As health-conscious as more and more people are becoming, they might not always find choices readily available to them to match a healthful, balanced lifestyle when they wish to dine out. Those with dietary restrictions who find it difficult to enjoy themselves when going out with friends may balk at the options thrown their way. After all, who wants dinner to consist of only an entree-sized "house salad" doused in Ranch dressing as the vegetarian option?

To bring in a wholesome food choice that is delicious and varied in menu while also being respectful of different dietary needs, Anita Allison and Joulia Kallah put their heads together for years and eventually opened the doors to Green2Go in Brea in 2012. They "took everything Americans love to eat like McDonald's (burgers), Taco Bell (tacos), and more" and made similar dishes in the healthiest, cleanest ways possible. That includes making all sauces in-house as well as ensuring they are organic and gluten-free. We sat down with Anita to learn more and were genuinely pleased at what we were able to taste - real food.

"We try to create the healthiest, most delicious, and cleanest food here. For example, our guacamole is only avocado, salt, pepper, and cilantro."

The menu at Green2Go keeps a regular mainstay of favorites while specials are announced on social media and shared with guests during their orders. This way, the restaurant is able to maintain their clean food options for all of the guests that actually come due to difficulty finding eateries that can cater to their dietary restrictions while also ensuring that if you fell in love with something your first visit, you can find it again when you come back. We spoke to Anita whose favorite dish at the time was their tri-tip so keep your eye out for that one!

One of the first things we noticed when we entered the Brea restaurant was the immense amount of art on the walls and the impressive bar area. Local art is displayed here which gives it a closer connection with the community. The beers are focused on being sourced from local craft breweries, and we were pleasantly surprised to see such a unique variety and even some rare ones on draft. Since Green2Go has a smaller volume, they are able to get one keg at a time of special edition beers so keep that in mind should you want to seek out a release on draft (yep, they are on TapHunter!). If you'd prefer to try a variety, Anita also informed us that they host beer pairing dinners along with the breweries themselves; that's quite the perk you get from working with locals!

Personally, we went with the Ginger Peach Black Tea and Acai Green Tea to whet our throats which were lovely in their own right. If you have more of a liking for coffee, fret not - they do also carry Orange County local, Bodhi Leaf, on nitro!


All the talk of fresh, delicious, and wholesome food had our stomachs grumbling so we had to dive into some plates to get a sense of their fare. The spread of options is varied and should tackle every sort of craving. One of the larger sections was dedicated to their many types of burgers - these housemade burgers are grilled to order with choices of brioche, squaw, or leaf lettuce as the buns. You can opt for their standard stack of organic lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and dill pickle or build your own with four choices from their build-your-own bar. Included is a side choice of a cup of their fingerling potatoes or a tossed house salad. Buns not your thing? You can also throw a patty onto their mac and cheese or turn them into sliders on King's Hawaiian roll buns.

Curious, I needed to try out the House Veggie Burger ($11) in the build-your-own style. With a slather of house Pacific Island dressing, the squaw buns (made of real squaw and molasses) were stacked with the veggie burger patty (red quinoa, white quinoa, fresh vegetables, gluten-free brown rice), roasted Brussels sprouts, sauteed mushrooms, artichoke hearts, roasted asparagus, butter lettuce, and mixed greens. The burger itself is quite popular at Green2Go because the patty doesn't contain "filler" as other vegetarian patties due; this one is also seared in grapeseed oil before being baked in the oven, ensuring a crunchy exterior. I truly enjoyed it and the thick squaw bun which had a hint of sweetness. Because of all of the components built into the patty, the burger was hearty and filling; this is a definite "order again" in my book. If you prefer the meat-based type of burger, you'll be happy to know the beef patties derive from grass-fed beef.

