Xi’an, Beverly Hills

 

Xi’an

362 N Canon Dr.

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 275-3345

www.xian90210.com

Today I’m bringing you today another very special place…Xi’an in Beverly Hills.  I’ve said it before, its very hard for me to find a good Chinese restaurant, one that is healthy and of good quality, but Xi’an is exactly what I was looking for.  I wanted to get the scoop on what exactly sets Xi’an apart from other Chinese restaurants, so I sat down with the owner, Vicky Mense and actor/producer/manager Cece Tsou.  I had a wonderful time getting to know them as well as learning what has made Xi’an so successful for the past 20 years, when so many other Chinese restaurants in the area have all went out of business.  The answer can really be summed up in one word…evolution.

Crackerjack Crispy Shrimp. Photo provided courtesy of Xi’an.

Crackerjack Crispy Shrimp. Photo provided courtesy of Xi’an.

Xi’an puts tremendous value in their customers, and most importantly, to their loyal ones.  They love listening to the feedback of their customers to make any necessary changes. Which is why their menu has evolved over the years to keep up with changing times.  To keep up with the more health conscientious trend, they now offer gluten free, low carb, no oil, and no sugar options.  THIS IS HUGE for a Chinese restaurant.  Customers love this because it allows for eating Chinese food regularly without the guilt.

Xian Beef Tenderloin. Photo provided courtesy of Xi’an.

Xian Beef Tenderloin. Photo provided courtesy of Xi’an.

Of course, Vickey says that at the heart of her success is her dedicated team and staff.  It is amazing that there are people, including Cece Tsou, who have been by her side since the conception of the restaurant.  How is that even possible!?! Clearly Mense is doing something right because that kind of loyalty is almost unheard of, especially in a city like LA.

From Left, Tao Chang, Cece Tsou, and Vicky Mense. Photo provided courtesy of Xi’an.

From Left, Tao Chang, Cece Tsou, and Vicky Mense. Photo provided courtesy of Xi’an.

Regardless of her fantastic team, Mense is extremely proactive with her business, tends to it every single day, and runs a tight ship.  What you can expect from Xi’an is a blend of authentic Chinese food with a few fusion dishes to appeal to their creative side. They often create new dishes simply to give their regular customers more variety. What I love most about Xi’an is that they really cater to the Californian diet with all the options to make you dish as healthy as you want it to be.  They also cater to vegetarians as well.  This is one place you definitely don’t wanna miss. Perfect for all occasions. I cannot wait to go back!

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Drago Centro, Los Angeles

Drago Centro

525 S Flower St. Ste 120

Los Angeles, CA 90071

(213) 228-8998

dragocentro.com

I’m excited to share this next place with you because I absolutely love their happy hour.  They have a really decent list of options, anywhere from pizza to oysters.  I went here for my bff’s birthday and we all had a really nice time, ordered up a storm of food and drinks.  The atmosphere is upscale, and decor modern. You can find ample seating at the bar, and comfy couches by the fire pit outside.  I think this place is great for many occasions, date night, out with friends, clients, celebrations, etc.  I hear amazing things about their food off the happy hour menu and I cannot WAIT to try it for myself.  They have free valet parking in the basement below from 5 pm to 3 am with validation, awesome for DTLA because we all know how hard it can be to find parking 

Sliders

Sliders

Charcuterie

Charcuterie

Oysters

Oysters

Sugar balls

Sugar balls

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Ayara Thai, Los Angeles

 

Ayara Thai

6245 W 87th Street

Los Angeles, CA 90045

(310) 410-8848

www.ayarathaicuisine.com

We stumbled upon this place when we were searching for a good Thai restaurant near the LAX airport, what we didn’t expect was that we were making the best decision of the week by selecting Ayara Thai. First off, this place was packed!!  There was a 45 minute wait just to get a table! So that was a good sign, they are obviously doing something right if people are willing to wait just to get Thai food, when there are so many other restaurants to choose from. What I noticed next were the countless awards given to Ayara Thai, one in particular for their peanut sauce, which I later tried and now see why it was awarded.

We started off with the Ayara’s Delight appetizer which is a combination of 4 of their appetizers.  This is a good one if you can’t decide on which appetizer to get.  Although, next time I come back, I will probably go with the Thai Beef Jerkey or the Muai Thai Chicken wings because they have more protein.  Next, we went with 2 orders of the chicken sate…really good, no complaints there.  Tom Yom soup is another favorite of mine that I always get when I go to Thai restaurants.  But notably of all the dishes was the jade curry and the ka pow pork belly.  The curry was delicious and fresh. And the pork belly was so flavorful and crispy.  Two excellent choices that I would highly recommend.

The service was a little slow but then again, they were so so busy! I’ll take slow service any day as long as I know I’m getting good food.  The ambiance is a little more family oriented.  I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this place for a romantic date night in the early stages of a relationship, but more so for couples who have been together for a while and are just looking for a good place to eat. Just make sure to make a reservation!

