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After a grueling 18 holes of golf at Nicklaus North Golf Course, we were famished. Boy, stepping on those pedals in the golf cart was really tiring! On some holes, we even had to walk to our ball as the carts weren't allowed on the fairway. Imagine that! If it weren't for the staff helping us carry our clubs from the car to the golf cart, we could've thrown out our backs! And let's not even get into bending down and placing our ball on the tee... So much physical activity! We deserved tasty food. Hence, we headed over to Elements Urban Tapas for some share plates and a couple pitchers of sangria.
After mulling over the menu, we decided to get 7 items to share beginning with the Two-Tone Frites with roasted tomato & black pepper aiolis. Consisting of both potato and yam fries, this was a simple yet surprisingly addictive and attractive plate of food. Seemingly equally firmly crisp while still retaining a bit of starchiness, the fries did not lose their texture, even to the last piece. Although each dip was good, I preferred the black pepper aioli due to the pepperiness combined with its mild smoothness. On the contrary, the roasted tomato was much more subtle (intentionally of course) with a very mild sweet tang. With another seemingly straightforward dish, the Wild Boar Bacon-Wrapped Baby Tomatoes were little explosions of flavour. The plump, sweet and slightly tart tomatoes were accented by the saltiness of the rendered and crisp bacon. Although the pesto was another layer of flavour (basil herbiness), it wasn't even necessary since the tomatoes were fine on their own.
Onto some bigger dishes, we had the Grilled Flat Iron Steak Salad with spinach, croutons, tomatoes, olives, blue cheese, crispy shallots and sundried tomato dressing. We got the blue cheese on the side because Chill and Snake didn't want any... Wimps! Anyways, the steak was prepared a beautiful medium rare. It was well-charred on the outside while juicy and moist inside. Naturally, for myself, I thought the blue cheese went well with the steak providing a salty sharp flavour. Next up was the Blackened Pacific Ling Cod with bean cassoulet and grilled chorizo. I found the cod to be flaky and firm while lacking in inherent flavours. However, the spicy and salty chorizo were more than able to alleviate that problem. The tomato-based cassoulet was neutral-tasting except for some spice at the tail end.
Although beautifully plated and carefully prepared, the Lettuce Cups with Ahi Tuna was not a crowd-pleaser at our table. Nothing particularly wrong with the individual components as the tuna was nicely textured (soft, but not mushy) and naturally sweet while the lettuce was fresh, crisp and properly trimmed. The rest of the veggies, soy roasted cashews and seasoned rice noodles added even more textures and in the case of the cashews, an aromaticness. Snake, in particular, felt the dish was lacking impact as it was full of different textures, but at the same time, was missing that one flavourful component. For myself, I thought it was fine as it was supposed to be a lighter dish where one could regulate the strength of flavours with the nuoc cham. Another lighter dish of sorts was the Steamed Westcoast Mussels in a coconut red curry with lemongrass and kaffir lime. The mussels were buttery and plump while bathed in a creamy aromatic broth that had just the right amount of spice and acidity. I could really taste the individual components especially the coconut milk and curry.
We ended off the meal with the Slow Cooked Pork Belly with bacon & rosemary bread pudding, apple butter and maple cider glaze. Meaty and fork tender, the pork belly exhibited a natural roast pork essence that was accented by mildly sweet apple butter. I would've liked to see even more zing from the glaze, but it was full of depth nonetheless. The bread pudding was pleasant being soft and sweet with the aroma of rosemary. However, I would've liked to see something crispy to provide some textural balance (the skin wasn't crispy). Overall, we thought the meal was good with carefully prepared eats. Prices are on the higher end, but we're talking about Whistler here and whenever "tapas" is in the name, you know it won't be cheap.