Another community favorite is the selection of tacos. These are made in a slightly different manner. Atop their grilled organic corn tortillas (or leaf lettuce, if you prefer), proteins are stacked on housemade kale slaw tossed in a sesame ginger dressing, housemade guacamole, and fresh pico de gallo. Coming in at $5 apiece, the taco is no small street taco-sized thing but rather, a loaded plate for the appetite. The Chicken Taco ($5) featured roasted chicken that had been shredded and then sauteed with some house pico de gallo. It was moist and flavorful, and the crunchy slaw gave a textural balance to the otherwise tender meat. We thought the dressing was a change of pace for tacos that may be exciting to some or just an indifferent addition.

Just the two of those plates were surprisingly plenty for our stomachs because everything was so nutrient-dense. However, we needed to see the beautiful salads of which there were plenty on the menu as well and opted for the Organic California “Chop Salad” ($13.50 - quinoa. cucumbers. tomatoes. artichokes. Kalamata olives. Feta, G2g vinaigrette, and toasted ciabatta). This comes without being pre-tossed and all of the elements are sectioned off so you can choose what to do with each; I just tossed everything together because every ingredient was enticing to me. Full of freshness and a well-planned mix of vinegary, savory, tart, sweet, etc, this was certainly a salad I could do with every day.


Anita stressed the greatness of their dessert menu so you should take a gander yourself. Green2go makes their own sea salt chocolate chip cookies, grated ginger snap cookies, flourless chocolate cake, and berry cobbler. They also are very favored for their banana bread which can be purchased as muffins or miniature loaves to take home. We tried some bites of their Berry Cobbler which came with a generous scoop of organic vanilla ice cream, and it was over at that point. We couldn't just have a taste; we devoured the entire cobbler, berries, streusel, and all.

As Green2go continues to make wholesome, delicious food, we hope they will reach their goal of expanding out into Irvine. A meal prep service is in the works as well for the restaurant so that their quality food can be out and about during busy periods of their community members' days. If you are interested in visiting, they can be found at 2435 E Imperial Hwy, Brea, CA 92821. With so many options, the restaurant is sure to have something for everyone so bring some friends as well!

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

"My story is too old. I'm 3,000 years old." Chef/Owner Walid Alarja was matter-of-fact when initially prompted about his food's and restaurant's journey. We were seated in the outside patio of D'Vine in downtown Fullerton, a location second to the flagship restaurant in Brea, and eagerly awaited what Mediterranean treasures the impassioned chef had available. Cooking was not a new venture for Chef Walid by any means as he grew up in the restaurant industry; his family has been running two restaurants and a hotel since 1946 in Bethlehem. Trained at the French Culinary Institute in Egypt and then teaching culinary school for 18 years, Walid knows his food, and you can immediately sense that at D'Vine where fresh ingredients and authenticity rule the plates.


We were invited to visit the Fullerton location which is the newer of the two D'Vine restaurants. The space is expansive with a large and comfortable outdoor patio that allows for large parties and potentially even to continue the raucous antics so familiar to downtown Fullerton. Inside, there is an impressive bar that is well-stocked and wall furnishings that play to the Mediterranean look and feel, complete with a faux stone wall. We adored the choice of lanterns and woven chairs, and the inclusion of event spaces in the wings of the building definitely showed how versatile the restaurant could be for any size group. We then asked for more details on the menu itself:

"Americans would call this a Lebanese kitchen but if you know about history, there was no Lebanon, no Israel, no Palestine, no nothing. After 1917, the EU just took a portion of the Middle East and gave them all these names. Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Syria - they almost have the same kitchen which is mainly whatever you had in your garden. What you grow, you eat. Your protein is whatever you grew and it's easily cooked on a grill. This kitchen has no fattening, no preservatives, no nothing. Even the marinades come from olive oil, garlic, and salt - all natural."

