Seeking Food - By Ketojinic

$35 pre-fixed menu plus $12 sake flight and around $10 for dessert per person. And this is what we got for that money: I will try my best to describe what we ate since there wasn't a menu that we were looking at to see what we were eating. The waitresses just described what it was we were eating. We started off with a sashimi salad. There were three different types of raw, mouth watering fish that melted like butter in my mouth. When this came, we were seriously shocked. On the phone, they said it was a three course pre fixed menu so we thought for a nano second, that this was our entree. thinly sliced beef with toasted garlic, green onions, etc. that you roll up and pop in your mouth. Since it was a tapas style, each person got to eat two. They were the size of my thumb when laid flat. But then this came. Bacon-wrapped mushrooms. Anything with bacon and the mushroom gave it some juicy squirts in my mouth. Now I was curious to see what else would come. Nice! Crispy chick...

Recently, I took my raw foodist friend (same one who went to Better Life Cuisine with me) to Cru, the silverlake restaurant that has a raw menu as well as a cooked menu. It's vegan and organic on both menus ;) Sometimes, I just get into the mood for eating raw food. Mostly, it's the curiosity, I think, and secondly it's to detox from all the heavy and unhealthy food I usually eat. Going to Cru served another purpose. I'm currently researching to do a documentary on health and food. Being a "foodie," sometimes it's really hard being "healthy." Sure, there are a few foodies who exercise almost all the food they eat and create balance in their diet by eating light throughout the day in order to enjoy themselves for that one meal. Well, I can guarantee you that those types of healthy foodies are a rare breed. Anyway, I don't want to give away too much about the documentary. Back to the food. We had the Muhamarra (walnut pomegranate spread served ...

what film school ladies do to let off steam

Today I went to visit a friend who is a raw foodist, or a rawist. I never have a hard time picking a place I want to eat at considering that I'm an omnivore but I can only imagine how hard it is for a raw foodist to find a decent place to eat. When I used to work with her, she influenced me to eat more raw food and I felt great doing it. It's just hard to maintain that kind of a restrictive diet when you're always on the go. I give her major props and after having lunch with her at Better Life Cuisine, I'm actually going back there tomorrow night for another meal and some festivities! They're having a raw celebration and I'm curious to see what it's all about. We even got to meet Chef Belive, who was just eating there (he looked like he was being interviewed for an article). My friend freaked out when she saw him. Literally, he might as well have been Brad Pitt. She went and introduced herself and spoke to him about raw food. This community is so tight! A...

Bolivian food in LA? You must be kidding me, right? You mean, I don't have to fly to VA anymore to get some good Bolivian food?! OMG OMG OMG OMG. I had to go and see for myself. I took my mom and two brothers and we headed out to Beba's in North Hollywood. I've made many treks like this in the past only to find an empty or a burnt down restaurant, or a restaurant that never exist. When we got to Hazeltine Ave., we almost gave up driving up and down that street until finally, we spotted it. A small hole in the wall. So small you'd miss it if you blinked. Once inside, we noticed that the owners were Bolivian. They even played traditional Bolivian music videos on their television. It's a must see so ask for it to be played if it's not on. Also, do not laugh out loud. It may seem funny to non-Bolivians but Bolivians take their songs and culture seriously and who cares if they filmed it on an abandoned train or if the singers are wearing gangsterlike sunglasses rem...

This summer, I had the honor of being able to shoot one of our scenes for our latest film about food and love at Don Chow Tacos, a Chinese-Mexican fusion truck operated by Dominic and Lawrence. They were so fabulously hospitable and nice to us and let us try a couple of different dishes. Here are my faves: Introducing the Carne Asada Chow Fun. I think this is now a staple on their menu and I'm happy to say I was one of the first to try it! Seeing how it looks on other people's food blogs, I imagine they re-engineered it since I last tasted it. I can't wait to go back to see what is different. I remember thinking why chow fun doesn't actually taste like this! It definitely took the chow fun experience to another level and I think others agreed. The noodles were gone in less than five minutes. The Chimale!! This is a Chinese Mexican tamale with Kung Pao Chicken inside. We had the kung pao chicken and Chinese bbq pork tacos. I personally liked all their dishes that had kun...

The best thing that's happened since I got to USC - food wise. Mo-Chica is a Peruvian restaurant inside the Mercado la Paloma. What differentiates this place from other Peruvian places I've been to around Los Angeles is that this place takes Peruvian cuisine to a gourmet level. Sure, I've had Lomo Saltado only a thousand times but never have I had it in a deconstructed form (no pic yet of this dish but will update soon). Since I've discovered this place, I've been back three times. I've tried the Ceviche del dia, the Arroz con Pollo, the Arroz con Marisco, and the Lomo Saltado. The Ceviche del dia is delicious and many tend to agree that it's less slimy than most ceviches. It actually tastes and feels more like a sashimi. In this one, you'll notice that there are yams as well as two kinds of corn. My favorite hominy was in it. Hominy is indigenous to Peru and Bolivia (my hometown) so it takes me back to places I cannot enter soley through my i...