyo Kaikan Los Angeles It would be considered a sin to add ingredients to fresh tuna in Japan. Remember, Japanese food is simple, subtle, and seasonal, and they really don't eat spicy food. Japan is not known for spicy foods, they leave that to China, Korea, Thailand, V...

Ramen Monday! Last week, I was in the South Bay and we had lunch at Ramen Yamadaya (Ramen Monday - June 6th). It was a good place and I'll probably go back there. Ramen Yamadaya's speciality is Tonkotsu based ramen. Tonkotsu Moyashi Ramen Pork based broth with Bean Sprouts Tonkotsu is a rich pork bone broth that has a cloudy white broth. By simmering the pork bones for hours, pulls out flavor and collagen, giving it the rich and creamy look. I probably shouldn't say this, but many restaurants add amounts of cream or butter to enhance the broth. Have to admit, Ramen Yamadaya has a better Tonkotsu broth than what I had today. As I was passing another ramen place, I thought to give it a shot. Karaage Chicken Japanese Fried Chicken This was disappointing, they didn't cut the chicken correctly Not even worth mentioning this place Happy Ramen Monday! Photos by Jay Terauchi