Pita chips arrived at the table before anything else to start our appetites on, accompanied by olive oil and za'atar seasoning. Already I knew I would like the place. Our cold mezzato begin were the Hummus ($7 - crushed chickpeas with tahini and lemon juice) and Beet Salad ($7 - red beets, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt), both of which came with a smattering of pickles, olives, and pickled turnip which can be ordered as a full mezza serving for $5 (called Turshi). Easily the smoothest, creamiest hummus I had ever had was on our plate. It didn't even look like hummus because it was so unbelievably smooth. Had I never had true hummus until now? Quite possibly so. D'Vine has their technique down pat. In fact, Chef Walid had some things to say about mainstream hummus as well:

"I try to do authentic food. I visited so many different restaurants when I first came to America and discovered that they Americanized the food to be far away from real food. They use cans and bad ingredients. They use so much tahina and then make hummus with avocados, etc which is no longer hummus. We make ours with 99% chickpeas and touch of tahina, touch of lemon, and touch of salt. That's it. I always say I am homemade. I do everything like I do in my grandma's kitchen."

Take one look at D'Vine's extensive menu, and you'll see that a large majority is dedicated to hot and cold mezza dishes. Typically, we'd just refer to these as appetizers and small plates; some may call it tapas-style. These items dominate the experience, and we were glad to get some tastes of many different dishes. For our hot mezza choices, we did a half order of each of the Cheese Fatayer ($7 - lightly fried dough stuffed with Mediterranean cheeses) and Kubeh ($8 - a fried cracked wheat beef and lamb crust, stuffed with minced beef, onions, pine nuts, and spices), both of which we had never had before.

The pastry dough for the fatayer was beautifully golden and explained to be mainly a simple mixture of oil and flour. This flaky dough was filled up with Nabulsi (a very fresh goat's milk cheese) and Halloumi cheeses with a touch of Mozzarella for moisture. They were pleasantly salty in all the right ways and savory at the same time. The kubeh was quite interesting as well with its savory makeup and balanced texture between crunchy shell and soft filling. Chef Walid suggested a few drops of lemon juice with each bite, and that tip really heightened the taste.

To get some vibrant vegetables into our spread, we had sides of the Turkish Salad ($6 - chopped onions, tomato paste, parsley, and house spices) and Sumac Onions ($6 - sliced onions with sumac, lemon juice, and house spices), both of which were brightly tangy and aptly refreshing palate cleansers.


With all of that, we still had entrees to tackle. D'Vine offers its entrees to include a choice of one cold mezza, rice, and pita bread. For starters, just know right away that their rice is superb and addicting. The Calrose rice mixed with broken vermicelli noodle pieces and cooked in both olive and soy oils has a unique taste and texture that makes anyone go back for more. Had there not been proteins available, I'm sure we would have still ordered some amount of the rice to indulge in.

There were protein options however so Duc opted for the Chicken Kebab ($13 - grilled marinated chunks of chicken breast) which Chef Walid recommended to have with the Mutabel - Baba Ghanoush ($7 - seasoned grilled eggplant with tahini, yogurt, and lemon juice) mezza choice. The chicken chunks seemed to come from a single skewer and were pleasantly plump. They held a nice grilled flavor to them and paired beautifully well with the smoky baba ghanoush.

I chose the Lamb Chop ($15 - grilled marinated lamb chops) paired with Chef Walid's suggestion of Cucumber Yogurt Salad ($7 - chopped cucumbers, fresh mint, and house spices mixed with yogurt) for the cold mezza and was quite happy to see how well it turned out. The lamb was tender and flavorful, rich in its own right and the perfect pairing with the cool cucumber salad. Both entrees also came with D'Vine's famous garlic sauce which was so creamy, it almost seemed improbable to have been made in-house. No wonder people come back for that sauce solely.

Though we had initially been lured in with the idea of authentic Mediterranean food, we stayed for its follow-up on its promise. D'Vine does do it right and well for an fairly inexpensive price point. If you are looking for the real deal, visit their Fullerton location at 132 W. Commonwealth Ave, Fullerton, CA 92832 or Brea at 955 E. Birch St, Brea, CA 92821. We don't think you'll be disappointed, and it's certainly time for Orange County to know more about this gem of a restaurant.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

What would you do if you had 25 acres of land to use in Orange County? Would you build up some houses and start diving into real estate? Would you start farming livestock and tending to the earth-planted crops you started? You could make quite the contribution to the local agriculture and community by doing so.