The Good:
- Carefully prepared eats
- Attentive service
The Bad:
- Pricey
- Dining room is super-cozy (could be good for a couple)
Chill is a smart man. More often than not, he is able to convince Bubbly that while we golf up at Whistler, she would take care of the kiddies without questions asked. Heck, either I'm equally smart or Viv is just very patient because she is stuck with the kiddies while I'm out with Chill. This time, Chill had an even better idea - get a bunch of guys up to the cabin, play 2 rounds of golf and then have the wife and kids come up a few days later. Golf, lots of beverages, tasty food and some late night poker = reliving our youth... awesome! But first things first, we had to get some lunch on our initial drive up. We decided on something lighter in Sachi Sushi right in Whistler Village.
Although the menu prices didn't seem particularly scary for Whistler, we would soon learn that lunch would not be very cheap. Case in point, our first dish was the Assorted Sashimi for $32.00. If we ignored quality for moment, the portion size was shockingly small. I thought Snake wanted to eat it all for himself in one bite. To be fair, the slices of fish were really good having a beautiful sheen and natural sweetness. These included flounder, scallop, salmon, tuna tataki, red tuna, albacore tuna, hamachi and king crab. I'm sure that their material costs were high, hence the subsequent pricing. Fortunately, the Assorted Tempura was typical in size with 4 pieces of ebi, 1 salmon and 4 pieces of veggies. The batter was light and crispy while easy on the grease. I thought the large ebi was fantastic as it exhibited a sweet meat snap while the slices of yam and sweet potato were just the right thickness and properly cooked.
We ended up with 3 rolls including the Sachi Roll, Mango Roll and Unagi Avocado Roll. The best way to describe the sushi rice would be moist and soft while still exhibiting a bite. In terms of seasoning, it was very mild where I could barely detect any rice wine vinegar. Yet at the same time, it wasn't bland either. Consisting of prawn tempura, avocado, salmon, scallop, spicy mayo rolled in a soy bean sheet, the Sachi Roll was similar to the Mango Roll made with mango, tuna, salmon, asparagus tempura, spicy mayo rolled in a soy bean sheet. Both featured a crispy element as well as soft sweet fish. However with the mango, there was another added layer of sweetness. As for the Unagi Avocado Roll, it was pretty straightforward with thin slices of ripe avocado on top of sushi rice wrapped around unagi.
With only Pork Gyoza as our last dish, we knew that more food was needed. So we put in an order for some carbs (aka filler items). As for the gyoza, they featured a thin dumpling skin that was slightly chewy, yet ultimately soft. The bottom was somewhat crispy, but not as crispy as its colour might've suggested. For our additions, we had the Yaki Udon with beef first. It was not overly saucy which meant that the noodles were toothsome. The sauce itself was a good balance between savoury, sweet and tart. Remarkably, the the shaved slices of beef were super moist and buttery soft. Usually, the meat in these dishes are overcooked and dry.
Lastly, we tried the Chicken Katsu Don. To be frank, this was not very good. First of all, the rice was too soft. Compounding the problem, there was a pool of liquid/sauce on the bottom that only further exacerbated the moisture issue. As for the sauce, it was quite salty. Although the fried chicken breast was meaty and large, it was dry while not being crispy enough. Without going into much detail, I'm sure you have already figured out that we didn't get a lot of food for the money. Despite most items being more than acceptable, we just felt the value wasn't there (even for Whistler).
The Good:
- Quality sashimi and sushi
- Pleasant service
The Bad:
- Pricey
- Small portions
After over 2 weeks in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, we were heading back. We picked up the car from our hotel in Seattle (flew into Sea-Tac) and drove North on the I-5 on our way to home-sweet-home. Like almost every other time when we have been away for a significant amount of time, the only thing we had our minds was Chinese comfort food. Yes, that meant wonton noodles and congee. Hence, we cut through Surrey and stopped at Neptune Wonton Noodle.
Sporting large, whole shrimp wontons, the Wonton Noodle looked legit. Much like their Richmond location, the wontons were large and exhibited a buttery snap. It was quite shrimpy-tasting with the seasoning leaning more towards the sweeter side. As for the noodles, they were somewhat toothsome, but were mostly soft. The soup was the weak point as it was pretty bland with a nice aroma, but not enough seasoning. The Beef Congee was a total disappointment as it was watery from the start. Naturally, it didn't improve as we ate it, hence becoming more of a rice soup. The diced beef was not bad though with a relatively moist texture while being well-seasoned.
