What makes good food even better is the company. And really there is no better company than our friends, Randy and Donniel. We love sharing restaurant finds and enjoying food together. Whether it is breakfast at Richard Walker’s, pizza at Mozza, pasta at a tiny Italian joint, dessert at a top secret location, or Donniel’s bulgogi tacos, all of us love food and just enjoy spending time together. So of course, Taro and I had to take the two of them to Maison Akira, a hidden gem in Pasadena. It was a wonderful two hours spent with a lovely couple and we were so glad that they loved the place! I especially loved the fact that Randy discovered that he did like fois gras – Animal, perhaps???
I am excited for this weekend because Randy and Donniel are going to take us to their favorite Korean hotpot place. It’s going to be perfect for what looks to be like a rainy weekend!
After the LMU Engagement Session, Taro and I were super hungry! During photo sessions, my body goes into a crazy mode. I don’t need food or water (unless it is extremely hot) and the weather doesn’t seem to affect me. Actually, if anything, I am just warm. I think it must be the adrenaline, the anxiety, and the anticipation of viewing the photos on a bigger screen. However, once the session is over, I return to a normal state – dying of thirst, famished, and my body temperature has regulated back. We searched for a restaurant and since the session was so close to Santa Monica, we had plenty of options. We chose Jiraffe, which I heard about from my friend, Kris, and Taro and I were both excited to try some place new.
Jiraffe had a nice ambiance to it and I loved that there were giraffes subtlety embedded into the decor. The menu even made me smile because it was the Eiffel Tower turning into a giraffe! We were pretty lucky because when I called the restaurant, they told us that they would have a table ready for us in 25 minutes and by the time we arrived, we didn’t have to wait long. As always, Taro and I share food, which really allows us to try more when we only get one entree. We decided on the ceviche (which was the special of the day), the Purple Peruvian Gnocchi – with rock shrimp, pearl onions, Mandarin tomato concasse, and herb-infused tomato nage, and the osso bucco (another special of the day). To start off the meal, there was an amuse-bouche which was gazpacho. It was actually great because we were considering soup and instead, the gazpacho satisfied us. It was really refreshing and I really enjoyed the bits of croutons and the light tomato base.
Before our ceviche came out, Taro and I had a funny debate over the bread. I said that it was olive bread while he claimed it was raisin bread. In the end, we were both right. It turned out that because the bread looked nearly identical, he had given me an olive one while he had raisin bread. It was really funny just because both of us were so adamant AND confused at how the other could possibly mistaken olive for raisin and vice versa! So after this the ceviche came out and it was very good. I enjoyed the chunks of fish and it just soaked in the lemon/lime. Shortly after the gnocchi and osso bucco came out. The gnocchi was amazing! The texture was soft, but still had some chewiness to it. It was not overdone and the shrimp was also cooked nicely. The osso bucco just came apart with the fork and what I enjoyed most about it was the abundance of vegetables (I love veggies!) with the meat.
To finish off dinner we had a toffee dessert which was sweet, but very good. Overall, we had a great night at Jiraffe after a wonderful session at LMU. I feel like I am living a dream – meeting really nice people from engagement sessions, doing photography which I love, discovering and eating at great restaurants, and best of all, doing it all with Taro.
One of the first places Taro took me to when we first started dating was Maison Akira. At the time, I was quite impressed. However, we haven’t been back since then and within the past two months, we rediscovered this quaint Japanese-French fusion restaurant. The first time we went back it was on a spur of the moment without my camera. However, this past weekend, we asked my parents if they wanted to go – I feel like my dad is now much more open to different types of food – so I was camera ready and also ready to enjoy some great food, especially since pulling out my wisdom teeth was a handicap to my eating abilities!
This month’s Menu Molière featured veal. My mom and I decided to order from this menu while Taro and my dad ordered from the Menu Rabelais. I decided on the Sautéed Crispy Veal Sweet Bread with Green Salad in a Honey Pepper Sauce and the Roasted Medallion of Veal Tenderloin in a Shiitake Mushroom Sauce. Taro decided on the Crispy Soft Shell Crab Tempura on a Hijiki Potato Mousseline, Japanese Hamachi Sashimi and Momotaro Tomato Appetizer, and the Snake River Farm “Kobe” New York Steak in a Bordelaise Sauce.
The dinner started with an amuse-bouche, which was salmon. It seemed like a weird mixture – was it sashimi or smoked? The texture itself was different and I am not quite sure whether I liked it or didn’t. However, the Sautéed Crispy Veal Sweet Bread was delicious! It was juicy pieces of veal, light and crispy. The only downside was the salad was filled with carrots (I am allergic to carrots.), but the upside was that I just ate the veal, which I was perfectly content with! The Crispy Soft Shell Crab Tempura was good as well, but pretty similar to the type of dish found at a sushi restaurant or bar. What I enjoyed most about the Hamachi Sashimi was the wasabi infused masago. It was very different and provided a nice pop of spice into your mouth.
The Roasted Medallion of Veal Tenderloin in a Shiitake Mushroom Sauce followed next and the veal was oh so tender. And since I love mushrooms, I made sure that each piece I cut had some mushroom sauce on it. Taro’s Kobe New York Steak was equally as tender and it was nice to have a duo of meat. In the end, I don’t think you can have too much veal…or steak. I also had a bite of the fish my dad ordered and it was a nice piece of bass.
To finish off, each of our dinners had dessert so we decided to order one of each! It is awesome eating as four because I can try a bite (or two or more) of each dessert. So at the end of the night, we ended up with Brioche Pudding with Raisin and Cream Fraîche, Macha Green Tea Cream Brulée, Grand Marnier Soufflé Classic, and Baked Alaska with Green Tea Ice Cream and Raspberry Sauce. I love that the Baked Alaska comes out on fire and you get a nice charred meringue as you dig your spoon into the packed green tea ice cream underneath. This one is a favorite, but the soufflé definitely rivals it. I love soufflé and this (so far) is one of my favorites next to the raspberry soufflé from Arnie Morton’s.
It was a great dinner with Taro and my parents. I can’t wait to go back to Maison Akira. I really enjoy the quiet environment, the staff – I love their French accents! – who really help to make the night enjoyable, and the sheer fact that Chef Akira (who studied under Joel Robuchon, who I love, love, love!) walks around every table to say hi and ask how things are.
Until next time…next month for Scottish Salmon, perhaps?
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