Elite in Monterey Park is one of the premium dim sum restaurants in San Gabriel Valley. This place doesn't have food carts, ordering is done from paper menu cards. Though there are more than 100 different things on the menu, the most recommended dishes of this place are its BBQ pork pastry, steamed taro cake, golden cream bun, crispy shrimp rice noodle and pork shumai. Elite's pork shumai is juicy, flavorful, and generous in portion size. The quality of the food remains consistent and reliable in this high-end restaurant year after year but the waiting time is often a little long.
A visit to San Diego is not complete without ocean view dining and brunch and luckily, JRDN offers both. Located in Pacific Beach, this restaurant offers stunning beach views and a perfect spot for people watching. The restaurant serves contemporary California cuisine and its brunch menu has enough variety to satisfy both those seeking breakfast or lunch. Not to be missed is their sticky bun: a giant gooey fluffy breakfast bun topped with either maple bacon or cheesecake bites that are big enough for sharing.
With an award-winning ramen master from Japan at the helms, Menya Ultra is serving some of the best tonkotsu ramen outside of Japan. Once inside, you feel like you've stepped into a ramen shop in Japan. Overly polite and friendly servers and staff greet you right away and you can witness the ramen being cooked firsthand as you wait for your food. The restaurant wait times are often 1+ hours, but the freshly made noodles bathing in a bowl of rich, creamy tonkotsu broth are worth the wait. They are most known for their tonkotsu ramen but if it's available, I highly recommend the limited edition Neg Mison Ramen.
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Bostwick's Chowder House offers the true Hamptons summertime dining experience. And if paper plates and a sometimes hour-long wait aren’t issues, the popular East Hampton spot has some of the area’s best seafood. Dine indoors among its seaside-inspired decor, outdoors on the casual patio with market umbrellas or order to go and enjoy your meal at home or the beach. Daily blackboard specials showcase the freshest catch from local fishermen, while menu options range from steamer and fried oysters with remoulade sauce to broiled local flounder, fish tacos, corn chowder, New England-style clam chowder, whole steamed lobsters and their famous lobster salad roll: a mildly seasoned production that packs plenty of lobster meat and butter.
Glass doors and walls afford a spectacular ocean view at this Montauk offshoot of the New York Italian restaurant first launched in New York’s Meatpacking District. The restaurant’s name is derived from the Italian expression “fare la scarpetta,” the pleasure of savoring a meal to its last bite. Fans pack the airy dining room and patio for sophisticated Italian fare. A crudo menu includes options like local fluke with roasted sunchokes, citrus and black salt. Popular pasta choices include short rib and bone marrow agnolotti and the restaurant’s famed spaghetti with tomato sauce. Entrée selections run the gamut from seared scallops with corn, tomatoes and morel mushrooms to lavender-glazed duck on fennel and potato puree topped with caramelized peaches and citrus.
One of the most picturesque spots on the East End, this waterfront place was updated when billionaire Marc Rowan took over in 2016. But the iconic 1,400-square-foot lobster deck, and the auxiliary buildings to run the wholesale lobster and ice operation remain. Most dishes, like a full clam bake, lobster Cobb salad and market fish, are served family-style. Fans rave about the lobster rolls, fresh catch and spectacular sunsets on the deck overlooking Fort Pond Bay. The BYOB landmark is seriously casual. Order at the counter. Cash only.
This little unassuming eatery in a strip mall located in Little Arabia has been around for decades. Inside, you'll find all sorts of wonderful baked goods including the array of manaeesh (flat bread) on offer. Favorites include labneh & zaatar, sujuk & cheese, and kafta. There are also traditional pizzas for the kids and baklava.
One of the best restaurants in OC right now, Journeyman's is a fine dining restaurant in a relaxed setting. Zach Geerson is a young chef who is not only talented but oh so creative. Mary's Organic Duck is only one of the dishes he offers from the spectacular prix fixe tasting menu which he offers each night. The beautifully executed duck is paired with blackberry and parmagiano and served with a drizzle of sauce at the table.
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Pickled Monk is a gastropub. It offers a huge array of beers, cocktails, paired with a creative menu which is a mix of heavier dishes meant to soak up the alcohol. It is hard to find good fish and chips in Orange County, but at Pickled Monk, it's as good as it gets. The fish is coated in a batter mixed with beer from one of the many taps at the restaurant. Flaky fish encased in a crispy golden cover that is as perfect as it gets.
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Tipped to be country chicken cooked in Chettinad style, these chicken pieces are tender and coated with so many layers of flavor which makes your mouth sing. There is a little heat, but not overpowering. Each morsel of chicken is coated with an exceptionally tasty sauce with hints of coriander.
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