We also got their Dinner for 2 that started off with Shrimp Spring Rolls. With a golden crunchy exterior giving way to whole pieces of crunchy shrimp, this was a surprising addition since we normally see only the veggie or pork version in set meals. We particularly liked the abundance of garlic as well. Next up was the Sweet & Sour Pork which featured re-fried pork that was on the slightly drier side. We liked how there was very few fatty pieces in the mix though. We thought the sauce had a nice consistency and colour, but it was far too sweet. There needed to be more vinegar for balance. However, we could taste the peppers which gave some variation.
The Beef with Mixed Vegetables was a pretty hearty offering with lots of tender beef slices. We felt that the broccoli, baby back choy, carrots, celery and mushrooms to be nicely wok fried where they still had some crunch. Too bad the sauce was overly salty as it weakened what would've been a good dish. Lastly, we had the BBQ Pork & Shrimp Fried Rice which was the beneficiary of good wok heat. The rice was chewy and nutty without being too greasy. It was well-seasoned and accented by big crunchy shrimp, lots of meaty BBQ pork and veggies. As much as there were issues with some of the dishes, the food was a relief since we hadn't had a sniff of real Chinese food in awhile. However, that still doesn't mean the food was good enough in general.
The Good:
- Good wontons
- Okay pricing given its location (lack of competition)
The Bad:
- Flavours were a little off, either bland, too sweet or too salty
- Lack of staff = lack of service
Blame it on being road-weary. Blame it on not having any good ideas. Heck. Blame it on the rain, yeah-yeah... You gotta blame it on something! After a not-so-impressive meal at Mizuki Buffet the night before, you'd think we were all buffet'd-out... No, not us... As we were driving back up to Vancouver from Seattle, we stopped at an ol' friend, being the Eagles Buffet at the Tulalip Casino Resort. Sure, it isn't going to bring back memories of Vegas, but for the money (especially lunch), it sure beats eating at the mediocre options in and around the Seattle Premium Outlet.
Seemingly stuck in a time-warp, the food selection hasn't changed much since I last blogged about the place. Starting on the right side of the buffet, there was a substantial offering of "Chinese Food". Yes, it is your typical sweet n' sour stir fried stuff not found at any actual Chinese restaurants. With that being said, I still found it mediocre even for Americanized fare. For instance, the Mongolian Beef was not subjected to much tenderization, hence it was rather chewy while completely oversauced. In fact, all the dishes, excluding the pork fried rice were wet. Probably a direct result of either weak wok heat and/or overuse of moisture in the cooking process.
Next door, there was a substantial selection of Breakfast Items including link sausage, sausage patties, bacon, prime rib hash, spicy scallop potatoes with ham and scrambled eggs. Pretty standard stuff here and to be honest, with so many other options, I tend to leave these items for the kiddies (in particular, my son). But wait, it didn't end there... In addition to the big pot of oatmeal, there was French toast, pancakes and 3 types of egg scrambles. Naturally, my son went for the pancakes to my dismay... I guess the Chinese tradition of eating the meats and most worthwhile items at a buffet ends with him
(at least our family lineage). But I didn't give him a hard time because I dug into the biscuits and gravy with a side of country fried steak. And this was to Viv's chagrin... I never learn because country gravy goes with my stomach as well as a shootout and Roberto Luongo.