However, if you were really innovative, you could think outside of the box and do what the pioneering Chef Adam Navidi did. He built up Future Foods Farms in Brea as one of the largest aquaponic operations in the entire state. Though the produce harvested from the farm's greenhouses is used for commercial purposes in restaurants and catering, the intent behind this system of growing food is not for profit. Rather, Navidi is rapidly growing these organic crops using methods he has developed with the goal of helping make agriculture more sustainable and ubiquitous to the world. He wants to help fight hunger all over. We had to learn more about how his systems work towards that goal of eliminating starvation.

A mighty congratulations to Green Tomato Grill on the opening of their second location! We have really enjoyed all of the times we've popped into the original restaurant in Orange because it is guaranteed that a healthful, wholesome meal will be had that is also price-conscious and tasty. I'd have to say that it's a reason to look forward to having service done on my car because GTG is so nearby; I just have to stop in! When we had last talked to Chef Kyle Markt about the restaurant's plans, he hinted at there being a second location in the plans (and maybe even more!) but only now can Orange County get that blessing. The opening of a Brea Green Tomato Grill is definitely a great addition to the area, and when we went over to visit upon invitation, we were happy to see that while some things have changed, the deliciousness of the food hadn't!

With barely a year under its belt, Lillie's Q in downtown Brea launched a Southern brunch September 20th to take place every Sunday from 10AM-2PM, and they are no stranger to Southern hospitality. The boastful buffet comes with mimosas, endless amounts of food including their signature smoked meats, and an easy-to-swallow price tag: $24.99 per adult. There is also a short order menu on hand in case you want the chefs to whip you up something wonderful from their brunch list as well as specialty drinks for an extra charge. Started by Chef Charlie McKenna, Lillie's Q has a national reputation along with the chef so it was big news for Orange County when the restaurant opened a southern California location right here in Brea. Now with brunch on its rotation, we're guessing many more people will flock to it because that is an important mealtime around these parts. If the smoked meats and Southern dishes don't pull you in, think of the other goodies in store. We stopped in upon invitation one morning to indulge ourselves and take a look at what Chef de Cuisine Kody Havener had in store for brunch that day.

Restaurants updating their menus every season has become a regular occurrence these days as many start to focus on seasonal ingredients and giving their customers a change of pace every few months. However, how many do you know of change their menu every single week? Apparently, that is the case over at Tempo Urban Kitchen in Brea. Opened in late 2014 by veteran restaurateur Jorge Cueva, Tempo is a passion project that allows culinary landscapes to be explored. The menu has a heavy Mexican influence (appropriate for the region) but still manages to touch on a variety of cuisines in one go. So much experimentation makes a restaurant privy to successes and failures; we visited upon invitation to see what flavors could be cooked up then and what keeps the customers currently happy.

If there is one thing I miss from my fooding time in North Carolina when I was there for school, it is legitimate Southern barbecue. This area of cuisine is highly lacking in Orange County so upon first news of Lillie's Q coming to the community, I was ecstatic to see just how exactly it would be done. News came much earlier than the building and restaurant opening did but that only built up the anticipation. The powerful team of Joe Manzella (whom you may know as TAPS Fish House & Brewery owner) and Executive Chef Charlie McKenna planned to rock the OC world with authentic barbecue, and when the time came to open, Lillie's Q hosted a media tasting event much to our joy. Upon first bite of the actual barbecue, I was sold; this was what we needed to expose people to the beauties of legitimate Southern tender, juicy, and lovable barbecue.

