Andy Gavin's Blog, page 17

Eating Tysons – Silver Diner

Restaurant: Silver Diner

Location: 8101 Fletcher St, McLean, VA 22102. (703) 821-5666

Date: November 23, 2023

Cuisine: American

Rating: Great diner food

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This is some simple stuff:






But they actually do a good job.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Eating Tysons – Patsy’s

Restaurant: Patsy’s American

Location: 8051 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22182. (703) 552-5100

Date: November 22, 2023

Cuisine: American (duh)

Rating: Solid

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My parents (or maybe my Dad) are a bit obsessed with this small Virginia chain. It’s like the more modern, more commercial variant of all the small American restaurants we used to eat at in the 1970s — but stripped of the soul.

Actually this interior space was once a Chesapeake Bay Seafood House, a place that served AYCE seafood and that wa...

Eating McLean – Pulcinella

Restaurant: Pulcinella Italian Kitchen

Location: 1310 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA 22101.

Date: November 21, 2023

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Casual Italian Cafe

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My parents love this extremely casual Italian eatery near their house. VERY casual and VERY Italian-American for my style.

A weird thing that happens when people get older, even aging foodies, is that their food taste “reverts.”

They have no license, so it’s BYOB.

Bread.

Burrata salad. Not bad actually.

Beet salad.

Fried Calamari. T...

Drive for AnQi Bistro

Restaurant: AnQi Bistro

Location: 3333 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. (714) 557-5679

Date: November 19, 2023

Cuisine: Vietnamese Fusion

Rating: Really great, but really far

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Because we are good friends with the An family we hauled down all the way to South Coast Plaza for a special meal at their OC bastion, AnQi.

Located in the South Coast Plaza mall by the Bloomingdales and the Paradise Dynasty.

AnQi.

We had this gorgeous private room.

Welcome cocktail of Grapefruit Martini.

With a Gra...

Tin Time – Saltie Girl

Restaurant: Saltie Girl

Location: 8615 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (310) 734-7296

Date: November 9, 2023

Cuisine: Seafood

Rating: Quite different with all that conserva

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This was a Erick and I duo foodie night.


Salty Girl in West Hollywood offers a cozy yet vibrant dining experience, merging a relaxed atmosphere with sophisticated seafood dishes. This eatery stands out with its emphasis on fresh, high-quality ingredients, showcasing a range of oceanic delights from rich, buttery lo...

OOtoro 2023 part deux

Restaurant: OOToro [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]

Location: 1569 Fairway Dr, Walnut, CA 91789. (909) 598-8299

Date: November 4, 2023

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi (with slight nod to China)

Rating: Ends of the earth, but very good

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Chef Kaz of Totoraku, an occasional hedonist, sent us far east to this Sushi restaurant in 2016 and it was such a fun time that we had to return again for a sixth visit — it’s now become a twice a year thing.

And by far east I mean REALLY REALLY far east — to Walnut C...

Yes to Yess

Restaurant: Yess

Location: 2001 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021.

Date: October 25, 2023

Cuisine: Modern Japanese

Rating: Good, but restrained

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From a bright orange sashimi food truck to a haven for smoky wood-grilled dishes, this Arts District spot from lauded London chef Junya Yamasaki fits right in with the buzzing neighborhood. Order something from the ever-changing menu, grab a drink, and then expect to order at least another round.


Modern build out of this warehouse, although my photos s...

Tata’s Two

Restaurant: Tata’s Cafe [1, 2]

Location: 12627 Hawthorne Blvd, Hawthorne, CA 90250. (424) 675-4168

Date: October 20, 2022

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Great ingredients and a lot of fun

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My good friend Jeff Bovon owns and operates this unusual restaurant in Hawthorne. He’s part chef, part food importer and supplier, being a purveyor of super high quality seafood and meats and he basically took over this little cafe and turned it into a very unusual destination. Chevy setup a big custom group d...

Final Kinn

Restaurant: Kinn [1, 2, 3]

Location: 3905 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020. (213) 291-0888

Date: October 19, 2023

Cuisine: Korean Fusion

Rating: Really tasty & a great deal

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After Erick and I had such a great “Round 1” of our double dinner at Kinn and then a “real” Foodie Club dinner (seen here), we decided to come back for a third epic meal — sadly, it closed very soon after this particular feast which is a real shame as it was fabulous and innovative.

Not so crowded this time around :-(.


Ki...

No Balcony, but Excellent

Restaurant: Juliet

Location: 8888 Washington Blvd Suite 102, Culver City, CA 90232. (310) 643-5853

Date: October 17, 2023

Cuisine: French

Rating: Very good modern French Bistro

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Walker invited me to a Champagne themed dinner, so of course I had to go.

Juliet is a new restaurant in the heart of Los Angeles, serving bright, thoughtfully composed dishes with a seafood focus.

An ode to the way Parisians are dining now, We applY classic French techniques and global influences to west coast seafood ...