Soi 56

Soi 56
1556 North Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 962-5656

Yam Pu Nim - soft shell crab w/ green mango, shallots, cherry tomato in chili lime $9.25
Soft Shell Crab Salad: Spicy! great spike of sour and intense flavor from fish sauce dressing on the vegetables. Great crunch from the fried crab meat, nice starter, warning, spicy!
Kao Soi - chicken leg curry w/ egg noodle, served w/ pickled cabbage $8.75
Curry Noogles: Great egg noodles, topped with coconut milk, curry paste, green onions, fried noodles, and chicken leg. The soup was light enough to drink, this dish wasn't over powered by the curry flavor at all, complemented the noodles well. Bean sprout, pickled veggies, shredded cabbage, and hot oil was served on the side.

Okra wrapped in Bacon (2 skewers) $3.75
This restaurant is also known for their "Char" grilled items! The picture above is an order of Bacon and Okra. 2 wonderful sauces to dip: sweet tamarind and spicy sour! Both were great with the slime, crunch texture of the okra, bacon fat oozed out as you bite into it. I am making this at home next time I BBQ.
Iteim Krati - Coconut Ice Cream w/ Sticky Rice $5.75
This was a pretty good dessert, you get surprised in the layers! Palm seeds on top, mint leaf, ice cream, then you find sticky rice! Although it was a great idea, the sticky rice was rather tough, due to the cold temperature, I wonder if the rice was cooked more thoroughly, if it will be better/softer. Also, there is a "sandwich" underneath, like a hard biscuit. what a great dessert!

Thanksgiving Dinner!

Arne's Famous Æbleskiver

Solvang Restaurant
Home of Arne's Famous Æbleskiver
1672 Copenhagen Drive, Solvang, CA 93463



One of my favorite soups! Split pea! The thing about this one is the fact that it is not over salted, making it great to just drink on its own or with salted crackers, and you won' t feel thirsty after just drinking a cup of it.
This is the Combination Plate: Danish Style Meatball and Danish style Sausage, Served with Danish style Red Cabbage, mash potatoes, and mixed veggies. I do recommend this dish if it is your first time here! You can truly try out some of their all time favorite orders.
Aside from the hearty dishes, they also offer healthier choices like "diet Plates". Pictured above is a grilled chicken breast, served with cottage cheese, sliced egg, tomato, asparagus spear, pickles, and garnish.
So here is a picture of the famous Aebleskiver, topped with powdered sugar and Raspberry jam.
Taste like a donut ....

Æbleskiver (Danish meaning apple slices (singular: æbleskive)) are traditional Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a sphere. Somewhat similar in texture to American pancakes crossed with a popover, Æbleskiver are solid like a pancake but light and fluffy like a popover. The English language spelling is usually aebleskiver or ebleskiver.

Naga Naga Ramen

Naga Naga Ramen
46 West Valley Boulevard Alhambra, CA 91801-5048
(626) 300-0010
There are more and more Ramen restaurantes popping up in our neighborhood! This is good, we no longer have to drive to Little Tokyo, or Torrence to have this type of food!Sample page of the menu, their selections are great, it is almost difficult to choose and narrow down what you want to eat here.



Grilled Salmon Plate

grilled with soy sauce and a touch of teriyaki sauce. 8.95

Miso Ramen

with BBQ pork slices, ground pork, seaweed, cabbage and boiled egg in miso based broth. 7.50

Kimchee Ramen: I ordered this ramen because the waiter recommended me to try it.
Contains: Pork slices, ground pork, green onions, kimchee in a spicy soup. Delicious! This is something I would not order on my own, I am so glad I tried this dish! Great for spicy lovers!
The bowls and the portions are huge~! Get ready to be stuffed!

Disney chef wins food award

Disney chef wins food award

via Around Disney by Sarah Tully on 12/1/09

The chef of an upscale Disneyland Resort restaurant won a prestigious culinary award earlier this month.

Andrew Sutton, the executive chef of Napa Rose in the Grand Californian Hotel, was one of four recipients of the Antonin Careme Medal, which is given by the Chefs Association of the Pacific Coast.