[Giveaway is now over - thanks for participating!] When you think back to your childhood, what are some of the most iconic dishes that come to mind? Is Kraft's Blue Box mac-n-cheese one of them? I remember the radioactively orange powder that got dumped into saucepans when we would beg not to eat Asian food on the weekends (on the rare, rare occasion my mother would allow it) and how it wouldn't dissolve completely sometimes, leaving a gritty texture with each forkful. As I grew up, mac-n-cheese did too to the school cafeteria version that was with softer pasta to the casual restaurant or buffet version that was slightly watery but felt more wholesome. Then I entered a world that understood the toasty, baked crust of a mac-n-cheese that contained sumptuous, umami-laden ingredients and showcased strings of oozy, melting cheese. No going back save for nostalgia's sake!

So what to do now when you just want that goodness without having to also order an entree (since it's usually a side order)? Enter Elbows Mac 'n' Cheese. The success of their Cerritos location led to their second spot in downtown Brea, guaranteed to garner attention. Created to "blend classic American home cooking with gourmet international inspiration," the restaurant is focused on more mac-n-cheese variations than you could imagine (though they do serve salads and sandwiches too). It reminded me of the mac-n-cheese spot I visited in St. Louis but with a simpler feel and more homestyle inspirations. We were invited in one afternoon to indulge a little and boy, did we!

If you're going to call it a "Brunch Extravaganza," you better deliver. I must say though, that TAPS Fish House & Brewery in Brea really did. There is no shroud over how excited the restaurant is for their brunch every Sunday nor can you find any shortcuts taken. If you plan on trying out the TAPS brunch, you best come with a large appetite because their buffet-style approach to the weekend ritual will have people rolling out of the restaurant, literally. When we visited and got to talk to General Manager Kerri La Torre, it became even more apparent how TAPS is able to achieve the level of brunch success it has - La Torre has had years of restaurant experience in Las Vegas and seen her fair share of lavish buffets throughout her career. The result? A feast for eyes and stomachs right in the heart of downtown Brea - try it if you dare.

110 W Birch St, Brea, CA 92820
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Mexican, Latin American
www.chachaslatinkitchen.com

The last time I went to Cha Cha's was during OC Restaurant Week back in February, and I admit that I was not too impressed with what I got. A lot of the food seemed on the salty side which surely is not appealing but when you see and hear recent praise from other people, you have to wonder if maybe something had changed. We snagged lunch here after some adventures of making margaritas at the bar (thanks to Ajenda PR for the hook-ups!) and actually quite enjoyed what we got to eat! Luckily with four people at the table, there was plenty to taste.


What I didn't know is that they have nine or more different kinds of salsa made in house. Though the complimentary chips at the beginning of every meal are accompanied by red and green salsas (about which there seems to be a fierce rivalry by Cha Cha regulars), you can actually request some of their other ones to have. Co-owner Peter said that his favorites were the habanero-infused versions of these traditional red and green so we tried both of those; there was definitely a harder kick from these that made us want to have these next time instead of the standard version. We also gave their smoked chipotle and pineapple ones a try - delish too. I'd have to say the smoked chipotle was my favorite purely because of that smoked flavor whereas Duc favored the pineapple due to his undying love for the fruit. Next time you're in, ask what salsas you could have with your chips!


Onto the appetizers! We did not hold back one bit! Guacamole (7.95 - Haas avocado, Serrano chile, fresh lime juice; served with chips & fire roasted tomato & tomatillo salsa), "Wood-Fired" Queso Fundido (7.95 - traditional "cazuela" baked cheeses over roasted potato, poblano peppers), Shrimp Ceviche (11.95 - marinated in fresh orange & lime juices, Serrano chile, red onion, and Haas avocado served with corn chips), and Fresh Manila Clams (9.95 - sauteed with garlic, Spanish chorizo, fresh herbs, and white wine with a touch of butter) were not safe from my mouths. The guacamole was pleasantly chunky with some zip from the Serrano. The queso was absolutely fantastic with chips and that was probably helped by the potato used which is something you don't typically see with such a dish. We enjoyed that the ceviche was not too sour as they sometimes get but because we were so focused on the queso, this didn't get finished. When it doesn't get finished though, I'd advise you don't take it home because it goes bad a bit quickly (it's ceviche after all!). The clam was delish too but that as well as the next dish may have been a tad too salty for my taste. Fresh Seafood "Caldo" (20.95 - Mahi Mahi, shrimp, clams, and squid simmered in saffron-tomato broth with herbs and toasted angel hair) was the non-appetizer order that came out about the same time as the appetizers so I included it in the paneling of pictures. There was certainly plenty of seafood in this dish and the angel hair was a nice touch but ultimately, it was salty and unmanageable wholly. It came with some delicious rolled flour tortillas though!


