Crispy House

 MaryAnn wanted us to go to Crispy House so we could have Crispy Pata. For those unfamiliar with this dish, it is a Philippine deep-fried pork leg dish. Think like a colossal pork rind that's super crispy outside and incredibly tender, pull-apart, juicy meat inside. Yes, get your statin ready! 

I visited this restaurant a year or so ago and remembered how wonderful it was, but I haven't returned since it is not close to my house. MaryAnn did not mind the distance and offered to drive, so how can I say no? The restaurant is small, no-nonsense, with little ambiance, but you are there for the food.

We, of course, ordered the star of the show, the Crispy Pata. We had to order something healthy, so I suggested the vegetables cooked in coconut milk, okay, almost healthy. And what is a meal without noodles, so MaryAnn ordered the Pancit Canton. Both dishes were very good. 

We had no problem finishing the pork. We had some pancit leftover and maybe a bit of the veggies. We were quite full. I was worried I wouldn't be able to enjoy my dinner at the Red Onion since my neighbor had invited me, but being the good sport I am, I managed.

Crispy House is located at 11869 Artesia Blvd., Artesia, California. When Sandi returns to California, we shall have lunch there. 

Sushi Roku

I've never been to Sushi Roku, and I noticed it was on the dineLA list. The menu looked good, so my friend MaryAnn and I went. We had a late lunch at 2 pm, since it would be our dinner. 

The menu was set. The first course was Brussels Sprouts Chips with Truffle oil and salt. These were incredible. At that point, the restaurant couldn't do wrong. It almost didn't matter if the Sushi Plate with tuna, yellowtail, salmon, shrimp, albacore, and a choice of baked crab or spicy tuna cut rolls was not good. But, lucky for us, we enjoyed them. 

The lunch came with a glass of wine or sake. Our server, Angel, suggested we try the milky (unfiltered) cold sake, which we did. That complemented our lunch perfectly. Angel, by the way was truly an angel, animated yet professional.

Since this was to be our dinner, I felt we needed something more, and it was nice that MaryAnn was game. We ordered the Tempura Popcorn Shrimp glazed with miso. We inhaled those!

The experience was so good that I could not wait to go back. So, when my friend Carrie wanted to have lunch while dineLA was still on, I asked if she would like to go to Sushi Roku. The answer was affirmative. We picked up her friend Marsha, and off we went. 

Our server this time was Brendan, who was just as delightful as Angel. We all settled on sake, and this time we started with the Miso-Glazed Popcorn Shrimp. It was a hit. Then came the wonderful Brussels Sprouts Chips in Truffle oil. These were addicting and luckily, the portions were generous. MaryAnn and I chose the Spicy Tuna the last time. Brendan suggested the Baked Crab, which did not disappoint. Both Marsha and Carrie gave this a thumbs up!

We were all pleasantly full. There was no need to go to a burger place. Our tummies were very happy!

Brendan informed us that they have a happy hour running from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm. on weekdays. The rolls and the Brussels Sprouts are discounted. 

Sushi Roku have serveral locations. We went to the one in Manhattan Beach, California. 

Bistro by LeBlanc

My brother Dino introduced us to this rooftop restaurant, which specializes in and is famous for their Triple Chocolate Champorado (chocolate rice porridge). What makes this special is that it is covered with a semi-sweet chocolate dome, and evaporated milk is poured over it as it slowly collapses, revealing the rice porridge. It's quite a show! This is usually paired with something salty; in this case, I ordered the Crispy Danggit, a fish butterflied and filleted, dried till paper-thin, then deep fried. I ordered my favorite drink to go with it, Green Mango juice. 

My nephew's son, Sky, ordered Pancakes, and they came with a flair. When he lifted a round tin off the pancakes, the strawberry cream sauce drizzled slowly onto them. 

We had to try the Bacon Cheese fries, which looked incredible, and they were!

The rest of the gang ordered the typical Filipino breakfast: fish, pork, and more dried fish, all served with Garlic Fried Rice!

I tried everyone's food, which was delicious. I must say that the Champurado took the center stage, and rightfully so, as it was the best champurado I've ever had in my life.