The medal honors Sutton for his achievements, including Napa Rose’s menu that has ingredients from throughout California. Sutton helped launch the five-star restaurant when it opened about nine years ago, according to a Disneyland Resort press release.

“This medal means so much to me,” Sutton said in a prepared statement. “It is truly humbling to be recognized for outstanding and lasting contributions. For me, what it’s really about are the people I work with and the guests we serve.”

Sutton accepted the award on Nov. 16 in San Francisco.

Before he joined the Disneyland Resort in 2000, Sutton worked at the Napa Valley’s Auberge du Soleil, an internationally known boutique property, for about seven years, according to the Disneyland Resort. Sutton graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1987.

Photo courtesy of the Disneyland Resort.

Napa Rose

Napa Rose Restaurant -
1600 S. Disneyland Dr. Orange County CA 92802


Here is the current Autumn menu Click on picture to enlarge.
Meal starts with some assorted breads and cheese crackers.
Rather interesting starter that is not on the menu. Baked dumpling like appetizer with fresh vegetables on top and pumpkin sauce on the bottom. I didn't take notes and do not remember much about this item.


Taster's menu Item #1
Roasted Nantucket Cape Scallops with Ruby Grapefruit vinaigrette.
Tempura Fried "Soft Shell Crayfish" Dragon Roll.
Scallops were served very roasted on a small stick, flavorful, toasty goes very well with their unique sauce on the plate. Also, the fried Crayfish was wrapped with pickled onions in those clear spring rolls sheets, reminds me of the Vietnamese spring rolls. Again, the sauce is amazing and it goes well with a light dish like this.
Taster's menu Item #2
Cranberry Glazed Wild boar Shoulder.
Sweet Potato Crisp and Wild Boar Ragout Roasted Roots
Sorry for the lighting on the picture. This dish is more hearty, heavy flavor on the pork meats.
The boar shoulder is tougher than I expected, it was almost like eating moist pork jerky.
The sweet potatoes, carrots went very well with the meat sauce, just the right portion.

Taster's menu Item #3
"Prime" New York Pepper Steak
White Cheddar Chive Popovers, roasted Red Bell Peppers
Scallions & Green Peppercorn sauce.
Tender centers, flavorful edges, wonderful flavor on the sauce again. The Popover with white cheddar reminds me of the one at Lawry's Bread Puddin, except they use the au jus.
The popping of the peppers on the edge of the steak when you bite gives you a burst of flavors.

Seven Sparking Sins $45 (Click on picture to see larger view!)
This dish comes with many small surprises!
Spicy Beff & Peanut Roll -Again, this one reminds me of the Vietnamese dish.
Curried Crab Taco - Great crab meat, another crunch on the taco shell to make the texture great. I want another piece.
Seared Ahi Nacho - Great taste,flavor of the tuna, and a crunch on the bottom with the cracker
Shrimp in Cucumber Wrap with Lemon Dill Creme - Fresh, cool to the taste.
Citrus Cured Salmon with a corn cake - interesting piece, the corn cake reminds me of pan cakes.
and Grape Leaves Stuffed with Pheasant - A bit dryer than I thought, very seasoned with salt.Tangerine Grilled Scallop - Fruity flavor sauce, I liked the presentation of this dish than the taste.

Taster's menu Item #4
Chilled Harvest Pear soup with Goat Cheese Ice Cream and walnut Fritters.
I loved the soup! Great chilling temperature, pureed pear soup, kind of thick, yet the level of "liquidy" is just right.
When I had the ice cream, i couldn't tell it was coat cheese! Not until I looked back on the menu.
Walnut Fritters were fine. I'd trade for more soup.
Chocolate molten cake with Vanilla bean Ice Cream and Sugar candy decor.

BBQ at Stan's

Grilling homemade burgers and hotdogs!

Bacon, onion honey pork beans in the works.
Chopped tomatoes, garlic, onions, pepper, salt blended with ground meat before grilling!
Special cocktails we made!!