We had some pretty big entrees to tackle afterward - "Wood-Oven" Carnitas (17.95 - slow braised, marinated pork with achiote onion, fresh salsas, black beans, rice and corn tortillas), Fresh Grilled Salmon (18.95 - chipotle-honey glazed on a bed of roasted potatoes, fresh corn, and pasilla chilis), and Carne Asada (19.95 - grilled, marinated skirt steak with roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, poblano peppers and fresh chimichurri). The carnitas were very tender and captured the onion essence well but the best part may have been the slight crisp to the edges as if cooked in an open fire. The salmon struck me as being odd from how sweet the entire glaze was though Duc seemed to take a liking to it. The carne asada was a lovely texture being juicy and charred in the right spots.


We couldn't skip desserts, and we somehow ended up with the same desserts I had last time I was there. The verdict is pretty much the same as before though where I preferred the Flan over their Banana Taquitos. I suppose that's a good sign then that the flan is a delight - when I enjoy it both times. Their flan doesn't cross the threshold of being too sweet but maintains a creamy richness achieved by the sheer amount of amazing vanilla bean in it. The taquitoes are a creative way to approach dessert and to bake bananas somehow but they still came off dry to me with only the ice cream to make it better. All in all though, it was a fairly good meal and pleased everyone dining!

Photography by Duc Duong.

I am so grateful that I've been able to get involved with Yelp so much more in the past few months. Just under a full year of Elite status (but, teehee, I have two badges due to coming in late in 2012), I've been to some great events, and it's always interesting when the Elite only events pop up. This time around, we were treated to an eight course tasting at Yori Modern Japanese Cuisine, a restaurant in Brea right at the Imperial Highway exit off the 57. The place had only been open two or so weeks so we were quite lucky to be given this opportunity, especially for a new business. To my surprise, the whole place was closed for us. What a treat.


The check-in was quick, and we all got our name tags stuck on properly before being assigned seating. I really liked this aspect that Ryan incorporated because it made us all make new friends! Cheers to my table of whom I only really knew one person. I think that was generally the case for all of the tables. Good company is a big part of what makes a dining experience good. Once everyone had settled, we were introduced to the owner and chefs who welcomed us wholeheartedly before diving straight into getting all of the food ready for all of the hungry Yelpers. We noshed on edamame as we waited and played with the Yelp swag on the tables.


The first out was a colorful and bright plate of their Mango Ceviche (tuna, salmon, shrimp, snapper, mango, avocado with Japanese mustard sauce and sesame sauce). The presentation was absolutely beautiful but I'm sure I had a bit of a perplexed look on my face. It really wasn't what I was expecting when I read "ceviche," especially because the fish was on the border of the plates. Also, I didn't quite catch the shrimp or snapper in my bites. I thought the sauce was fantastic albeit heavier than expected of ceviche (creamier than I would have liked) but the fish was a bit disappointing. Usually with sashimi, the fish is at least cool if not cold; I attributed it to the sheer amount of people they needed to feed at the exact same time. I hope that the fish is colder during normal business hours! Then we had the Shrimp Dumpling with Cream Sauce (fried wonton stuffed with cream cheese, crab, shrimp, and pineapple with cream sauce), another saucy dish that was again, tasty in terms of sauce but too heavy-handed. I really enjoyed the stuffing in each fried dumpling as the crab was plentiful.


