A.Y.C.E. Buffet

This buffet is located in the Palms, which is convenient if you’re going to be checking out Kaos (or coming from there).

The buffet was only $27, but you definitely get what you pay for. A lot of the food seemed like they’ve been out for a while (ie dry because of being under the lamp heaters for so long). The only two things I like were the coconut shrimp, and the corn. The ribs were terrible, and also the Korean short ribs.

Siam Square Thai Restaurant

We tried out this place after we couldn’t get seated at Le Thai.

I got the Pad Thai with pork from this place. I have to say, it was pretty terrible. Also, the pork was not good quality at all (not sure how it has more than 4 stars in Yelp).

The one thing I will say though is that the soup they served as a free starter was really good.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

Tried a Mocha at this place. And I have to say, it tasted better than Starbucks (apparently there is also two shots of espresso, although I didn’t exactly feel it). The taste is almost like a chocolate milk.

Phillmore Gelato

Great gelato place that I would definitely go back to.

As the name should imply, it is on Fillmore street in Japan town.

I got the hazelnut flavor, which was simply amazing and rich.

I asked the owner what the difference is between ice cream and gelato. Apparently there are 3 differences:

-gelato has less cream, therefore less calories

-the way gelato is churned, there is less air than ice cream , therefore it is more dense

-gelato is served at a higher temperature than ice cream, so when you eat it it is less cold, and you can taste more of the flavor

Daeho

We tried this place during their soft opening, and got one of the only things in the menu, which was the Galbijim.

For the Galbijim, we got the braised short ribs and oxtail (regular size). We had one with spicy level 3, and one with spicy level 1. I only tried the spicy level 1 (which was pretty spicy in itself. Next time I’m may get spicy level 0, or 0.5 if they have it). As sides, we also added glass noodles, vegetables, and rice cakes.

To compliment the meal, we also got regular soju.

For the complimentary side dishes, they only have us 3 types, all which I didn’t care for too much.

Overall, I thought this place was great (loved how sweet the sauce is), even if the main dish was $50 each. Next time though I think I would add extra meat for $10.

FYI, galbi jjim means: the first word is the type of meat, while jjim is the way it is cooked (which is steamed).

Pho Hue Oi

On our way to Joshua Tree, we stopped by this place near LAX.

Of course, as it is a pho place, I didn’t get pho. I got garlic noodles with shrimp, plus a fresh coconut drink. The drink was not alcoholic, but a friend did suggest to add rum (which they night from Vuns while we were waiting for our entrees). Great suggestion 🙂

The Table

So I don’t remember too much of this place (came here after a solid night of drinking at Vince’s place), however, we ordered a couple of small dishes (2 of them are below), plus some champagne (which was $99). I did like the ambience of the place, and would definitely want to come back (I recall they had a restaurant part and a more “bar-ish” part).

Allegro

After a long night of partying, Eric and I went to this place to grab a decent bite to eat.

We ordered a couple of appetizers and old fashioned a, all of which were great. For the apps, we got the meatballs, fries, and a margherita pizza.

Firebird Hotpot

This is a very simple, but fancy and soy hot pot place.

I got the Wagyu beef and pork hot pot, which was great. They also had a full, since they were connected to the hotel.

The one thing they did try and do is they included tip in the receipt even though there was only 3 of us (fortunately Mark caught that).

Fogo de Chao

This Brazilian steakhouse had great food. The only one thing I will complain about is they definitely try to sneak in serving you alcohol (they handed us mimosas, which many people accepted because they thought it was part of the meal). They also handed us jumbo shrimp cocktail, where people also thought it was included.

For the meal itself, most of it was great (can’t remember which one I liked the best). One type of meat we did end up ordering was the dry aged tomahawk, which I remember tasted amazing.

We ended up pairing the dinner with some merlot, which was a great compliment.

Also, the salad bar had a good selection.

Lastly, since it was our birthday, they did give us a complimentary dessert (but definitely doesn’t cancel out all the other non-free things mentioned above).