Ayara’s Delight

Ayara’s Delight

Chicken Sate

Chicken Sate

Tom Yom Soup

Tom Yom Soup

Jade Curry

Jade Curry

Ka Pow Pork Belly

Ka Pow Pork Belly

Pad Thai

Pad Thai

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Mr. C, Los Angeles

The Restaurant at Mr. C

1224 Beverwil Drive

Los Angeles, CA 90035

(310) 277-2800

www.mrchotels.com

 Two words: People watching.  That’s all you’ll want to do at Mr. C Hotel because everyone that walks in looks like a supermodel.  And the food? Mamma Mia! We were first greeted with a taste of their delicious homemade Bellini.  I ordered the Tagliardi with Veal Ragu, quite simple, but the simplicity of it is what makes it so special.  All the flavors were so light and delicate so you could truly enjoy the craftsmanship in the pasta itself.  I’ll definitely have to go back, if not for the food, then to grab a drink at the lobby bar with a live band on Fridays and Saturdays which I’m told pulls in quite the crowd 

Tagliardi with Veal Ragu

Tagliardi with Veal Ragu

Mr. C Pizza

Mr. C Pizza

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Ramen Yamadaya, Sherman Oaks/Westwood

 

Ramen Yamadaya

Westwood location:

1248 Westwood Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90024

Sherman Oaks location:

15030 Ventura Blvd.

Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

http://www.ramen-yamadaya.com/

Twenty hours boiling broth…that is how long it takes to get their broth just right. They make their broth by boiling pork bones for at least twenty hours at extremely high temperatures, constantly monitoring it to make sure it doesn’t burn. As you can see, a lot of work goes into making this rich soup.  The Yamadaya Ramen is their number one seller because it does have the most flavor, so of course, I opted to try that one.  The broth had a very very rich, pork-like taste to it. Unfortunately it was wayyy to heavy for me. I would not recommend it at all. They do however have vegetarian Ramen!!  I ordered this one time and it was such a unique soup.  The broth was made from soy milk!  And the noodles were spinach noodles.

Not in the mood for ramen? Not to worry, they have other entrees like their Chicken Katsu and Chicken Kara-age seen below. And their curry…..delicious!!! The flavor of their curry was unlike anything I’ve tried.  In fact, I just had the chicken and curry recently at their Sherman Oaks location.  It came with Miso soup, potato salad, rice, and cabbage salad. This place is cheap, quick, and does the job.  Definitely going back again and again!

Chicken Katsu

Chicken Katsu

Yamadaya Ramen

Yamadaya Ramen

Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry

Kara-age Chicken

Kara-age Chicken

Vegetarian Ramen

Vegetarian Ramen

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Wok On Fire, Los Angeles

Wok On Fire

1447 S La Cienega Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90035

(310) 289-0102

www.wokonfirela.com

Alright, don’t make fun of me, but one of my favorite Chinese restaurants is Wok On Fire.  Actually, that IS my favorite Chinese restaurant among the non-fancy quick serve category.  Why do I love it so much? Well for starters, their lunch special is pretty awesome.  You choose the main dish you want, and it comes with salad, rice, and an egg roll.  But the taste is what got me hooked!  I hate how when you go to have Asian food, a lot of it can be pretty sweet.  But Wok On Fire knows how to keep the savory dishes savory.  Every dish I’ve had here has been really good and its really hard for me to say which is my favorite.  I’d say, try them all.  Their orange chicken was always a popular selection among my friends as well as their Crispy Walnut Shrimp. The downside? They have a B rating!!! And its been like that for years now! I don’t know why. But I don’t care.  I guess neither do other people because they had multiple order takers and their phones were ringing left and right for delivery and takeout orders.  This place is a bit far from me but so far, its the only Chinese restaurant I really love.  If anyone knows of other good Chinese restaurants let me know! I’d love to try it!

Mongolian Beef

Mongolian Beef

Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken

Garlic Chicken

Garlic Chicken

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Kushiyu, Tarzana

Kushiyu

18713 Ventura Blvd.

Tarzana, Ca 91356

(818) 609-9050

www.kushiyurestaurant.com

If you’re looking for a great sushi restaurant in the valley, this is it. In Fact, its probably THE BEST sushi spot in the valley, west of Sepulveda.  Yes, I think its better than Cho Cho Sun, aka Revolving Sushi.  Now, the prices are tad steep compared to other spots, but we’re talking about raw fish here.  I really don’t think “cheap” is the way to go.  Plus, you can tell that the premium you pay is because you are getting BETTER QUALITY food, as opposed to paying top dollar just to sit in a pretentious restaurant, in a pretentious city, and eat shitty food.  Not to mention, this place is packed!!  People going in an out, so you know there’s high turnover with their food. You can tell from first bite how fresh their food is.  And guess what…no need to worry about bright lights and a casual atmosphere, because their ambiance is great too! Its dimly lit, and can be a romantic spot too.  Trust me on this one, one visit and you will be hooked!

Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice

Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice

Chilean Sea Bass Skewers

Chilean Sea Bass Skewers

Hamachi Cilantro

Hamachi Cilantro

Green Beans

Green Beans

Green Roll

Green Roll

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Crustacians, Beverly Hills

Crustacean By House of An

9646 South Santa Monica Blvd.

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 205-8990

http://houseofan.com/wp/

Beautiful, Elegant, Refined. The only way I know how to describe an evening at Crustacean in Beverly Hills.  We went here for my mama’s birthday.  Only the best for such an amazing woman.  This is the kind of place you take that special someone in your life, where money ain’t a thing, and all you want is a fantastic dinner served in the most elegant of all places.  I would definitely celebrate an anniversary or a birthday dinner for two here at Crustaceans.  Don’t even think about not ordering the Dungeness crab and garlic noodles.  I’d say those are the two most requested dishes here at Crustacean.  They pair so well together I couldn’t imagine ordering anything else!

An’s Famous Garlic Noodles

An’s Famous Garlic Noodles

Sampler Appetizer Plate

Sampler Appetizer Plate

Dungeness Crab

Dungeness Crab

Dungeness Crab

Dungeness Crab

Chilean Sea Bass

Chilean Sea Bass

Spinach and Asparagus

Spinach and Asparagus

Filet Mignon

Filet Mignon

me at dinner

me at dinner

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