A PEEK INTO CITYNITZ'S SENTIMENTS

If I had to pick one restaurant during my latest trip to San Francisco and attempt to salvage my credibility as a foodie, San Tung would have to be the one. Known for their famous dry, fried chicken wings, this is an absolute “must have” if not, the only dish to order. Granted, I've only been to this place one other time, which was during my high school years, I was somewhat hesitant about their quality and ownership status. However, unlike many notorious places in the San Gabriel Valley, you can expect for most restaurants in the Bay Area to be thriving and under the same ownership. So, on a cloudy and cool afternoon, we trekked over to this restaurant that appeared to be no different than other restaurants that surrounded it. Although at 3pm this place was packed, we were lucky enough to snag the last open table in the back. What we ordered: Dry Fried Chicken Wings: There are two variations to choose from (wet and dry) and I hesitated for a moment as to which one it was I had...

Ok, so let's be honest, I've definitely had my fair share of misses when choosing new restaurants to try in LA. Unfortunately, I like to drag some of my closest buddies with me to "try" these new potential hidden gems. The result? Complete and utter distrust in my taste of food. I just call it bad luck? So to redeem myself I'm doing an all out food crawl for the weekend of Labor Day in my hood : NorCal. Yes, ladies and gents I will be back home during that weekend and on a quest to prove that my credibility should most definitely be upped! Fellow foodie Kungfoodpanda who has probably endured most of these mishap trips will be along for the ride. These places are spots that are a must go whenever I'm back in town, so not necessarily the most well known. Just favorite places I sometimes use to gage against LA restaurants. For example, a place that puts Savoy's chicken to shame, Brazilian food served in a hut, and the best egg tarts I've had (not the col...

I was recently introduced to LA Mill in Silverlake and I literally felt like I've been living under a rock for the past two years in Los Angeles. I hate Starbucks, well....maybe "hate" is too strong of a word, but I most definitely dislike them. Any given time you go to Starbucks you're met with crowds, a long wait and finally leaving with an over sweetened drink that is bound to result in a root canal in the near future (hence why I rarely even bother with their coffee). Forget even trying to get any work done here because with kids screaming, eyesight buzzing due to lack of lighting, and of course the need to nearly come off as a creepy stalker to get a table that is less than the the size of a large pizza. Yeah, no thank you! Upon entering LA Mill, I knew I would love this place. With its modern chic decor from the light turquoise chairs paired with white counter tops and the gold chandelier at the center of the room, all I could think of was "Wow" and ...

Although my high school prom was one of the most memorable nights of my life, the first Blogger Prom 2009 held at the legendary Andaz Hotel on the Sunset strip in West Hollywood without a doubt far exceeded my expectations. The venue was to die for, with views of all of Los Angeles, this place was absolutely breathtaking with it's view during the early and late part of the evening. This hotel had just completed a $35 million remodel and they did good. Along with it's poshness this hotel housed many stars. Namely, members of Led Zeppelin rented entire floors and had driven motorcycles through the hallways (the movie Almost Famous also recreated these scenes here), Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones dropped a TV off the balcony and Jim Morrison permanently lived here for years as well. What would an event be without food? There was plenty to go around at the several stations and I amazingly left completely and utterly stuffed. Items Served at Hot Food Station w/ chef ...

On a recent trip down to OC, I couldn't help but stop by the Kyusyu & Okinawa Fair that was taking place at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Costa Mesa. From what I hear the Torrence location had much more food, including the special "Tonkotsu Ramen," which the Costa Mesa location did not. Either way, there were still many food stands inside the marketplace. I wanted to come to Mitsuwa for primarily one reason and that was for the "Pie Fresh Custard Pudding on Choux". A custard cream puff sandwiching a nice sized piece of pudding. So good, I wish I had bought more boxes. First stand that we see when we walk in! Workers hard at work Two puffs for $5, what a deal! Such a beautiful sight Nom, Nom, Nom...... Other stands that sold other items such as an assortment of sushi and fish cakes What would I do without you Mitsuwa, love this place. Mitsuwa Marketplace 665 Paularino Ave. Costa Mesa, CA 92626

I've been given the nickname "grandma" many a times for my odd habit of drinking hot water by itself in my office (something that has stuck since winter time), slow driving, or my "early" bed time of 11pm or midnight compared to other friends. Alas, when I heard from Christine of Choisauce about Tomato Pie and their famous Grandma pizza that had ranked 7th of the top 25 pizzas in the US by GQ magazine, I couldn't resist, but to go check it out. We started off with the Breakfast Pizza which consisted of tomato, bacon, and spinach atop an egg and olive oil base. According to the owner, Garrett, the egg was beat and then poured over the pizza before baking it, really allowing it to integrate with the cheese and rest of toppings. After all, who says you've really had breakfast without an egg in some sort of shape or form? Next we were given complementary cucumber salad mixed with tomatoes and a little bit of vinaigrette. Very refreshing and satisfying ...