I just came back from a fabulous weekend in San Diego with some of my friends. We went down there for the weekend to celebrate my friend Dee Dee's bachelorette party and one thing she really wanted to do was go to Jimmy Loves in the Gaslamp District. I know now why she wanted to go there. Not only was it a pretty decent place for dinner, but it became a really fun place to be at night.
Now mind you, we decided to have a bunch of appetizers and not really pick things from the true dinner menu. I decided to get the shrimp quesadilla which was really yummy! It came with salsa fresca and salsa verde on the side... the verde being one of my favorites. Others in our group ordered the chicken quesadilla, sliders, artichoke dip, chicken lettuce wraps, coconut shrimp, etc. I would recommend trying to go during happy hour so you can order these appetizers at half price (ends at 7pm I believe).
The drinks were average. Expensive and small as usual when you are downtown. Specialty cocktails are around $12 each... not too surprising for me. Our waitress rocked though (her name was Cyn) and she kept the drinks flowing the entire night. At one point she even gave us free drinks since our order was taking so long! If she's working when you visit, make sure to sit in her serving area since she is so awesome!
Do you have a favorite bar you like to go to? A penny for your thoughts?
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Gatten Sushi - Cerritos, CA
If you've ever been to newly renovated shopping center across from the Cerritos Mall, you've probably noticed Gatten Sushi. Let's just say it's hard to ignore sushi moving around a restaurant via conveyor belts... or maybe it's just me since I suffer from SOS... otherwise known as Shiny Object Syndrome. :) I have been to one other place similar to this one, located in Tustin where the 5 and 55 freeways meet, but it has been a while since I've been there. Here are my thoughts on Gatten Sushi:
*It's not the best quality sushi I've ever eaten. Does this mean I wouldn't go back? Actually, it was good enough and the prices were decent enough that I would go back again. Some of the sushi chefs are not even asian, but they do have a lot of spunk and spirit there. It's one of those places where every gets greeted when you enter and you get a friendly thank you and goodbye when you leave. And it's not that the food doesn't taste good, but part of good sushi making is presentation and how well the rolls or individual pieces stay together.
*Yellow plates are $2 each while red plates are $3 each. We didn't end up grabbing too many red plates... not because of price, but more because we didn't necessarily want what was on them. I think our red plates consisted of the edamame and another with shrimp tempura. Awesome pricing and of course we had to finish off the meal with some green tea ice cream. Note to all: I wouldn't recommend the green tea cheesecake. It sounds more exotic/appealing than it actually is. Not worth the $3.
*It's crowded on the weekends. Try eating here on a weekday if you can to avoid the waiting to be seated plus the parking is sometimes difficult due to the nearby Lucille's BBQ. There is parking in the back of this complex, but even then it can get a little hectic driving in this area.
Have you been to a good sushi place? A penny for your thoughts?
*It's not the best quality sushi I've ever eaten. Does this mean I wouldn't go back? Actually, it was good enough and the prices were decent enough that I would go back again. Some of the sushi chefs are not even asian, but they do have a lot of spunk and spirit there. It's one of those places where every gets greeted when you enter and you get a friendly thank you and goodbye when you leave. And it's not that the food doesn't taste good, but part of good sushi making is presentation and how well the rolls or individual pieces stay together.
*Yellow plates are $2 each while red plates are $3 each. We didn't end up grabbing too many red plates... not because of price, but more because we didn't necessarily want what was on them. I think our red plates consisted of the edamame and another with shrimp tempura. Awesome pricing and of course we had to finish off the meal with some green tea ice cream. Note to all: I wouldn't recommend the green tea cheesecake. It sounds more exotic/appealing than it actually is. Not worth the $3.
*It's crowded on the weekends. Try eating here on a weekday if you can to avoid the waiting to be seated plus the parking is sometimes difficult due to the nearby Lucille's BBQ. There is parking in the back of this complex, but even then it can get a little hectic driving in this area.
Have you been to a good sushi place? A penny for your thoughts?
King Kong Experience - Universal Studios in Hollywood, CA
The newly added King Kong experience has been part of the Tram Tour at Universal Studios in Hollywood since last summer and I must say that I have mixed reviews about it replacing the old Kong experience. I had the pleasure of experiencing it one day before it opened to the public and I had to ride it twice to make sure I was able to process everything that was going on during that portion of the tour. It also allowed me to figure out where the best seating is since we all know that seating totally matters when it comes to the tram tour. Here are some of my thoughts about this updated version on the famous giant gorilla:
*Try to sit in either the 2nd or 3rd tram car for the best seating possible. If you're in the 1st or 4th car you tend to see the curves in the screens and miss quite a bit of the action. I don't think I have a preference between the right side or the left side... they both have different experiences so try them both if you want to ride multiple times.
*I miss the old Kong. There was something nostalgic about having a huge animatronic with banana breath that you felt was real (well, at least as a kid he felt pretty real). I'm not trying to knock Peter Jackson's creation, but it just makes the experience feel so computerized that I guess I was expecting something completely different.
*Be prepared for those lovely pop out in your face 3D moments and of course some water effects. We seem to be living in a generation of those types of moments where sometimes it feels a little cheesy and not necessary. If you liked Jackson's version of the movie, you will most likely enjoy this.
If you haven't experienced this yet and want to take a look, check out my video on YouTube listed as "Universal Studios King Kong 360 3D Video"
If you have experienced it, what did you think? A penny for your thoughts?
*Try to sit in either the 2nd or 3rd tram car for the best seating possible. If you're in the 1st or 4th car you tend to see the curves in the screens and miss quite a bit of the action. I don't think I have a preference between the right side or the left side... they both have different experiences so try them both if you want to ride multiple times.
*I miss the old Kong. There was something nostalgic about having a huge animatronic with banana breath that you felt was real (well, at least as a kid he felt pretty real). I'm not trying to knock Peter Jackson's creation, but it just makes the experience feel so computerized that I guess I was expecting something completely different.
*Be prepared for those lovely pop out in your face 3D moments and of course some water effects. We seem to be living in a generation of those types of moments where sometimes it feels a little cheesy and not necessary. If you liked Jackson's version of the movie, you will most likely enjoy this.
If you haven't experienced this yet and want to take a look, check out my video on YouTube listed as "Universal Studios King Kong 360 3D Video"
If you have experienced it, what did you think? A penny for your thoughts?
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