Eric H.'s Profile

I was a little shocked when I first walked in to Tokyo Table.  "Trendy" and "Arcadia" aren't usually together in the same sentence.

This restaurant feels like it was transplanted out of the Westside with the decor, music, art, lighting, servers, and everything coming together to make a great experience.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the food which is Asian fusion at its best.  Every dish is delectable and I'm disappointed when I get full because there are a couple more items I would like to try. There's always next time...

Though the restaurant is fairly new, all of their great Westside attributes are being appreciated by the San Gabriel Valley crowd and business seems to be booming.

At least they left in this touch of Arcadia: You have to go to the mall to eat at Tokyo Table.

My favorite place for late-night sashimi.  Raku is open until 1:30am or later (call to verify).  Recommended to me by a great sushi chef, Raku does not serve sushi, but does have an extensive selection of sashimi and other Japanese and Korean dishes.

I rarely give a restaurant five stars on my first visit, but all the signs point to me loving LA Farm over the long haul.  The food was fantastic (I ordered the white fish), the presentation excellent, and the service impeccable.  What I liked best, though, were the decor and ambiance.  When I stepped into the restaurant I felt like I had flown away for a retreat and worldly cares were nowhere to be found.  This won't be one of your regular spots if you care about money, but it should definitely be on your list to try at least once.

Though I am often wary of going to a restaurant the first week they are open, we did it for ThursdayLunch.com and Buddha's Belly did not show any of the normal first week jitters.  The service was friendly and polished, the food was delivered in a timely manner, and everything came out looking and tasting great.

The menu has an eclectic selection of Asian fusion dishes with something to fit everybody's tastes.

Since we weren't sure what to order, we asked our server to just start bringing food to the table.  They picked a nice variety of appetizers and entres and by the end of the meal all of us were satisfied.

After the meal I had a short chat with Evan (manager) and it sounds like this place is going to be well run.

We will definitely be back.

Tacos Por Favor is a popular lunch place in the middle of nowhere.  I'm not sure if it's popular because people like it or because there are few other lunch choices in the immediate area.

I still haven't quite figured out why my friends rave about Tacos Por Favor and keep dragging me back as it doesn't seem to be quite as true Mexican as some other Santa Monica choices and though they claim to be "healthy" I'm not sure how this is accomplished with deep fried taco shells, sour cream and guacamole (not that I'm complaining).

If you're looking for taste, skip the soft tacos and go for the hard tacos which include the guacamole.

Tacos Por Favor sells Coke in bottles imported from Mexico.  Mexico uses real cane sugar which is supposed to be healthier than the high fructose corn syrup used in the US.  And, since I grew up in a Latin American country, I think soda just tastes better in a bottle.

CPK is CPK.  If you've tried it, you know what to expect.  If you haven't tried it, think more "California" than "Pizza".  It is a step above fast food, but it's not fine dining.

My favorite entree is the goat cheese and roasted bell pepper pizza.  Welcome to California.

This CPK location near the Promenade was able to seat 9 people on short notice for a ThursdayLunch when nearby restaurants had long waits.

Though I was sad to see iCafe be replaced, I'm glad it was Orchid Thai Cuisine that took over the space.  This restaurant quickly became one of my family's favorites because of the great food, super-friendly service, comfortable space, and reasonable prices.

There is a counter in the front and a few tables there, but you should ask to be seated in the big room in the back where there is a more relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

Tips: In order to find Orchid Thai, you might need to start by parking in the huge-but-always-crowded parking lot off of Naomi. Then, once you understand its general location, you'll find easier parking right on Baldwin just South of Duarte.  There's almost always a few spaces available and you can walk right in the back door to the restaurant area.

The sushi here is "don't ask" expensive and is excellent quality. I visited Sushi Roku with two friends and sat at the bar where we were treated nicely for the first half of our meal.  Then, we mentioned the company we worked for.  Apparently our CEO was a big patron of Sushi Roku because we suddenly got some extra attention, special treats, and a free desert :)

I can't guarantee you the same experience, but I certainly enjoyed my first visit.

I ate at Sushi Mon for lunch and ordered one of the many cut roll lunch specials.  I can't say that I felt like I was eating "sushi" but it's probably good that way since I have some pretty high standards for good sushi these days.

When I ordered I was a little hesitant because the description of the meal didn't sound like it would be enough food.  When I left, I was uncomfortably full.  In case you're wondering, it is definitely sufficient in volume. And, I felt like the quality was decent for what I was ordering and the price I was paying.

If you're looking for good sushi in this area, head towards the ocean on the same street and swing by Sushi Roku.  Of course, you'll pay quite a bit more, too ;)

Buca Di Beppo received a unanimous vote of approval from ThursdayLunch.com members.  I'm not sure why we hadn't gone there before, but we will surely be back.

We ordered a number of large and small dishes and pizza for the big party, everybody had plenty of food and we got away for under $15 each including tax+tip.

I enjoyed everything, but was particularly fond of the sausage and mushroom pizza and the lasagna.