Now onto the main event, we found the same dishes offered in the last 10 years since its inception. Generally, I find buffets do fried chicken decently and this was no different as each piece was fried golden brown and crunchy. The batter was nicely spiced being peppery and a touch salty. Although the chicken was exactly juicy, it wasn't dry either. Yet another staple at this buffet, the pot roast was relatively moist and fork tender. However, much like always, I found it far to salty. Something different was the Hollandaise BBQ cod which was terrible. The cod was super dry and hard while the sauce 
resembled more like a salty cream sauce than an actual Hollandaise. Dressed in gravy, the roast turkey was somewhat moist while the meatballs were not dry and completely swimming in a sweet sauce. In between these 2 stations was the carving table that featured prime rib, ham and salmon. Surprisingly, the rib roast was nicely medium and succulent. Naturally, the salmon was somewhat dry being overcooked.
One thing I know that will usually turn out properly in terms of freshness and execution is the Mongolian Grill station. The one at Eagles Buffet is simple with only 3 meats, some veggies and noodles. Sauce selection is limited to only 6, but really, there is no need for more. This time around, I loaded up with more noodles (and I give my son a hard time with the carbs...) and it came out more or less how I wanted it. There was carmelization of the ingredients, but it could've been a bit more so, yet it tasted okay and the veggies were still crisp while the meat was only a touch chewy. Not shown in this picture is the station directly to the left where there was a selection of pizza.
Of course there was a salad bar (which I avoided like the plague), fresh fruit and soup bar, but I only had a bowl of the clam chowder (also to Viv's chagrin... darn those tasty creamy foods!). Completing the impressive selection of food was a large Dessert section that featured hard ice cream, pastries and cake. It was nice to see some sugar-free options as well. Again, nothing to write home about, but okay nonetheless. That pretty much sums up the Eagles Buffet as it is generally a means to fill you up for a reasonable price (better at lunch than at dinner with much of the same stuff). There is nothing really that fancy about the buffet, unless you go for their seafood nights. But if you aren't too picky, then it does the job.
The Good:
- Large selection of eats
- Generally well-priced (especially for lunch)
- Decent service
The Bad:
- Generally mediocre with a few highlights
- Salty
- Quite smoky inside
Congratulations to Donna C for winning the $100 GC! Please contact me directly at admin@shermansfoodadventures.com.
As much as I prefer to eat something new each time I am in another city, there are reasons for a revisit. This time around, we had just traveled back from LA to Seattle and had just checked into our hotel. Seeing how the kiddies were tired and the fact Costanza was still a bit under-the-weather, everything pointed to convenience as the main determining factor in our restaurant selection. To keep things simple, we headed over to nearby Mizuki Buffet, where they would be a little of everything for everyone.
Although I am acutely aware that buffets are never the venue for great eats, it does have its place. When one doesn't want to think of what to eat and if the kids will eat it, a buffet affords the opportunity for choice and the fact one will probably never leave hungry. The real draw at Mizuki is the Sashimi & Sushi. On this revisit, nothing changed as the variety and quality were impressive. With surprising options such as uni and hotate, the selection went beyond the usual. Now, I'm not going to say that the sashimi was great, yet for a buffet, it was better-than-average. The only thing I would've liked to see was some ice underneath (even though the turnover was fast).
As you can see in the display and plate, there was the tuna, salmon, amaebi, hamachi, ika, uni, 2 types of seared tuna, tako, aburi salmon, hotate and various marinated sashimi as well as different fish roes. Moving onto the Nigiri and Maki Sushi, we found the usual including salmon tuna, unagi, tako, amaebi, inari and tamago. Most of the maki sushi (picture only represents one of two sections) were California or Dynamite Roll based with a few exceptions. I found the sushi rice to be on the wetter side but not overly mushy. It wasn't particularly well-seasoned being rather bland.
Like last time, the other options were pretty average at best including the overly tough prime rib, overcooked fish and soggy pasta. The Chinese Food was pretty typical of an Asian buffet, however, I found the dishes to be rather wet and lacking in overall flavour. But really, most people bypassed all of this in favour of the Seafood, including clams, shrimp, crab and lobster. As much as the clams were fresh (because there is no alternative), the shrimp, crab and lobster were obviously previously frozen. Hence, the quality of the meat was hit and miss. I found some pieces of crab and lobster that exhibited an okay texture, while some were mushy.
