Jay Eats Worldwide

I grew up eating chop suey, egg foo young, and bbq pork.  There aren't too many old skool places that serve this kind of food anymore.  I've passed this place many times and one night on my way home decided to stop in, saw a lot of people eating here, wanted to try their won ton soup. See What Jay Eats at Chinese Garden Restaurant Wor Won Ton Mein $8.50 Won tons, noodles, vegetables, bbq pork, and shrimp It was just OK I came back for the Lunch Specials, which I love at these old skool places. Lunch Specials Tuesday to Saturday 11:30 am to 3 pm   Crispy Nooldes with Egg Flower Soup (part of this lunch special)  Shrimp with Lobster Sauce and rice with an egg roll. $7.50 (including the egg drop soup, tea, and fortune cookie) Not a bad lunch deal for $7.50 and it brought back memories. Wasn't a fan of the egg roll tho, was more like a brick filled with meat. They have 20 different lunch specials

I was watching one of Anthony Bourdain's Japan episodes the other night, he and Chef Morimoto were eating soba at a well-known soba restaurant in Tokyo.  It's been awhile since I've had good soba, not many soba places make their own noodles.  It's hard to explain how good soba is if you haven't had a fresh noodles. I stopped in my favorite soba shop, Otafuku in Gardena.   I was introduced to this noodle shop about 14 years ago, when their menu didn't have a lot of English descriptions and I usually ordered blind.  Today is a different story, the dining room has expanded into the next store front and the menu now has English descriptions and some pictures.  Regardless, the noodles are made fresh each day and they know how to cook them.  For me, the perfect noodle is cooked al dente. Otafuku is hidden behind a plain store front with a nondescript sign.  Most of the regulars know that they have a small parking lot and entrance in the back of the building

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