Surprisingly in all of this, my favorite was probably the Grilled Asparagus (with fried runny egg, garlic chips, and Parmesan cheese). What can I say? I like the simple dishes that really let their ingredients' core flavor profiles shine through. With the asparagus, there was a potential threat of being covered up by the runny egg yolk but ultimately, it was good asparagus through and through. The garlic chips added a fantastic crunch to the spears. In contrast to that potentially healthful dish, we received the HeartAttack (cream cheese, crab meat, spicy tuna, and jalapeno on the inside all deep-fried with spicy crab meat and spicy lobster on top) next. The name alone instilled fear but that was easily trumped by the wide eyes we gave when the sauce-laden roll was placed down in front of us all. I have to give it to Yori - they sure know their sauces! The spiciness on this was just perfect, and the morsels of spicy crab and lobster quite delightful. However, cream cheese + cream-based sauce + spicy food just ultimately screams beware. A name befitting the probably result of eating this, the Heartattack was not a small plate to be trifled with, and I'm glad I only had one piece.


Fortunately, our next two dishes following the HeartAttack were more health-conscious, sort of. The Udon Salad came out in a large family-style bowl piled high with fresh vegetables. I wasn't even able to spot the noodles until I stirred it up a bit, hence the second picture. Again, fantastic sauce but boy was it saucy! I'm not sure a salad brings to mind a sauce-heavy dish to anyone. The chewy noodles were not just slick with the stuff but practically donned an outer coat of it. I thoroughly enjoyed the doneness and texture of the noodles themselves but could have done with less "dressing" in this salad. Next came their Tofu Burger, a gorgeous plating of two slider-sized portions that cleverly used fried tofu as the buns instead of patty. These were sliced into sharing sizes (though oddly, the fresh avocado wasn't which produced a messy sharing situation at our table) so we could each evaluate our own bites. With plenty of shelled edamame scattered on the plate and a filling of stir-fried vegetables (and MUSHROOM!), the options were healthful. However, I think it was a little too bland and could have done with either more seasoning on the tofu or salt in general. We can still be health-conscious but not skimp on some important details.


It seemed like we were ready to quit at the table but more was coming, including the stacked Seafoodyaki Roll (inside was avocado, cucumber, and crab meat while outside was stir-fry green mussel, shrimp, scallop, and calamari). It's certainly not a dish for the non-adventurous eater! Piled high with goodies on the outside, this was similar to a California roll in base and a seafood stir-fry on the outside. We all found it, once again, saucy. I felt like there were too many toppings for a group to share because inevitably, you don't quite get every piece type with your portion. However, what I had of the outside was pretty great. Lastly, a large plate of their Cod Misoyaki with Spicy Risotto came out. Using pearl barley instead of arborio, the chef had decided to put a spin on the risotto. What did it do? Well it certainly made the dish chewier and stickier in good risotto fashion. On the technique of it, the dish was great even with the substitute. However, risotto in a Japanese restaurant? It doesn't seem like an expected or good idea, especially if it's going to be spicy sweet. The cod itself was brilliant - flaky and fried to a nice crunchiness - but the miss came from the risotto having confusing flavor profiles.


Throughout the night, we had excellent service, and I certainly thank them for everything that they did for us. Thank you to the owners for having us and to Ryan for throwing together a fun Elite event. The event itself flowed quite well from start to finish, but I think that the food needs a little bit more work. Of course, when your restaurant is completely full and every table needs the same food at the same time, it does stress things a little more. I'll give them another shot after they've worked out the kinks in their new-business stage, especially since they handed out some coupon cards to those of us there. I'll have to drag other people with too huh? Anyhow, congratulations on the opening, and I hope that you all got good feedback from the Yelpers! Long story short, lay off the sauce a little and let the base/main ingredients do what they do best: show themselves off.

Photography by Minerva Thai. More photos are available on Facebook.