Lastly, the Dessert section consisted of fresh fruit, some baked goods, a chocolate fountain, refrigerated cakes and sweets as well as hard ice cream. Nothing particularly memorable, but a decent selection that impressed the kiddies. At the end, we were pretty stuffed and got our fill of sushi and mediocre seafood. Unlike our first visit, the cost was no longer reasonable. Our weekend buffet was $28.00 for adults and half for the kids. For the quality of the food, sushi and sashimi withstanding, the value is no longer there and we will probably not be returning for a 3rd visit.
The Good:
- Respectable sashimi and sushi section
- Decent selection
- Items refilled regularly
The Bad:
- Prices, especially for the weekend, are no longer a good value
- The rest of the food is mediocre at best
It was the morning of our flight back to Seattle, after 2 weeks in California. Since it was an afternoon flight, we had one more meal to eat in LA. Based on all the crappy overpriced food we had been consuming over the past week, it was time to cleanse ourselves. We needed to dine on something interesting and didn't have the words "critters, pals or $8.95 hot dog combo" on the menu. Meeting up with my cousin (who drove all the way out from Chino Hills, what a great cousin!), it was determined that we would go for brunch at MB Post (as its name suggests, located in Manhattan Beach).
We decided to share everything which was music to my ears. Our meal began with authority as the Bacon Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits were placed in front of our salivating and wide-open mouths. These were firmly crispy on the outside while buttery, cheesy and savory on the inside. The bits of bacon were crisp with rendered fat while the herbs really came through. The good eats continued with the Truffle Honey Laced Fried Chicken with kohlrabi slaw. The pieces of chicken were crunchy where the batter stayed adhered to the meat. Inside, the meat was moist and flavorfully brined. The whole thing was tossed in a glaze that was sweet with a slight spice. We found the truffle to be present without being overwhelming.
Next, we had the Benedict with a bacon cheddar biscuit, arugula, La Quercia Tamworth Prosciutto and Hollandaise. As evidenced in the picture, the poached free-range eggs were beautifully runny. Of course the whole thing started off on the right foot with the wonderful cheddar biscuit. Although the prosciutto was salty, the rest of the ingredients, including the substantial biscuit, peppery arugula and poached egg helped even out the flavors. As for the Hollandaise, it was creamy, silky and well-balanced. Continuing with another dish that featured a nicely sunny side up egg, we tried the Corned Beef Cheek Hash which was accented by sherry vinegar and gremolata. The flavorful corned beef was crisped up while the potatoes were soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The dish was only oilier side, but the vinegar and gremolata added a certain brightness and acidity.
Just because it sounded interesting, we took a chance on the Chimichanga with scrambled egg, chipotle chicken, pepperjack, black rice, plantains and salsa verde. Surprisingly, this was one of our favorites as the exterior was appealingly crunchy while the filling featured moist chicken and a wealth of flavors including zesty, spicy, cheesy, sweet and salty. We thought the guacamole on the side was well-executed as it was creamy and bright. For the kiddies, they shared the Breakfast Sausage Sandwich consisting of Calbrian pepper (served on the side in this case), Fontina, tomato and scrambled eggs. Not a whole lot to say other than the fact that the sausage was meaty and peppery while the egg was airy and not overdone.
Lastly, we added a side of Nueske's Bacon with rosemary, brown sugar and chili. Naturally, this was sinfully greasy and sweet from the brown sugar. We found that the rosemary and chili stayed in the background where the kids didn't even mind it. As for the texture, the bacon was beautifully crisp. Now, if you were paying attention, it is quite obvious we enjoyed our meal at MB Post. Loved the atmosphere, loved the food and yes, we loved the service too. What a great finish to our visit to L.A.! It certainly made us forget the mediocre eats during the week...
The Good:
- Well-made eats
- Not lacking in flavor
- We received excellent service
The Bad:
- A bit greasy (but that is the whole point)
- Can get rather busy (good for them)
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